You know the drill. You and your pals want to go out for dinner, but the reliable old places are well, getting a little played out. You want to try a new place, but how do you know what the new places are, let alone which ones have good food, a good bar, or a good scene?
At one time, we might have looked back through the archives of our local newspapers for professional restaurant critics' reviews. These days however, more and more people are turning to websites that aggregate reviews from average, everyday customers like you and me. These websites, like Yelp, CitySearch, Angie's List and Yahoo Local, allow "citizen" reviewers to post ratings and reviews, and it has businesses changing their approach to marketing. Where once restaurants catered to professional critics, now they must take into account all their potential customers.
Do you use these sites when you need to make a decision about a restaurant? If so, why? And which sites do you find the most helpful?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
9-04-2006 @ 8:29PM
calamari said...
Reading the actual reviews on Yelp for the restaurant that whined to the SF Chronicle suggests that the restaurant's problems went a lot further than being in the midst of a "soft opening."
I have not been to this restaurant (and one of my neighborhood restaurants will never be reviewed by me because the staff is nice, but the food is atrocious)... but I Yelp.
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9-05-2006 @ 10:37AM
Rhea said...
I absolutely use these kinds of sites! Chowhound is my favorite. I use the Boston/New England board.
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9-08-2006 @ 2:07PM
Macholite said...
I've Yelped, but I'm quite partial to Menutopia - a new site that recently launched in NY. Color-coded reviews, friend ratings, and of course restaurant menus make it my fave.
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