Philadelphia sees rise in new businesses, per Yelp data

New business listings on Yelp jumped a whopping 28% across the Philadelphia area in July, compared to the same time last year.

Why it matters: That's a good measure of economic sentiment — people generally don't take the risk of spinning up a new venture if they foresee economic peril ahead.

What's happening: 823 new business listings were registered in the Philly metro on Yelp in July.

• That's up 10.5% compared to June and 58% since January 2019, per Yelp.

Flashback: Last year, new business applications in the Philly metro were down 16% compared to 2021.

Zoom in: Philadelphia's restaurant scene was busy this summer, with several openings, including Eatwell African Restaurant & Lounge and Alice.

Zoom out: Business openings nationwide have surpassed 2019 levels every month this year, Axios Closer's Hope King reports.

• And new listings of shops and services on Yelp are on track to beat 2022's all-time high, according to a recent company report.
• Nearly 484,000 new businesses popped up on the platform from January through July this year, compared with about 389,000 over the same time period last year.

Between the lines: There have also been more business openings from underrepresented communities every month compared with the same month last year.

Of note: Yelp business openings refer to new business listings on the platform in a given time frame.

👀 What to watch: The Philly area is poised to add at least 60 new restaurants in the coming months, per the Inquirer.