How To Best Use Restaurant Review Websites

By Ben Smithers


There can be little doubt that the internet has forever changed the way in which people shop and communicate. Information is freely available and consumers are able to access products and services that were never before available to them. Entrepreneurs have quickly realized the enormous potential of this vast platform, but so has consumers. Restaurant review websites, to name just one example, have changed the way in which people make decisions about where and what they eat.

Critics can have a marked influence on the decisions that people make. Influential critics are often revered and many people will shun a specific venue, book or even movie if it has received a poor appraisal. Most critics feel qualified to comment because they believe that they have superior knowledge and that they are better able to judge and to advise other consumers.

Commentators often have very wide audiences but not all critics are good at it. Not everybody is a specialist and the truly professional ones are aware of the influences that they wield and they are therefore careful about what they say and publish. Spiteful, mean and small minded reviewers have caused much undeserved damage to reputations simply because they are unable to judge responsibly and objectively.

While the internet offers numerous advantages and almost unlimited access to news, information and data, it can also be dangerous. People are able to publish almost anything and the competition for readership can be fierce. Consumers should therefore be very careful before they accept anything that they read as gospel truth. Online commentators should only be supported if they enjoy a good reputation and if they are acknowledged experts in their own right.

Sites that provide feedback about eating experiences should be consistent. Reviewers must inform the readers about the eatery, its specialties and its menu. Eating a steak in a seafood restaurant, for example, is simply not fair. Readers should also be informed about the criteria that were used to reach a final opinion. It is also important to know whether the eatery was aware of the assessment.

Experts often use criteria that are not truly important to most ordinary people who simply want a good meal, a pleasant ambiance and value for money. That is why sites that allow diners to record their own feedback and experiences are often much more useful. Connoisseurs may worry about matters such as the presentation of the meal and the exact temperature of the wine but most other people cannot be bothered about such matters.

Consumers should avoid accepting the judgment of other people as the final word on eating out. consumer reviews can certainly provide much useful information and may even help to make the eating out experience more pleasant, but people should learn to also trust their own good judgment. Everybody is unique and a poor experience described by one person may actually just be the thing for another.

Restaurant review websites can allow patrons to find out how others experienced an eatery. They can also be of great help when traveling or when in the mood for a specific type of cuisine. It may be wise to remember, however, that many people are quick to complain and slow to compliment.




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