In this fortnightly series, Viva\u2019s resident dining-out editor answers reader questions on where, how and what to eat. This time, can you trust TripAdvisor reviews?<\/p>\n
\n Do you ever look up TripAdvisor reviews before choosing a restaurant? If I\u2019m choosing between, say, two Italian restaurants I\u2019ll always choose
\n the 4.3 star one over the 4.1 star one. Am I being ridiculous?\n <\/p>\n
No, not ridiculous, but I want you to keep a few things in mind. Next time you\u2019re in the line for airport security, take a look around you. These are the people telling you what to put in your mouth. Are you still going to go where they send you? <\/p>\n
Actually, it\u2019s worse than that. Of the 30 or so people in your field of vision as you remove your steel-buckled belt, let\u2019s imagine six of them thought the restaurant they visited at The Base in Hamilton was the greatest Italian restaurant to exist outside of Rome; another six thought it was the sort of place they wouldn\u2019t let their dog eat. The remaining 18 didn\u2019t feel so strongly either way, so they didn\u2019t bother leaving a review. Jackie, you\u2019re not visiting a 4.2 star restaurant; you\u2019re visiting a restaurant that diners with enough time on their hands have rated either 5 stars or 1 star. <\/p>\n
Of course, as a professional restaurant reviewer, I have a vested interest in convincing you to listen to me rather than some online scoring system: if too many people read TripAdvisor instead of my reviews, I\u2019m out of a job. I guess it all comes down to whether you trust me, or think I\u2019m acting in self-interest. For what it\u2019s worth, I think you should trust me; after all, I\u2019m rated 4.3 on TripAdvisor. <\/p>\n
Do you have any restaurant-related questions or dining-out dilemmas? Jesse Mulligan is here to help.<\/p>\n