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Topic: How do you review a restaurant?
| Author | Message |
| inkblot | Posted – 7/31/2007 8:03:31 PM | show profile I will be doing some freelance restaurant reviews (paid for by newspaper), which I've never done before. I'm a reporter, but this is a whole other ballgame. How do I begin reporting/writing these? Do I approach the restaurant and notify staff that I'll be coming in to do a review, or do I do it the stealthy old fashioned way, where you show up, discreetly order some stuff and take notes then leave? Or are there other approaches? Any suggestions would be appreciated. |
| dribbledrive1 | Posted – 7/31/2007 8:11:20 PM | show profile It depends on a few things: 1. Is the newspaper paying for your meal, are you paying, or are you asking the restaurant for a freebie? 2. Are these restaurants advertisers and to what degree will the newspaper let you be negative, if you so choose? |
| ISR | Posted – 7/31/2007 8:38:16 PM | show profile I'm a restaurant editor. NEVER notify the restaurant you'll be visiting. Take notes. Eat a variety of dishes, and don't go on a Sunday or Monday night. For NYC, it's best to go on a Thursday night, in my opinion. Not too many tourists, but enough locals to make the scene. And the ingredients will be fresher. If you need to do additional reporting after the meal (and you should), you call on the phone and tell them you're reviewing it, interview the chef, etc. Don't just describe what you ate, either. People can get that from the menu. Talk about textures, flavors, the scene, the people...check out other reviews, like the NYT, for example, and you'll see. (I"m assuming you're writing a longish review, not a blurb.) And avoid pointing out that everything's great or terrible, unless you go multiple times---it could be an off day or the chef may not be there, and you need to write a fair review. |
| lenagrove | Posted – 7/31/2007 9:45:51 PM | show profile In grad school, I took a class on how to write all sorts of reviews, and when we got to restaurant reviews, they taught us to be sure to address portions. People want to know if they will get a decent amount of food or not--or if the portions are big enough that you might want to split an entree, that sort of thing. My professor told us to take a friend and both order different things so you could taste more than just one dish. And be sure to order whatever the restaurant's specialty is so you can comment on it. That's all I remember. I hope it helps some. |
