Why You Shouldn't Trust TripAdvisor
Or most review sites
Why You Shouldn’t Trust TripAdvisor
The problem with TripAdvisor is the problem with restaurant review sites in general: TripAdvisor, Yelp, Zagat, Zomato, OpenTable, Google. Anyone can leave a review, not everyone knows what they’re talking about, and people are petty. Oh, and they’re rigged! That link focuses on Yelp, but restaurants all over pay reviewers or bribe them with free food. This is a major red flag, but even putting that aside let’s look at some other issues.
Recently, I thought a restaurant looked good, then pulled up the Google review to find it had only 3.5 stars. I clicked on the one and two-star reviews. “Slow service,” “Water was little bit extra”, or a personal favorite, “The food was amazing, but it was too cheap.” (What??) There are lots of these “the food was great, but…” reviews. These people are unbelievable. In one crazy example, a woman wrote, “I didn’t have a reservation but was only in town for two nights and really wanted to dine here. They told me they were full all night and couldn’t seat me. Rude!” She gave it one-star. She didn’t even eat there!
Another common reason for low stars is cleanliness. It turns out lots of reviewers find places that serve non-Western food “dirty” or “very unclean.” “We had a great meal here, but the restaurant could use a good clean.” Two stars. Cleanliness is important, and I’m sure some restaurants deserve this critique. I’m also sure most of them are completely fine and just different than the reviewer is used to. (Semi-related).
Service speed is a big one. I’m sorry to tell you this (no really, I am, because I do prefer when the check is brought without asking), but service is slower outside the U.S.. This is meant to be a good thing. You’re not rushed through an experience; you can sit as long as you want. It’s hospitality, just in a different way than we do it in the states. So rating a place that was fabulous food-wise on the service (unless this is like a Michelin-starred place where service is a key component) is unfair and shows that reviewer’s ignorance.
Which gets me to my next point. A lot of people are ignorant about food. It’s not their fault. If you’re not exposed to something how would you know what it’s supposed to taste like? What is their fault is blasting a restaurant for serving food that’s “too spicy” or “a weird texture” when that’s exactly how it’s supposed to be. Of course, food is also very subjective, and what one person deems a five-star you might deem a two.
The point is, if you’re looking up restaurants for the food, then basing your decisions on stars alone, you’ll end up missing a lot of great food because the restaurant was rated down for something else, because you have different tastes than the reviewer, or because there was no cultural context.
What can you do? Not use review sites to start, but I know that’s hard. I prefer following food professionals: chefs, bartenders, food writers, food bloggers, and seeking their advice. Or friends who I know have great taste. Asking people I meet who seem excited about food, asking people where they go when they’re craving [insert something you know is a local speciality'], or using the ‘if there’s a line it must be good’ tactic. (This works better abroad, not places like D.C. during the great cupcake surge of 2012). We talked about this in a past newsletter here, and I talked about it last week on the RM World Travel radio show (last ten minutes of the stream).
When you do use review sites, follow these three rules:
READ the reviews. Don’t choose a place on star rating alone. See why people rated it the way they did and make your own judgments on their validity.
Listen to the right reviewers. On some review sites you can see where people are from. If you’re traveling and there are reviews by people from the place you’re visiting, and also reviews by people from very far away who are there on vacation, probably trust the people from the place. (Of course this is a generalization and not always true). In an easy example: Chicagoans give better reviews about Chicago deep dish than New Yorkers. Obviously.
Look at the photos. Does the food look good? I find this especially helps when I’m looking for something specific and I know how it’s supposed to look. Cacio e pepe, Yemeni bread, Wisconsin cheese curds. Of course a photo can’t tell you everything and this doesn’t work for all types of food, but it’s a start.
Links I Loved
You can only be a writer if you can afford it (I also touched on this last year).
Travel Tips
Eat: This snack I had in Oman. Canned sweet corn heated and stirred with butter, salt, lemon juice, cumin, and cayenne.
Do: Come ask me questions about Middle East travel. I’m answering them all on Instagram stories today.
Stay: Not in a bubble tent! Mine collapsed on me in Jebel Hafeet Desert Park this week, and though it reinflated quickly I prefer good old fashioned nylon and poles.