Author: Geoff Michener

After months of debate and anticipation, California’s minimum wage law for fast food workers, signed into law in September 2023, officially took effect in April 2024. This significant policy change, which raised the minimum wage for fast food workers to $20 per hour, sparked widespread concern about its potential impact on the state’s Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) industry. With predictions of a wave of closures as restaurants struggled to manage the increased labor costs, the question on everyone’s mind was: what has actually happened since the law came into force?

By analyzing our Point-of-Interest (POI) data, we’ve uncovered a nuanced picture of the situation. Our findings not only shed light on the impact of the wage increase but also reveal the broader economic forces influencing the industry.

Initial Impact: September 2023

When the QSR minimum wage law was signed in September 2023, the data showed a notable decrease in dining POIs in California— nearly three times greater than what was observed in comparable states. Specifically, the monthly percent change of dining closures in California in September 2023 was 71%, while similar states experienced only a 25% increase in closures. This sharp decline immediately raised concerns, suggesting that the new law might be having a swift and adverse effect on the industry.

However, it’s essential to place this data in context. Fluctuations in closure rates were already occurring before September, pointing to other underlying factors influencing the QSR landscape in California. For example, in May 2023, we observed significant variations in closure rates, which may have been driven by broader economic pressures such as the Federal Reserve’s rapid rate hikes, negative net migration, and local economic challenges. These factors suggest that the QSR industry was already navigating a complex economic environment, making isolating the wage law’s impact challenging.

Post-Law Implementation: 2024 Trends

As the minimum wage law took full effect in April 2024, many expected another sharp increase in QSR closures. Indeed, our data confirms this expectation: closures in California surged by 80% from March 2024 to April 2024, a stark contrast to the same period in the previous year, where closures decreased by 80%. However, this trend was not isolated to California; comparable states across the country also experienced a rise in closures during this period. This parallel suggests that broader national economic conditions, rather than the wage law alone, played a significant role in driving these closures.

Looking beyond the immediate impact, the data reveals that by late 2024, closure rates in California have begun to align closely with those in peer states. This trend indicates that while the initial shock from the wage increase was real, it may have been absorbed or overshadowed by other factors over time. This alignment suggests that the wage law’s impact must be viewed within the larger context of national economic trends that have influenced the industry as a whole.

Broader Economic Context

National economic factors, such as rising inflation rates and shifts in labor market conditions, have likely compounded the challenges QSRs faced in California and nationwide. For instance, the monthly change in closures from January to March 2024 was 124%, compared to an 89% increase during the same period in 2023. These figures highlight the significant influence of broader economic pressures, which may have had a more substantial impact on closures than the wage law itself.

Our analysis also reveals similar trends in other states that did not implement a wage increase, reinforcing that the broader economic environment played a crucial role in shaping the outcomes we observed. When comparing data from wage-increase states to those without such changes, it becomes clear that macroeconomic forces likely had the most significant influence on closure rates across the board.

The data shows that while California’s QSR minimum wage law had an immediate impact on the industry, the broader economic environment played the most significant role in shaping the trends we observed. The patterns in California mirror those seen across the country, highlighting that macroeconomic factors were the primary drivers behind the changes in the QSR sector. Despite the initial shock of the wage increase, restaurant employment in California is only slightly worse than in comparable states over the entire year. This underscores the dominance of more significant economic trends in determining the industry’s trajectory.

Looking Ahead

As we continue to monitor the impact of wage policies on industries like QSRs, it will be crucial to consider these findings within the broader economic context. Future research should focus on analyzing the long-term effects of these policies, as well as the influence of technological changes and other factors that may shape the industry’s future. 

Our data-driven analysis underscores the importance of understanding the complex interplay between policy changes and macroeconomic forces, providing critical insights for the QSR industry and policymakers as they navigate these challenges. Staying informed with up-to-date data will be key to making sound, strategic decisions.

Are you interested in learning more? Contact dataplor to connect with our data experts today.

