Reviewing a Restaurant

[prasad2]

Dear Tom

To you is popularity an assurance of content? Does other reviewers influence you in your review? For example, a national food magazine or Zagats.

What is your opinion on an excellent Dining room / Restaurant?

Where do you start and where do you finish. When you review a restaurant how much importance do you give to the food & beverage, service and decor? How important is each one for you? How do you select which restaurant to review.

Your job (which I envy ) for a living - do you still enjoy the food or do you enjoy it for the doing sake.

Being a writer, travel writer and a critique what do you think about the resaturant business in general and would you ever plan or dream of opening your restaurant, and if so what kind and what rating would you want to achieve?

Thank you so much for joining us at egullet, I really enjoy reading what you write.

[Tom Sietsema]

Whoa! I think you just posted a dozen questions in one there!

In brief: I read the competition, but usually only AFTER I have written about a place, because I don't want to be influenced by outside forces. I don’t let popular opinion sway me.

The review process starts with the way the voice on the other end of the phone handles my reservation and ends with the valet. In other words, I am looking at many, many details (not just food and service), from beginning to end, over the course of three or more visits to a restaurant.

My goal is to write about two suburban places and two Washington spots every month. I aim for a mix from week to week: a mix of neighborhoods, price ranges and cooking styles. When I can, I like to do double reviews, and updates on established places.

Going to a restaurant isn't just about eating. One prominent chef told me not long ago that "service is everything." People will put up with middling food if they feel cared for, but gripe about inferior service even if they're eating something great. I tend to agree.

[prasad2]

Whoa! I think you just posted a dozen questions in one there!

    The review process starts with the way the voice on the other end of the phone handles my reservation and ends with the valet.

  Going to a restaurant isn't just about eating. One prominent chef told me not long ago that "service is everything." People will put up with middling food if they feel cared for, but gripe about inferior service even if they're eating something great. I tend to agree.

Dear Tom

Sorry about dozen questions but here is one big THANKYOU for bearing with me.

My other question?

Being a writer, travel writer and a critique what do you think about the resaturant business in general and would you ever plan or dream of opening your restaurant, and if so what kind and what rating would you want to achieve? Which city or town?

Thank you so much for joining us at egullet, I really enjoy reading what you write.

[Tom Sietsema]

Knowing what I know about the business -- how little money is usually made, how much work goes into projects, the pressure of putting on a live show night after night (weekends and holidays) --- there's no way I would ever open a restaurant of my own.

I greatly admire those who do it well, I should add, but I'm content to be on THIS side of the table, thanks.

[prasad2]

how little money is usually made, how much work goes into projects, the pressure of putting on a live show night after night (weekends and holidays) --- there's no way I would ever open a restaurant of my own.

    I greatly admire those who do it well, I should add, but  I'm content to be on THIS side of the table, thanks.

Thank you once again.

For those who seem to do it well, sometimes it's a CATCH 22.

Also in my opinion an average restaurant with a good to great review in a major media network can be a big success.

But sometimes a great restaurant getting an average or a bad review could be a economic disaster. If it's not too much, what's your opinion on my opinion?

[Jinmyo]

How many times do you dine at a restaurant before reviewing?

[Tom Sietsema]

For a full review, I visit a place a minimum of three times, though I return as many times as I think I need to in order to get the best sense of a place.

[prasad2]

-- how little money is usually made, how much work goes into projects, the pressure of putting on a live show night after night (weekends and holidays) --- there's no way I would ever open a restaurant of my own.

    I greatly admire those who do it well, I should add, but  I'm content to be on THIS side of the table, thanks.

Thank you once again.

For those who seem to do it well, sometimes it's a CATCH 22.

Also in my opinion an average restaurant with a good to great review in a major media network can be a big success. (A maker)

But sometimes a great restaurant getting an average or a bad review could be an economic disaster. (A breaker)

If it's not too much, what's your opinion on my opinion?