Everybody Reviews!

Who am I to review anything?  Is it a base of credentials or a lack thereof?  Possibly writing talent and an audience is all it takes.  Or anonymity.  And then there's the desire to wield that kind of power.

Everybody reviews restaurants now.  Whether it is a blog, newspaper, water cooler conversation or message board (yelp, chowhound, etc) the media in which to express an opinion has tripled in the last decade.  This also decreases the impact of every one of those reviews by sheer volume that they are produced.  This is not the Times make-or-break era; instead there are throngs of know-it-all foodies with the outlet to sway the next hungry person.

Unfortunately one of the biggest motivations for reviewers is anger.  Right behind that is support.  And next would be convenience.  And often these polarizing reviews are the only thing that motivates the person to write.  The one-and-done authors most often want to make their displeasure as known as possible; sometimes posting the same negative words in as many forums as possible.  After all, it is most cathartic to get it out that way.

My critique on many of these reviews concerns experience (what you have been through), understanding (how you are taking in what is happening), and intent (why are you doing this).  The first two are partly related in that experience supports understanding but they are not always corollary.

Insofar as experience, you do not need any to share an opinion, but it goes a long way to helping validate strong beliefs and critiques.  Being on the receiving side of many bad reviews, it is much more constructive when the source is one that has been in your shoes and therefore has a base of reference to clearly explain what is running afoul.  Furthermore, this is an understanding that helps form a language to which the effort, however misplaced, can be digested when considering what needs to be said.

Conversely, there are no excuses that allow for bad service because it is difficult, or sloppy plates because things are busy.  That being said, for all of the millions of people who have spent time serving tables or cooking food there are that many more people willing to be friendly and honest through difficult times.  It also a lens that allows to see things for what they are; setting expectations however high or low and seeing how they are met in those established standards.

Whether or not a restaurant meets your criteria for a great dining experience, the next step is figuring out how (or if) you want to communicate it.  Let us say, for example, that you just had rude service and bland food for a tidy $150.  When you write a review on ChowHound, what is the intent?  Are you looking to maliciously sink the restaurant for wasting your money?  Or do you want to communicate with the people who created that experience and help them become better?  Why, with so many people putting their life on the line opening a restaurant, would you ever have such a negative experience that creates such an extreme reaction?  Or is it just gratifying to consider having that kind of voice?

Some of the worst reviews that I have gotten make me think that I slapped the guest in the face and poisoned their food all while yelling at their children.  In actuality, they did not like the location of their table or the water was a bit too lukewarm.  So many diners walk in the door and look for wrong, sometimes while ignoring the company they brought.  I am also fine if you had a bad day and want to take it out on your server, but at least use that as your therapy and get all the negative out of your system.

We all learn so much from the good and the bad.  Lessons come from mistakes and successes.  Bad reviews are necessary and will always persist.  I, however, am fortunate enough to know nobody that has worked as hard as restaurant people do that are willing to debase an establishment on the little things.

Just as you can never be an expert on baseball if you never swing a bat, eating everywhere does not give you the perspective to critique as well as the people who have had those dining experiences and created them as well.  The comparison between the two opinions is not even close.  And if I ever speak poorly about any restaurant, I will at least have the decency to identify the effort, intention, and solution to whatever problem there may have been. 

Then again, they probably have to slap me and poison me to get such a reaction.