A Guide to Restaurant Ratings

What are restaurant ratings?

They identify restaurants according to quality

Symbols are often used

Popular symbols include: stars, diamonds, chefs hats or numbers

Where do ratings appear? Appear in guidebooks such as Frommer’s

or CAA/AAA

Media & Press Releases: Newspapers, Lifestyle Magazines & Webzines

New York Magazine

Websites such as : Tripadvisor or Restaurantica

Tripadvisor Restaurantica

Are health inspections included in ratings?

Public health agency inspections are rated separately from restaurant ratings

Inspections are rated on level of sanitation practiced by the establishment*improper food storage, rodent/vermin infestation, failure to use certified equipment

Cont'd Ratings are on a numerical scale with 100 being

perfect

Letter grades correlating to the

rating have to be displayed in

restaurants in the U.S.

What are the most prestigious rating systems?

The following, are rated by professional food critics

Michelin Guide

-holy grail of food - One “*” good restaurant, two “*” worth a detour, three “*” “exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey”

The Michelin Guide: Famously Anonymous

Cont'dGayot-worldwide team of professional reviewers-20 point rating scale-19 = Exceptional – 10/20 = Average-rated on décor, service, ambiance and wine listRestaurant Rating System Restaurants: Gayot.com

Why are customer ratings so popular?

People don't necessarily trust food critics (1 persons opinion)

If have bad/good experience people like to feel like their feedback is being heard

Cont'd

Zagat, Tripadvisor & Restaurantica all customer based sites which provide critiques

Food blogs are also popular

A Passion for Food