A gallon of milk in Akron’s Acme No. 1 cost about $5 on June 22.
Maybe that’s why penny pinchers propelled Grocery Outlet to the fastest growing brand in Ohio, according to a new analysis released by Yelp.
If you’re looking for bargain food in Akron, however, it may not be worth the drive to Grocery Outlet, even after local gasoline prices fell abruptly to around $3.73 per gallon this week.
The closest Grocery Outlet to the Rubber City is in Strongsville, an 80-minute round-trip drive. A gallon of milk there this week, even with the standard 10- 20% Instacart mark-up, was $3.69, 10 cents cheaper than a gallon of gas.
Earlier this year, the California discount grocery chain closed its other Ohio stores in Canton, Ontario, Lorain, Parma, Youngstown and Cincinnati, saying the chain had made mistakes by growing too fast.
Ohio is the only state in Yelp’s analysis where Grocery Outlet took the top brand spot and it’s unclear if that still holds true. Yelp’s ranking are based on various data points, including Yelp searches in 2025, when Grocery Outlet had had a much larger footprint in Ohio.
Nationwide, trends in “dirty soda,” chicken and eateries that invite customers to personalize their orders are driving brand growth, Yelp concluded from its analysis.
“American consumers want… a personalized experience. Whether it’s an iced coffee customized to their liking or a chicken sandwich tuned to the perfect spice level, the fastest growing brands are those inviting customers to take part in creating the experience,” Yelp said in a release with the rankings.
It’s analysis ranked the five top growth brands in the U.S. as: 7 Brew, Smoothie King, Bojangles, Sprouts Farmers Market and Paris Baguette.
Of those, only 7 Brew and Smoothie King have a Summit County presence.
Consumer interest in 7 Brew – which has locations in Stow and Uniontown – skyrocketed 2,547% nationwide in 2025, Yelp said.
“Americans are increasingly centering their morning routines around caffeinated drive-thru beverages,” Yelp said.
Three other coffee brands also made it onto Yelp’s list: Black Rock Coffee Bar (No. 8), Scooter’s Coffee, and Dutch Bros (No. 38).
Smoothie King, which has locations in Akron and Cuyahoga Falls, took the No. 2 spot nationwide.
“Beverage-forward concepts like Smoothie King and Sonic Drive-In (ranked No. 48), also highlight how quick-service beverages have become a must-have for millions of Americans: A customizable experience,” Yelp said.
But Americans are thirsting for drinks beyond caffeine.
They also want “dirty sodas,” customized fountain drinks mixed with flavored syrups, cream, and fruit.
Dirty sodas were once limited to the American West, but went mainstream after viewers saw women drinking the creative concoctions on Hulu’s “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.”
Favorites include Dr. Pepper with coconut cream and vanilla or sparkling water with strawberry puree, vanilla and coconut cream.
“Now brands like 7 Brew are riding the wave with their own take, 7 Fizz, as Gen Z and millennial consumers share wildly popular “What’s your order?” social content on TikTok and other social media.
7 Brew’s 7 Fizz offers 20,000 different drink combinations
Yelp said it predicted the dirty soda trend in 2022 and that web searches have skyrocketed 2,547% since.
Finally, the other trend that emerged from the Yelp rankings is American’s love of chicken, especially if they can order it precisely as they like it.
“If the drive-thru beverage is the ritual that starts the American day, chicken is the protein that fuels the rest of it,” Yelp concluded.
Eight chicken-focused brands made Yelp’s Top 50.Consumers can choose traditional Southern style at Bojangles (No. 3), Nashville hot at Dave’s Hot Chicken (No. 18), Korean-fried at bb.q Chicken (No. 49), or even gas station-fried at Krispy Krunchy Chicken.
Wingstop (No. 10) and Dave’s Hot Chicken appear in the Top 5 in every region outside the Midwest, which includes Ohio, as defined by Yelp.
In the Midwest region, Yelp said the top five growing brands are: Daiso discount furniture store; Bealls department store; Dutch Bros. coffee; Grocery Outlet; and Scooter’s Coffee.
Of those five, Summit County has only one: Scooter’s Coffee on East Exchange street, across from the University of Akron campus.
Central and Southern Ohio have some of the others, but there is no Daiso anywhere in Ohio. The closest Daiso is in suburban Chicago.
Sara Chang, vice president of Yelp, said Americans’ concept of value has evolved.
“It’s no longer just about price—it’s about what a brand gives you in return for your attention and your time,” she said in a release. “The fastest growing brands deliver joy for every dollar spent.”
Personalization, Chang said, is what’s driving loyalty today.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: ‘Dirty soda,’ chicken lovers & custom orders drive brand growth in Ohio
Reporting by Amanda Garrett, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Amanda Garrett, Akron Beacon Journal | USA TODAY Network
