We read 460 businesses among the businesses someone searching in Berkeley, CA is shown, and two trades had no replies at all. We read 20 cafés and 20 bakeries, and not one had answered any of its recent reviews. These are not small listings. The median bakery we read carries 141 reviews and the most-reviewed carries 2,078; the median café carries 171 and the most-reviewed 949. The median rating is 4.75 for the bakeries and 4.7 for the cafés.
In other trades, we can name owners who answer. Among the orthodontists we read, Aubrey Barrett Orthodontics and Alameda Orthodontics each answered 10 of their last 10 reviews, and The Orthodontic Center 9 of 10. Among pet boarding businesses, The Pack, Fruitvale answered 10 of 10, Happy Hound Play & Daycare, Inc. 9 and Metro Dog 8. Among med spas, Mosaic Skin Studio - OAK answered 10 of 10, and NakedMD Med Spa Walnut Creek and Nubo Med Spa and Wellness 9 each. Among veterinarians, Codornices Veterinary Clinic answered 10 of 10, and OakVet Animal Specialty Hospital answered 7 of its last 10; its listing, at 1,495 reviews, is the most-reviewed veterinarian we read.
In the rest of food and drink, replies come from individual names. Berkeley Social Club answered 10 of its last 10 reviews; its listing carries 1,306 in total. Eureka! answered 4 of its last 10, and its listing, at 2,363 reviews, is the most-reviewed restaurant we read. The median bar we read carries 561.5 reviews; among the bars, Cornerstone Craft Beer & Live Music answered 5 of its last 10 and Jupiter, whose listing carries 4,010, answered 4. Among the food trucks, where the median listing carries 26 reviews, Royal Egyptian Cuisine answered 6 of its last 10. Among the coffee shops, Asha Tea House answered 1 of 10.
The reply benchmark measured here is 70 percent: the share of recent reviews a typical measured business answered, taken across 46 businesses from all trades together. It is not a figure for any single trade.
What to do about it
Start with your own listing: count how many of your last 10 reviews have your reply under them. That is the same measure behind every reply figure above, and the benchmark measured here is 70 percent, taken across all trades together rather than your trade alone.
If you run a café or a bakery, not one of the 20 we read in either trade had answered a recent review, so a single reply is one more than any of them had written. If you are an orthodontist or run a med spa, the named businesses above answered 9 or 10 of their last 10, and that is the figure your own count sits beside. Either way, start with your most recent review and answer it in your own words, then do the same with each new one as it arrives. The reply is the one piece of that exchange that is yours to write.
Food & drink in Berkeley, CA
Among the bakeries and the cafés someone searching in Berkeley, CA is shown, we found no reply on any recent review in either trade. The median bakery we read carries 141 reviews at a median rating of 4.75, and the three most-reviewed bakeries we read hold 2,078, 1,963 and 1,399 reviews. The median café we read carries 171 reviews at 4.7 stars, with the three most-reviewed at 949, 646 and 461. Those review counts cover each listing's whole history; the reply check covers only its latest handful of reviews, and in both trades that check came back empty.
The restaurants we read around Berkeley look different. Berkeley Social Club answered 10 of its last 10 reviews, on a listing of 1,306. Eureka! answered 4 of its last 10, on 2,363 reviews, the most-reviewed restaurant we read. The median restaurant we read carries 280 reviews at 4.6 stars.
| Trade | Median reviews | Median rating | Answers reviews best | Answered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Restaurants | 280 | 4.6 | Berkeley Social Club | 10 of 10 |
| Cafés | 171 | 4.7 | — | |
| Coffee shops | 171 | 4.7 | Asha Tea House | 1 of 10 |
| Bars | 561.5 | 4.4 | Cornerstone Craft Beer & Live Music | 5 of 10 |
| Bakeries | 141 | 4.75 | — | |
| Food trucks | 26 | 4.7 | Royal Egyptian Cuisine | 6 of 10 |
Hair, nails & barbering in Berkeley, CA
The most-reviewed nail salon among those someone searching in Berkeley, CA is shown is Polished Nail Spa, at 315 reviews, and it answered 2 of its last 10. Spa Nails & Hair, on a listing of 119 reviews, answered 9 of its last 10. Those are the two nail salons we can name as replying, and their figures are far apart. Of the 20 nail salons we read, the median listing carries 71.5 reviews and a median rating of 4.55; the three most-reviewed carry 315, 191 and 152.