After several dispiriting years of pandemic-related travel restrictions, tourism in Europe is back in full swing and booming more than ever this summer. With the revival of this important economic sector, local businesses in tourism-focused industries such as dining and hotels are experiencing significant growth. The European Travel Commission estimates that tourists will contribute a record €800 billion to Europe’s economy this year—a 37 percent increase over pre-pandemic levels.

While the surge in visitors is not without controversy for the countries hosting them, the influx of tourists is undeniably revitalizing the tourism sector in ever-popular destinations such as London, Paris, and Rome, as well as emerging hotspots in southern and eastern Europe. 

This raises the question: what does the economic boom look like on the ground? By analyzing our Point-of-Interest (POI) data, we’ve uncovered trends in business growth across the region, particularly in Paris. The city is currently welcoming athletes, their families, and fans from around the world for this year’s Summer Olympic Games. 

Regional Trends To Watch

The highest growth percentages in the total number of business locations since 2023 paint an interesting and dynamic picture of recovery. Which regions ended up at the top of the lists? For our analysis, we categorized European nations as follows:

• Northern Europe: Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, United Kingdom, Ireland
• Western Europe: Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, Switzerland
• Southern Europe: Andorra, Italy, Malta, Portugal, San Marino, Spain, Vatican City
• Eastern Europe: Belarus, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Moldova, Poland, Slovakia, Ukraine
• Southeastern Europe: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia

Across Europe, three regions lead in the growth of new restaurant and bar openings: Western Europe, Eastern Europe, and Southeastern Europe. This surge likely reflects tourists’ desire for diverse culinary experiences while traveling abroad. These same three regions also top the list for new bar openings, highlighting their vibrant nightlife and social scenes, which attract both locals and tourists.

In the travel sector, including hotels and tourism agencies, the most significant growth has occurred in Western Europe, Southern Europe, and Southeastern Europe, demonstrating a strong rebound in the hospitality industry. The influx of tourists to these regions has also driven the highest growth in transportation, underscoring the need for efficient and expanded transit options for visitors. 

As for shopping, new retail businesses have flourished in Western Europe, Southeastern Europe, and Southern Europe, driven by increased tourist spending. The entertainment and recreation sector has experienced the highest growth in Western Europe, Southern Europe, and the Nordics, reflecting a higher demand for a variety of leisure activities in those areas.

Hot-Off-the-Press Country Trends

What does the data tell us about the tourism recovery landscape at the country level and its impact on local economies? Let’s examine the growth of tourism-focused businesses across various European nations.

If you’re curious about the latest trends in the European dining and bar scenes, Serbia, Italy, and the Netherlands are leading in new restaurant openings, followed closely by Ukraine, Germany, and France. Serbia, Italy, and the Netherlands are at the top for new bar openings, with Belgium, Ukraine, and France seeing significant growth in places to enjoy a drink with friends and locals. 

As expected, the enormously popular tourist destinations like Italy, France, and Greece are at the forefront of travel-related business growth. Italy and Serbia lead in the transportation sector’s growth, followed by Belgium, the Netherlands, and Greece.

Retail business growth has been most notable in Serbia, the Netherlands, and Italy, followed by France and Germany, where tourists’ shopping habits are undeniably contributing to the sector’s expansion. Finland, the Netherlands, and France lead in entertainment and recreation business growth, with Italy and Serbia also seeing increases. These countries, already popular with tourists, are enhancing their appeal by offering a wide range of recreational activities to tourists.

Where to Find the Most Bars and Restaurants

For travelers seeking the most diverse and vibrant bar scenes in Europe, Italy, Spain, and France are top destinations for raising a glass, followed closely by the United Kingdom and Germany. If dining out is a top priority while on vacation, Germany, France, and Italy offer the most restaurant options, while Spain and the United Kingdom are next in offering visitors a rich array of culinary options.

Spotlight on Paris

Paris is in full hosting mode for the 2024 Summer Olympics, which is already having a significant impact on tourism-related sectors.

