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2021 SoCal Yelpies – Event Recap



In January 2022, seven markets partnered for the first ever (virtual) Yelpies in Southern California. Participating markets include Inland Empire + Coachella Valley, LA East, LA West, Long Beach, Orange County, San Fernando Valley, and San Gabriel Valley. See all the hosts below!

What’s the Yelpies, you ask? It’s a super fun annual awards event where we recognize the heart and soul of the Yelp Community. Yelpies categories are selected by the Community Team and based on data/numbers collected from 2021. One Elite was awarded from each squad per category (with the exception of the SoCal Services Superstar). Award winners received a Yelpies trophy along with a curated gift box of local goods and Yelp swag!

This year’s IE + CV Yelpies award winners are:

  • Best All Around Elite: Graciela P
    • This award goes to Elites who are superstars on the Yelp app. They’re consistently writing reviews, adding photos, and hyping up their fellow Yelpers through compliments.
  • Rookie of the Year: Mylexus P
    • These Yelp Elites made a huge splash in 2021. The Rookie of the Year award is given to ’21 Elites who added the most reviews and photos while rocking that red badge.
  • Reviewer of the Year: Lisa Y
    • The reviewer of the year award is given to the Yelper who is a role model in the Yelp Community when it comes to spreading the local love. Whether it’s discovering hot and new businesses or an undiscovered gem, this Yelper helps to bring our community together by contributing their honest and constructive feedback on a consistent basis.
  • Photographer of the Year: Steven B
    • From delicious food pics to shots of store setups, these folks help show the nuances that make local businesses special via the images they post on Yelp. These winners have the most photos uploaded this year, kept active in our local community & more!
  • Complimenter of the Year: Tina H
    • We have so many kind people in our community that not only embody that kindness in person, but they spread that love onsite!
  • Keeping Yelp Useful: ​​Tamara E
    • This award goes to the Elites that made the most business page updates in 2021 such as adding hours to existing biz pages, adding businesses to Yelp, etc…
  • SoCal Services Superstar: Cory B
    • Did you know you can review much more than restaurants on Yelp? This Elite sure does! This award goes to the Elite with the most reviews of local services. Think plumbers, lawn service, home repairs, mechanics, and other local services. There is only one Elite for this category.

Cocktail making with lead bartender, Tyler from Progress on Main. At Progress, she combines her passion for interior design and mixology to craft each drink as a “creative liquid design in a glass.” Progress On Main is a craft beer, wine, and cocktail bar in downtown El Monte. Even though the bar has only been open since April of last year, Progress started as one of the original few microbreweries of Los Angeles County.

Stand-Up comedy starring Rich Aronovitch. Rich aka RichIsFunny, is a humor specialist who co-host Show Interrupted on Ustream and also tours the country performing Stand-Up comedy. He has been seen dancing with Charo on NBC’S The Tonight Show with Jay Leno; hosted multiple episodes of Three Men and A Chick Flick on The W.E. Network and recently was a guest on Anthony Cumia show on Compound Media.

Live music performance from Cold Blooded Soul. From Inglewood CA, Cold Blooded Soul is a live musical experience that embodies their roots in gospel, with a fusion of jazz, hip hop, and soul. Established in 2012 and led by Goldie, the band breathes life into JPounds’ dynamic compositions. CBS started off as just a hobby but turned into a brotherhood and strives to spread love and inspiration through their music.

Our virtual photo booth was provided by Alfresco Photos. Alfresco Photo is a team of creatives who design every event around your goals. Ensuring a seamless and positive experience for each guest is their top priority. Simply put, they’re the company you want working the crowd at your party.

Southern California’s first ever YELPIES, what a night. The band, the comic, the mixologist, and all the winners… I’m so glad that I was able to be there. Shout out to all the community leaders who put it all together.. and to all my other Elites who showed up. I can’t wait to start following folks. This event helped me really appreciate YELP as a community… made me just wanna go out and start helping places.

– Yelp elite, Tish W
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