Restauranteaur's Revenge: A review of restaurant reviewers

Owning and managing a restaurant opens me up to a high level of criticism.  Generally speaking I would not walk into an insurance office and tear apart the lighting, disagree with the stapler on the table and then post it to a public forum without confronting you first.  You know why?  Because you went to school for what you do, you have passionately worked in your field for many years.  Most people would not claim to know more about your job than you do.  This is not true for me and what I do.

Its actually a brilliant thing.  The fact that my business runs mostly on word of mouth saves me and my advertising budget.  I am passionate about what I do and the fact that people want to talk about it is rewarding and amazing.  Companies in other industries pay big bucks for the feedback guests post willingly on review sites.  I do wish people who decided to review would do it responsibly. 

There are four major components to look at when reviewing a restaurant; food, beverage, service and ambiance.  The food and arguably the most important component.  Do: have a menu item from every category, especially dessert.  Try somethings twice. Don't:  judge an entire menu based on one thing you ate.  The beverage offered should compliment the food offered.  There should be a variety of options and offer good values.  Service in a restaurant should deliver your food and beverages in a friendly and efficient manner to the point where your needs are anticipated.  Your server should have a good base knowledge of all products offered.  Remember mistakes happen, judge how the mistake is recovered from.  Ambiance is the lighting, the music and overall comfort level. 

All of these components must be kept in perspective.  Is the restaurant achieving what its going for?  A crowded loud bar may not be your cup of tea, but respect that some people seek that type of ambiance.   Your idea of great food may be foie gras, but if they served burgers is it the best burger you ever had?

There are many restaurant review forums to choose from.  The most famous is probably Zagat.  http://www.zagat.com/  hailed by foodies, its started as a book and is now also online.  A book is released every year.  To belong to Zagat there is a subscription fee of about $25 per year.  There is a number value given between 0-30 (0 being the worst, 30 being excellent) in 3 different categories food, service and decor.  Also listed is the cost which should be the cost of dinner with one drink and tip per person.  The editor then takes reviewers comments and puts together a paragraph or two to describe the experience at the restaurant.  Reviewers comments are put in quotes.  This is probably my favorite review site.  Its fair to me that reviews are filtered through an editor and ratings are averaged.  It also makes for an entertaining read when all the quotes are strung together.

http://www.yelp.com/ has become popular with younger foodies.  It is not just restaurants that are reviewed on this site, it is everything from furniture stores to gas stations. This is website based and if you have a smart phone you can check in and acquire dukedoms or be a regular and earn badges.  You can also find where the restaurant is and hook up strait to google maps.  The reviewer has a personal profile.  The reviewer can earn "elite" status the more reviews given.  On yelp you can review on a scale from 1 star to 5 stars (1 being the worst).  The reviews are compiled under the restaurant and the star ratings are averaged for the viewer.  There is a yelp matrix that regulates what reviews are posted.  It is vague about how it decides which reviews are worthy of posting.  I like the fun, whimsy angle that yelp tries to administer.  I find its very helpful to find restaurants as well.  The postings by amateur reviewers are what annoy me on this site.  I do enjoy the reviews from those who are deemed "elite".

http://www.opentable.com/ is hooked up strait to restaurants and you can make a reservation through this service. The reviews are just part of the process of deciding where to make your reservation.   You have to sign up and be a member, but it is free. By making reservations through this service you can earn points that can be redeemed like coupons at participating restaurants.   You can also earn a VIP status.  Ratings are based on a 5 star system, 1 being the lowest.  There is an overall category rating that averages food, service and ambiance.  The noise level is also included as well as filters like "neighborhood gem" "fit for foodies" and "hot spot" to help you further determine if this is the right location for you.  

http://www.urbanspoon.com/ incorporates chain restaurants, pizzerias any kind of eatery, doesn't have to be table service.  It groups restaurants into "Best Fine Dining" "Best Casual Dining" and "Cheap Eats".  On this site you don't have to put much thought in to your review, you either click on you "like" a place or you "don't like" it.  The restaurant then receives a percentage on based on who likes or doesn't like a place.  There is no grey area to this rating system which I find a bit unfair.  There is an option to review to further describe why you like or don't like a place, but it is underutilzed in comparison to the people that click the like/don't like buttons.  The best thing about this review site is the slot machine widget.  Its spins like a slot machine and determines an area, the type of cuisine and how much it will cost.

So go ahead.  Give me your opinion.  I'm tough I can take it :)