Do restaurant critics still matter?
by: Cathrine Shone
Is every person with an internet connection a potential food critic?
"Restaurants should be more concerned about a customer with an iPhone
or a Blackberry than a strange freeloader with the words ‘Food Critic’
tattooed on their forehead…"
Controversial? I don’t think so.
We were tweeted an article
by @mike_said_what last week and I read it with a degree of déjà vu as I have often
thought along these lines. After all… opinions are like assholes…
everyone’s got one.
As the restaurant editor for Food24, I have read about a million restaurant reviews.
Many of them by the food writers I follow, who visit the “Top 20”
and new and trendy restaurants, who use “fluffy verbs” to describe the
food and who are sometimes disparaging about the décor (but mostly
wildly enthusiastic about it). Restaurants invite food writers to
experience the best of what they
have to offer to get the word out there. “Hey we’ve opened up a
restaurant. Here we are, come and try us out.”
The bulk of the reviews I read, however, are posted on Food24
from regular people who visit their local with no agenda other than to
have a nice meal away from home. I’m more interested in the latter,
simply because they are talking to more people out there when they post
a review, and personal attacks and hate speech aside, they certainly
have no compunction relating the real experience.
I’m not
saying that food critics don’t deliver an interesting recount of their
own experience, which no doubt will be the very best the restaurant can
deliver. They have a real passion for food and their knowledge
generally extends beyond ordering their steak medium rare… so a
criticism here and a nod there will really arm you with some useful
knowledge should you wish to visit the restaurant in question.
Clearly,
peer reviews, made by bloggers, tweeters or friends on Facebook that
you already trust are more valuable to the average restaurant goer than
the opinions of food critics, who tend to be invested in getting
invited back. But does that make every person with an internet
connection a ‘foodie?’
Who's following who?
My view? It’s all about the followers.
Sure anyone can tweet or facebook a picture and an opinion… but who’s
really listening? How many followers do you have and do they value your opinion? And as a 'food critic' if you post one glowing review after another who is
going to carry on reading them? Same with taking a hatchet to every
place you go… nasty gets old fast.
Either way, I believe reader reviews posted on popular websites are already more influential than the traditional food critic’s opinions.
Do you agree? Comment below or drop us an email and share your opinion.