Of the 20 barbershops we read, the median listing carries 79 reviews and a median rating of 4.6, and the three most-reviewed carry 587, 416 and 250. On replies, the barbershop we can name is Mark-Jason Solofa Men's Grooming, which answered 9 of its last 10 reviews on a listing of 238.
| Trade | Median reviews | Median rating | Answers reviews best | Answered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barbershops | 79 | 4.6 | Mark-Jason Solofa Men's Grooming | 9 of 10 |
| Hair salons | 72.5 | 4.65 | Edge Hair Salon | 3 of 10 |
| Nail salons | 71.5 | 4.55 | Spa Nails & Hair | 9 of 10 |
See every hair, nails & barbering business we read in Berkeley →
Spa & aesthetics in Berkeley, CA
Among the spa and aesthetics businesses someone searching in Berkeley, CA is shown, five of the six trades we read include a named business that answered 10 of its last 10 reviews. Cocoon Day Spa Oakland - Rockridge did it on a listing of 316 reviews, Mosaic Skin Studio - OAK on 128, Bay Area Brain Spa on 123, and Sieber Plastic Surgery - David Sieber M.D. on 206. Among the weight-loss clinics, Pound Melters Medical Weight Loss Clinic Concord and Abundant Life Weight Loss each answered 10 of 10, on listings of 90 and 69. Dermatology is the trade without a 10 of 10 among its named businesses: of the dermatology practices we read, NorCal Dermatology Group is credited with answering 2 of its last 10, on a listing of 467 reviews.
Two names cross trades. Nubo Med Spa and Wellness appears among both the med spas and the IV therapy businesses named, answering 9 of its last 10 on a listing of 351 reviews. WORTHY Self-Care Studio appears among both the IV therapy and the weight-loss businesses named, answering 7 of its last 10 on a listing of 185. NakedMD Med Spa Walnut Creek, the most-reviewed med spa we read at 618 reviews, answered 9 of its last 10. Bunya Tree Spa answered 9 of 10 among the day spas, on 286 reviews, and Vivian Ting, MD, FACS - Veritas Plastic Surgery answered 9 of 10 among the plastic surgeons, on 133.
| Trade | Median reviews | Median rating | Answers reviews best | Answered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day spas | 94 | 4.7 | Cocoon Day Spa Oakland - Rockridge | 10 of 10 |
| Med spas | 88.5 | 4.9 | Mosaic Skin Studio - OAK | 10 of 10 |
| IV therapy | 63 | 4.9 | Bay Area Brain Spa | 10 of 10 |
| Weight-loss clinics | 47 | 4.9 | Pound Melters Medical Weight Loss Clinic Concord | 10 of 10 |
| Dermatology | 59.5 | 4.5 | NorCal Dermatology Group | 2 of 10 |
| Plastic surgery | 42.5 | 4.9 | Sieber Plastic Surgery - David Sieber M.D. | 10 of 10 |
Fitness & wellness in Berkeley, CA
Among the gyms someone searching in Berkeley, CA is shown, CYCLEBAR answered 10 of its last 10 Google reviews. Among the chiropractors in the same search, Onsight Chiropractic & Massage also answered 10 of 10. The next names we can credit differ by trade: E3 Sport & Spine answered 8 of its last 10, and Equinox Berkeley answered 1 of its last 10. Those four are the businesses in this section we can name for answering. We cannot say how the other gyms and chiropractors we read handle their reviews, because not every business could be measured.
