| return to main portal |
| print story |
Everyone’s a critic
How online customer reviews are shaking up the restaurant industry
By Anna Fenston
City University - London
Contact
Type the name of any restaurant into a search engine and chances are you’ll find a lot of people with a lot to say. In recent years, online review forums have emerged that offer people the chance to go public with their opinions on anything from politics to pie recipes. This trend has caught hold of the restaurant world where customers can take on the role of reviewer by posting their own comments about a dining experience.
On sites like Toptable.com, you’ll find discussion about the quality of the food, the service or even the cleanliness of the bathroom.When you’re done reading, you’ll have a pretty good idea of whether you want to go ahead and make the booking or not.
Squaremeal, Time Out and london-eating also make it easy for pretty much anyone to get the word out. Most major newspapers have followed suit. The move from informal blogs to the creation of review and booking sites catering to diners demonstrates just how popular having a say can be.
Have something to share with the public?
The convergence culture, where publicly driven media converges with traditional sources, is flourishing in the restaurant scene.
Just like in the professional critic world, reviews are entirely subjective so messages can range from extremely positive to downright damning.But what are the consequences of this new dining democracy? Do people really take notice of these amateur critics? Where does it leave professional critics and what does it mean for business?
To find out, I spoke to an avid foodie and caught up with two London restaurateurs to get their take on the trend. I also dabbled in a bit of my own culinary research along the way.