Out of all the travel POIs, which pinpoint businesses such as lodging and travel agencies, 9 percent have opened since 2023, marking the highest number of recent openings in any category. The transportation sector has also seen substantial growth, with 7 percent of new openings in relation to other categories, reflecting preparations for the influx of visitors for the Games. Dining establishments have seen 5 percent of openings relative to other areas, and the number of bars has accounted for 4 percent of new openings, giving visitors more options for meals, aperitifs, or late-night celebrations of Olympic victories. Finally, Paris’s retail footprint accounted for 6 percent of openings, as the city strives to meet tourists’ insatiable appetite for shopping in the City of Light.

A Glimpse into the Future

As the data clearly shows, the resurgence of European travel is fueling significant growth across multiple tourism-related business sectors. The increase in business locations, particularly in dining, bars, travel, transportation, retail, and entertainment and recreation, highlights these industries’ ability to bounce back and thrive after extremely challenging times.

Paris, with its preparations for the Summer Olympics now coming to fruition, provides an excellent example of how major events like the Games can accelerate growth in tourism-adjacent businesses. These trends not only reflect the current state of the tourism industry in Europe, but also indicate a future where travel and tourism continue to play a vital role in Europe’s economic landscape. As the tourism sector evolves, paying attention to these trends will become increasingly important, providing crucial insights into where people are headed and how businesses can adapt to meet their needs.

Many have wondered in recent years whether retail is experiencing a slow demise at the hands of online shopping. We took a look at some data to explore this question, and found a few interesting links between consumer trends and population migration. What does this tell us about the types of changes that are underway in retail?

We’re seeing an expansion boom among more affordably priced stores like Burlington and Marshalls, and a trend of new store openings across the board in smaller cities as opposed to major metropolitan areas. It’s clear that location is key: while stores have closed, a closer look speaks to a repositioning of many brand footprints. Let’s drill down into what’s happening and what it all means.

Where Have All the Shoppers Gone?

While the shift to online shopping during the pandemic caused some anxiety in the retail sector, in-person shopping has not only rebounded—it appears to be thriving. Across seven brands studied—Bloomingdale’s, Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom, Macy’s, Marshalls, Kohl’s, and Burlington—there were approximately 380+ store openings from 2020 to the present. The store growth rates appeared to peak in 2022 and were followed up by a leveling-off in 2023. 

The question: where, exactly, are shoppers going for these in-person experiences? And what are they looking for? 

The Answers Are In the Data

Consumers want to shop at stores that carry quality, trusted brands while not spending more—or traveling farther—than they have to. As a result, retailers are responding to demand for more budget-conscious shopping options. Burlington opened the most stores out of the seven studied during the 2020-present period, with roughly 281 store openings during that time, followed by Marshalls with about 64.

Next, we can see that store openings have been concentrated in suburban locations as opposed to major cities. The data reveals roughly 330 store openings in smaller cities and suburban areas, compared to about 59 openings in major cities (population above 600,000). With the success of these store openings in suburban locations, we can conclude that consumers want in-person shopping experiences—without breaking the bank—in the places they live. And retailers have been paying attention.

The Brand Follows the Consumer

As they say, the brand follows the consumer, and consumers have been on the move. This trend has informed a broader strategy by retailers to tap into emerging markets with growing consumer bases. While several major cities have seen lower rates of population loss over the past four years, and in some cases have even rebounded slightly since 2020, much of the population growth in the U.S. has been concentrated in lower-density outer suburbs.¹

With more people living (and likely working from home) in areas outside of large metro centers, retailers are seeing a ripe opportunity to open new stores in the places where people now live. While some shoppers may still enjoy visiting a flagship store in a major city where they can have a unique experience, they also value time and convenience, a need that retailers are responding to with success.

Location Data: The Key to Business Strategy

It’s clear that location data is crucial to driving growth opportunities, cutting out guesswork and giving retailers a competitive edge. With access to accurate, nearly real-time POI location data, retailers can gain insights into customer trends and develop strategies based on that data. With a finger on the pulse of consumer trends, retailers can meet shoppers where they are while staying ahead of the game.

With dataplor, you’ll get the right insights. Learn more about our dynamically updated location intelligence here.

