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Critics and Food Writers


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Critics in your restaurant?? I can't imagine anything worse. You don't need them at all. It's always puzzled me why chefs/restauranteurs pander to them. They're just parasites. And I'm not bitter because I've always had good reviews where I've been working from them, I just think they are a bunch of egotistical twats. If a restaurant offers a decent service which is needed in its area then it will do well. Why do you need a critic to come along and confirm what you already know?? Like seeing your name in the paper?? Why bother it's tomorrows chip wrapping. And really who cares what Giles Coren thinks?? And AA Gill?? Please.........

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It may be usefull for your restaurant to reach 1000s more potential guests who read the national reviews.You can read about how positive reviews have increased turnover in several threads here.Plus 99% of chefs are insecure, so validation is always welcome :biggrin:

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In addition, there are a lot of restaurants out there - a good review can be the deciding factor between restaurants, they can keep you up to date with what the competition are doing and how well or badly they are doing it, and they can attract a far greater client base than would be achievable by relying on word of mouth - especially those geographically seperated from you.

If a man makes a statement and a woman is not around to witness it, is he still wrong?

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I always find that a good national review is good for you to get out on a bad day to make you feel better, but you don't always see an enormous response straight away to a review, although everyone who comes in over the next few months will tell you that they saw you in a paper (although they normally will mention one that you know you haven't actually been in!!) So I'd say they are better for keeping momentum going rather than "making" a restaurant.

http://www.allium.uk.net

http://alliumfood.wordpress.com/ the alliumfood blog

"Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, champagne in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming - Whey hey what a ride!!!, "

Sarah Poli, Firenze, Kibworth Beauchamp

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And really who cares what Giles Coren thinks?? And AA Gill?? Please.........

Agreed. Who the hell are these people and why are on earth are they reviewing restaurants? What's wrong with peer-reviewing? Everyone would be better off if Shaun Hill, Nico Ladenis, Pierre Koffman etc. were reviewing restaurants instead of these awful fucking luvvies.

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Agreed. Who the hell are these people and why are on earth are they reviewing restaurants? What's wrong with peer-reviewing? Everyone would be better off if Shaun Hill, Nico Ladenis, Pierre Koffman etc. were reviewing restaurants instead of these awful fucking luvvies.

I hope you're following Marco's highly entertaining reviews in Waitrose Food Illustrated. From his review of Fung Shing -

"some dishes came with those carrot sculptures that always remind me of Jean-Christophe Novelli. Not his appearance, but the fact that J-C always liked to do that kind of thing to show off his knife skills. Someone must have given him a book on the subject for Christmas."

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Critics in your restaurant?? I can't imagine anything worse. You don't need them at all. It's always puzzled me why chefs/restauranteurs pander to them. They're just parasites. And I'm not bitter because I've always had good reviews where I've been working from them, I just think they are a bunch of egotistical twats. If a restaurant offers a decent service which is needed in its area then it will do well. Why do you need a critic to come along and confirm what you already know?? Like seeing your name in the paper?? Why bother it's tomorrows chip wrapping. And really who cares what Giles Coren thinks?? And AA Gill?? Please.........

good reviews bring in business, the two comments we had, andy's olive mag piece and jay's review brought in a noticable amount of business/ comment, and from precisely the customers we'd been looking to reach, the interested foodies.

I don't think we pandered to them. I drank most of jay's wine and proceded to replace his empty riesling with a gewurztraminer by mistake :laugh:

you don't win friends with salad

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they are a bunch of egotistical twats

which no chef could ever be accused of...

Wow Andy you could not have said better.... chefs can be a rather large Ego lot, suffering from kick the dog syndrome... so when they get to the top they can be an A-hole.

Last sun we had a food critic-writer in our restaurant which we just recently opened and on thurs it was in the Victoria times and we have increased our business by 50% over the last few days so I must say that it was good advertising but it is a long run now. Our labour was so high because of a very slow week now it is bursting at the seams. When I left work at ten it was starting a second rush, normally it is slowing down and I did not see any signs of a slow down.

Media does have its merits but when you get blasted it can have the reverse effect so you have to take the good and the bad but it can kill or help your business.

steve

Cook To Live; Live To Cook
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I propose a new topic- how to limit the damage of bad reviews by critcs and food writers.

Well i ll defend myself in good time as i m obviously going to!!!

But i got a busy sunday lunch first

Whs it a nice review brown bear?

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Well i ll defend myself in good time as i m obviously going to!!!

You have already....in all the postings on this thred and Alexanders of Limpsfield thred......you just have to take it on the chin as you did ask for it....the review that is......

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"Schadenfreude" Now there's a word I'm going to save for anothertime!!!

http://www.allium.uk.net

http://alliumfood.wordpress.com/ the alliumfood blog

"Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, champagne in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming - Whey hey what a ride!!!, "

Sarah Poli, Firenze, Kibworth Beauchamp

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Whs it a nice review brown bear?

I think Brownbear is enjoying a moment of schadenfreude - if you search for his other posts on this site (try looking on the Nottingham thread) all should become clear.

Just a tip for the future Simon. Probably not too prudent for a chef aspiring to Michelin status, to publicly make mordant comments about one who already has achieved just that.

Edited by Bapi (log)
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"mordant".. i had to look that up!

EG improves your vocab.

Simon will be hurting now, he asked for a review, got one, and it's not want he wanted to hear.Before you "defend" yourself, take a big deep breath.Your in the early days at Alexanders, there is time to take on board what has been written, change things,look at the restaurant as an outsider.You and your team can cook, that was said by Jay.Best of luck for the future.

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Simon will be hurting now, he asked for a review, got one, and it's not want he wanted to hear.Before  you "defend" yourself, take a big deep breath.Your in the early days at Alexanders, there is time to take on board what has been written, change things,look at the restaurant as an outsider.You and your team can cook, that was said by Jay.Best of luck for the future.

You sound like the kindly elderstatesman of EG Basildog!!!!Its not nice when a review is not what you'd hoped...it feels soooo personal....its best slept on before comment!!

http://www.allium.uk.net

http://alliumfood.wordpress.com/ the alliumfood blog

"Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, champagne in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming - Whey hey what a ride!!!, "

Sarah Poli, Firenze, Kibworth Beauchamp

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ELDERstatesman? Thanks :raz:

Sleeping on it sounds like the best advice.

You know the review i'm really scared of? Our local rag, the writers know feck all about food, less about writing about it.Same discriptions of dishes "beautifully presented" blah blah blah .God forbid they ever darken my door

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