Restaurants are finally getting a chance to even up the score.  For years we as customers have been able to comment, praise and critique restaurants via various forums (ie Trip Advisor, Yelp, Urbanspoon etc.   A recent  article by Inga Ting on Goodfood.com.au  outlines how Restaurants are now using social to gain insights into their customers and even give them ratings!

Now from what I can see it’s not a public viewing so no need to panic that your public reputation might be damaged, but certainly it does mean that we need to be more considerate when reviewing our experiences and make sure we are being fair.

I have some reservations in that if a customer does have a bad experience I would hope that the restaurant would make note of real issues and perhaps even place a note to make sure that the next time the customer is in, they have a truly positive experience.    Marking a customer as a PIA (pain in arse!) is unfair where standards are not being met, but it is all relative.   Most of us have come across  someone who will complain just to try to get a free meal even when the service was great after all!

One area I noted was the comment that people stayed on the table after dessert, I guess it’s a sign of the times that restaurants want you to eat up and move on, but I’m of the old school type.  If I am fine dining and I want to linger over coffee because I’ve had a great experience, then I don’t like to be pushed out.   I understand in an era of line up and no reservations you do have to be mindful of the next sitting, that is just manners, but don’t book me at 8pm and expect my party to be out at 9pm – it’s not good for the digestion!

What I do like is that if you do have your likes and dislikes in your online profiles you just might find you get an even better restaurant experience.  By posting your reviews and opinions a better picture of the experiences you like to have will be found.    If a restaurant knows you are a foodie, avid instagram poster of food pics etc, then it is in their best interests to make your experience a great one – lots of free promotion for them!   You can find out more about one of the new review sites Dimmi here.

It’s an interesting side to the picture and I will be interested to see what others think.   Please add your comments and let’s get a conversation started!