By Geoff Michener, CEO and founder, dataplor

Today marks a significant milestone in dataplor’s journey—we have successfully closed our $10.6M Series A funding round led by Spark Capital, a pivotal step as we continue our mission to deliver the most accurate Point of Interest (POI) data available, empowering enterprises to make better decisions and drive growth across global markets.

From the outset, dataplor was built on the belief that accurate, reliable, and privacy-first location data was missing from the global market. We aim to help companies uncover hidden opportunities and build stronger relationships within the worldwide business community.  Estimates show bad data costs the market nearly $7 trillion annually. Many providers claim to offer comprehensive global coverage but lack the expertise and verification measures to deliver highly accurate datasets. This problem is particularly pronounced in developing countries, where up to 70% to 90% of international location data contains inaccuracies.

Building the infrastructure to curate an accurate, global dataset

Even from the earliest days of our first Minimally Viable Product (MVP), we’ve seen the value that international POI data can unlock for businesses, and our approach of including humans in the loop has been validated each step of the way. Building a robust product and team was critical in our early growth. We also found our sweet spot of using both technology—AI algorithms for gathering data, de-duping it, finding errors, etc.—and expert human validators as the key to building accurate data at scale. Creating the infrastructure for scaling this global product could not have been done without the collective effort of the dataplor team’s diverse talents and dedication. As we continued to see interest from customers and drew support from early investors, we grew our business. Now, we’ve curated a dataset that encompasses over 300 million POI records across more than 200 countries and territories and counting. 

Our unique approach ensures that our datasets are highly accurate, complete, and continually updated in real time. We have developed an industry-leading quality control system that combines hundreds of sources, reviewed by our in-house data scientists and analysts. dataplor is used by strategic decision-makers in retail, mapping, consumer packaged goods, and quick-service restaurants, among other growing industries. We count dozens of Fortune 500 brands among our customer base, and we envision this funding carrying our work to new heights.

Maximizing humans in the loop

Uncovering data and intelligence is a profoundly human exercise. However, empowering the hundreds of dedicated individuals contributing to our data verification efforts requires blending their expertise with the right technology. As dataplor continues to grow, our commitment to delivering superior global data remains unshaken. We achieve this by bringing together a world-class team of data specialists. Our team is dedicated to consistently providing exceptional products and experiences, driven by their expertise and adaptability, to meet the needs of our valued customers. The dataplor team’s collaborative mindset and innovation have been crucial in blending advanced AI with human insight to refine our data accuracy. As we expand, we aim to continue recruiting smart and innovative individuals who can contribute to our growth.

We invested early in using machine learning to efficiently process billions of data points, map patterns, and break down information so it’s most useful for our customer base. Our deep learning technology gives global location intelligence to any brand worldwide, opening a new perspective to assessing brand performance and new opportunities. Our funding empowers us to continue investments in new technologies that will scale the work of our human intelligence gatherers and analysts.

Future growth with a privacy-first approach

We’ve taken pride in launching and scaling a platform with efficiency. But even as we scale, our commitment to a privacy-first approach remains unwavering. In an era where data privacy is increasingly under the spotlight, we believe it is not only possible but essential to collect and utilize data responsibly. 

At dataplor, we don’t utilize any personally identifiable information (PII) in our data collection practices. Our datasets are sourced through direct contact with a place, or through publicly available data, without using PII or engaging in individual tracking through phones, apps, or other devices. This approach aligns with our ethos and also benefits our customers by ensuring they don’t have any legal or regulatory challenges from using data that breaches privacy best practices.

A future of superior location intelligence

I’m thankful for the leadership of Alex Finkelstein at Spark Capital, Quest Venture Partners, Acronym Venture Capital, Circadian Ventures, Two Lanterns Venture Partners, APA Venture Partners, and ffVC for leading this round. This key milestone was only possible because of our team’s commitment and dynamism; I look forward to seeing the new challenges we take on together. 

With this new funding, we’re poised to explore new frontiers, tackle bigger challenges, and deliver even greater value to our customers. We’re thrilled about the new opportunities ahead.