The Power of a Positive Restaurant Review

The Restaurant Industry According to Hollywood #23

With all the conversation surrounding online reviews and the power of “the crowd”, an old restaurant reality has been lost to the new technology: the professional reviewer’s impact. Sure, Zagat and Michelin are still doling out their ratings and star assignments, but the local reviewer has certainly lost their vaunted place in the conversation surrounding restaurant quality.

There was a time when you could count on your local paper (main stream and underground) to help the undiscovered joint get known -- and quickly. Now with the access guests have to both consume reviews and offer them, the status of the local professional reviewer has been eroded by technology. Having been reviewed several times during a career, you learn to understand the immediate impact a positive review has on your traffic. It’s what caused something to go viral before going viral was a thing.

The best part of this scene is the family atmosphere and collective joy everyone feels at being the recipient of a glowing review. That’s the real truth in our industry. Together we rise and fall against the tides of the outside world. Our restaurants become home to so much of our lives, so when we can celebrate together it’s really like celebrating with family. Mystic Pizza is still relevant on that score almost 30 years after its initial release.

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