Listing size is a separate, whole-history measure. We read 20 gyms and 20 chiropractors around Berkeley. The median gym we read carries 69 Google reviews; the three most-reviewed gyms carry 732, 391 and 222. The median chiropractor we read carries 81, and the three most-reviewed carry 389, 227 and 218. For the named businesses, CYCLEBAR's listing holds 169 reviews, Equinox Berkeley's 222, Onsight Chiropractic & Massage's 389 and E3 Sport & Spine's 218. A reply figure of 10 of 10 describes only the most recent ten of those reviews, not the full count on the listing.
| Trade | Median reviews | Median rating | Answers reviews best | Answered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gyms | 69 | 4.8 | CYCLEBAR | 10 of 10 |
| Chiropractors | 81 | 5 | Onsight Chiropractic & Massage | 10 of 10 |
Dental & orthodontics in Berkeley, CA
Among the orthodontists someone searching in Berkeley, CA is shown, the three owners we can name for answering reviews are answering nearly every one. Aubrey Barrett Orthodontics answered 10 of its last 10 reviews, Alameda Orthodontics answered 10 of 10, and The Orthodontic Center answered 9 of 10. We read 20 orthodontists in this catchment, and those three are the only ones the figures let us name; nothing here describes how the others handle replies.
Among the dentists we read, the three named figures cover a wider span. Channing Dental answered 10 of its last 10. Your Dental Story - Berkeley Dentist answered 7 of 10. North Berkeley Dental Arts answered 3 of 10. Those are counts of the most recent handful of reviews on each listing, not of everything the practice has ever received.
| Trade | Median reviews | Median rating | Answers reviews best | Answered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dentists | 194.5 | 4.85 | Channing Dental | 10 of 10 |
| Orthodontists | 39.5 | 4.95 | Aubrey Barrett Orthodontics | 10 of 10 |
See every dental & orthodontics business we read in Berkeley →
Pets in Berkeley, CA
Among the pet boarding businesses someone searching in Berkeley, CA is shown, the three answering the most of their recent reviews among those we could measure are close to answering all of them. The Pack, Fruitvale answered 10 of its last 10, Happy Hound Play & Daycare, Inc. 9 of 10, and Metro Dog 8 of 10. The median boarding business we read carries 39.5 Google reviews, while the most-reviewed carries 777.
Veterinarians sit on far larger listings. The median veterinarian of the 20 we read carries 283 reviews, and the three most-reviewed carry 1,495, 825 and 431. Among the veterinarians we could measure, named practices are replying too. Codornices Veterinary Clinic answered 10 of its last 10 on a listing of 389 reviews. Berkeley Dog & Cat Hospital answered 8 of 10 with 825 reviews, and OakVet Animal Specialty Hospital answered 7 of 10 with 1,495.
| Trade | Median reviews | Median rating | Answers reviews best | Answered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pet grooming | 67.5 | 4.65 | Healthy Spot Pet Grooming & Supplies | 3 of 10 |
| Pet boarding | 39.5 | 4.9 | The Pack, Fruitvale | 10 of 10 |
| Veterinarians | 283 | 4.5 | Codornices Veterinary Clinic | 10 of 10 |
Shops & studios in Berkeley, CA
We read 20 tattoo studios among the businesses someone searching in Berkeley, CA is shown. The median studio we read carries 103 Google reviews and a median rating of 4.85. The most-reviewed studio carries 2,050 reviews, and the next two carry 613 and 567. Those are whole-listing totals, gathered over each listing's full history.
Replies are a separate measure, taken from each studio's most recent 10 reviews only. On that measure, the three studios we can name sit far apart. Baron Art Tattoo & Piercing Studio answered 9 of its last 10. Old Crow Tattoo and Art Gallery answered 4 of its last 10. Cleopatra INK Tattoo & Piercing Berkeley Studio answered 1 of its last 10. Each of the three is credited here because it answered at least one recent review.
| Trade | Median reviews | Median rating | Answers reviews best | Answered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tattoo studios | 103 | 4.85 | Baron Art Tattoo & Piercing Studio | 9 of 10 |
Method
Every figure comes from public Google listings — the businesses and owner replies any customer can see — read on 2026-09-24. Counts describe the businesses someone searching in Berkeley, CA is shown, which is the competitive set a customer actually chooses from, not a register of businesses inside the city limits. A business is named only where we read at least eight of its recent reviews, and only the ones answering the most are named; the rest of a market appears as a distribution with its denominator. Chains are counted but never named. Nothing is ranked on star rating. Berkeley, CA has a population of 120,223 and a median household income of $108,558 (US Census) — context for the town, not a predictor of its reviews.