* . * . . .
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Cookie Privacy Policy
  • DMCA
  • California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)
Sunday, May 11, 2025
Love Europe
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Culture
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Sports
  • Travel
No Result
View All Result
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Culture
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Sports
  • Travel
No Result
View All Result
Love Europe
No Result
View All Result
Home Lifestyle

Stop Reading Google’s Restaurant Reviews

July 20, 2024
in Lifestyle
Stop Reading Google’s Restaurant Reviews
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
ADVERTISEMENT

When it comes to food-related nightmare fuel, here’s my biggest one: I ask friends to pick out a restaurant, and they scroll through Google and Yelp reviews for so long that I turn into a skeleton, then a tumbleweed rolls in the distance.

Has this ever happened to you? You ask a friend to choose a bar/restaurant/coffee shop, and they won’t go to a spot with less than 4.6 stars on Google. Well, it’s happened to me more than a few times, and I’ve had enough. We need to stop relying on online restaurant reviews, full stop.

And I don’t mean you need to turn off your phone and stumble upon an obscure hole-in-the-wall spot run by a grandma who is one TikTok away from virality (I mean, you might). No, there are a few other reasons why the restaurant review system (and living by stars) is broken.

Related StoriesPeople Have a Lot of Feelings

There’s a very high chance that reviewers feel one of two emotions: complete adoration or pure, unadulterated rage. In fact, a study recently found that 1-star reviews are about four times longer than 5-star reviews, meaning our outrage is way louder than our praise.

I see it all the time when I read reviews of recipes, especially the ones left by the delightfully deranged commenters captured on the NYT Cooking Comments Instagram account. Even aside from the incredible written responses, the star rating system on many recipe websites tends to completely flatten almost all the recipes to a rating of 4 stars.

It’s actually become kind of a game for me, finding a recipe on most websites that gets out of the purgatory that is 4 stars. And what does 4 stars even mean, really? With our review-obsessed society, 4 stars used to mean top-tier, but now is just above “mid” when muddled with extreme opinions on either side.

You Likely Don’t Agree with Everyone

When was the last time you really agreed with everyone? For me, maybe never. So why do we think a single restaurant review will lead us to our new favorite restaurant?
Reviews, as open-access and relatively egalitarian as they are to read and write, also have the propensity to become a shouting match in an empty house. They’re a medium that are largely unmonitored, often incentivized by restaurants, or full of review-bombs based on religious/political/public health-related beliefs.

In some cases, whole sites have been considered to be worthless, as is the case for Goodreads and their review-bombers that have “reviewed” books before they were even published, with many users stepping away from the platform. In restaurant terms, a single bad review can cost a restaurant 30 customers. And when those bad reviews can often be made by folks who have not even dined at the bakery/cafe/bar and they just gave it a 1-star review because they disagree with, say, the owner’s politics. This can have catastrophic effects on a business.

You’re Spoiling the Restaurant for Yourself

At the end of the day, reading restaurant reviews feels like skipping to the last page of a book. But worse, because it’s keeping you and your friends from deciding on where to eat—and you’re really hungry. Basically, online restaurant reviews are major spoilers, and while I love perusing a menu before I get to my dinner spot, building on your conviction and bringing a healthy appetite for new experiences has never led me astray, but a suspiciously high review definitely has.

After all, isn’t that the beauty of taste? You get to have an opinion, and just a kind reminder, opinions are not facts (and thus reviews are not facts)! So please, I beg of you, the next time you’re at a new restaurant you’ve wanted to try, just put your phone down and step inside. It just might be your new favorite place.

Related Stories

Source link : https://www.delish.com/restaurants/a61408105/restaurant-google-yelp-reviews-are-bad/

Author :

Publish date : 2024-06-25 07:00:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

Tags: Europelifestyle
ADVERTISEMENT
Previous Post

Grounded flights and check-in chaos at airports all over Europe due to major IT outage – Breaking Travel News

Next Post

European divisions risk incoherent response to any second Trump term | Europe

Related Posts

Euromaxx — Way of life Europe – DW
Lifestyle

Euromaxx — Way of life Europe – DW

Irish spot named among the many finest metropolis breaks in Europe for 2025 – RTE.ie
Lifestyle

Irish spot named among the many finest metropolis breaks in Europe for 2025 – RTE.ie

Euromaxx — Life-style Europe – DW
Lifestyle

Euromaxx — Life-style Europe – DW

ADVERTISEMENT

Highlights

Monaco Takes on Lyon – Key Predictions, Team Updates, and Lineup Insights! – EUROP INFO

The Netherlands Launches an Innovative Sports Bar at the Venice Architecture Biennale! – EUROP INFO

Norway Boosts Defense Power with Cutting-Edge AIM-9X Block II Tactical Missiles! – EUROP INFO

A Pivotal Moment for the Future of Europe! – EUROP INFO

Ronaldo Jr. Makes Waves with Thrilling First Call-Up to Portugal’s Under-15 Squad! – EUROP INFO

Categories

Archives

July 2024
MTWTFSS
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
293031 
« Jun   Aug »
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Cookie Privacy Policy
  • DMCA
  • California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Politics
  • News
  • Business
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Opinion

© 2024 Love-Europe

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.
Go to mobile version