Do you prefer pro or lay-person reviews?

[James]

Here at Meet Me There we let real people publish reviews about their own experiences at restaurants they've recently been to.

However, I was recently talking to someone who works in the food writing industry, who says he doesn't feel comfortable with reviews written by the general public. "It's the lack of context that troubles me" he says, pointing out that if you read a regular reviewer in the print media, you get to know their likes and dislikes and while you might not always agree, you have a reference point to contextualise their views.

Employed food reviewers also have experience over time, comparing meals, dining rooms and chefs on a regular basis at a (hopefully) professional level.

While I can see the point to what this person is saying, I'm not sure that I agree that this makes user reviews entirely worthless. What we do here at Meet Me There is less about hearing what one "authority" has to say about a venue and more about sharing in a community what our experiences have been. It's like talking with your friends around the water-cooler at work - it's natural to tell people what you like and what you don't.

I also think this form of public reviewing ends up a fairer and more natural system. You can still get to know individual reviewers and if you read a range of views you are more likely to get a realistic, balanced portrayal of a venue's performance.

There are many places that print media reviewers would not even mention that are very popular with the locals. Likewise there are occasionally restaurants that the reviewers love that for some reason just don't make it with the general public.

What do you think? Do you read "professional" food reviewers? How does it compare to reading lay-person reviews at MMT?
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“Blessed are the Cheese Makers!” - Jesus, in the Life of Brian

[Infinity]

[James]

Thanks for your reply Katherine.

Do you think that anyone who is paid for reviews is biased? It's probably got something to do with it - but if it's a newspaper, say, paying a journalist to write reviews, then that won't necessarily affect what they say about a restaurant, if the venue isn't affiliated with the newspaper at all.

What do you think?
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“Blessed are the Cheese Makers!” - Jesus, in the Life of Brian

[jmbau]

I think there's a place for both. So I don't prefer either, I read/listen to both & use it as extra info to help make a decision: will I try it, or not? (Or, if I tried it once & everyone raves about it, did I just strike it on an off night?)

I quite agree that non-pro reviews are just like talking with friends around the water-cooler at work & that "it's natural to tell people what you like and what you don't". And think it's insulting to think that 'ordinary punters' don't know - after all, ordinary people going there to eat/returning are what makes/breaks your average restaurant.

I also accept that we will have biasses - myself included, & make an attempt to indicate when & where I have those. For example, I loathe seriously noisy restaurants. When I go out, I want to be able to hear the person/people I'm with, not struggle to hear even the person next to me. But from the sheer number of successful & very noisy restaurants around, I gather not everyone feels the same.

But this will or should even out with a number of reviews. If there's a general consensus of 'they're not very good at service', for example, from a few reviewers, that has more impact than the opinion of a single reviewer.

Are reviewers unbiased? Depends on which, & who they write for. I'm very wary of reviewers in local papers, who most often depend on local businesses to advertise with them for their revenue. I've yet to read ANY even slightly critical comment in a 'local' review. But then, I don't think they're really 'professional' reviewers.

And arguing that one reads a regular reviewer and gets to know their likes & dislikes, so you have a context... oh, spare me. I don't want to have to invest a lot of time 'getting to know' a reviewer. I just want some input & opinions.

Quite often ,I'm just popping out for a pleasant meal somewhere not too far away with a friend or three. I don't always want to go to the same place. And I'm far less often going to fine dining places. When I do the latter, I put more weight on pro reviewers' opinions because yes, they DO have far more opportunity & experience than I have in that field. But when I'm doing the former, I'm much, much more likely to ask friends/co-workers or others.

[roentarre]

The problem is that it is the public that dine the food.

I know chefs that run restaurants consider themselves as Gods. But they cook and we eat. We talk and spread news. Very often, many chefs are not as good grandma's cooking. Chefs are chefs because they can be consistent in producing food of same quality.

Very often, I do not identify any so called food critics as common people. They look eccentric. Just like any psychiatrists consider themselves having special perspective but they are not exactly the norm either...
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[Roxy]

I have a look at reviews of both kinds, however I look for trends rather than one or two reviews - good or bad. I am rather suspect of some reviews here, they read more like ads. Unless a review has an air of authenticity and knowledge about it I take it with a very big pinch of salt.

Peoples experience and expectations vary vastly. I recall going to a place with some neighbours that they raved about, turned out to be plastic benches, overdone steak, frozen vegetables and chips reminded me of the type of thing we though was OK in the '70's perhaps, some people have not really moved on. Later we persuaded them to try somewhere else, they hated it, their choice was in their comfort zone and our choice was way outside of it.

Many people have never experienced good food and/or service so they wouldn’t know what it is and when they aren’t getting it, mind you living in the country I am beginning to forget myself.

I sometimes wonder what Ramsey would say if he came to many of the places out here – I think I can guess.

There are many places out here that think it it normal to refer to customers as 'doll' or 'mate', the locals don't seem to mind - says it all really.