Restaurant Reviews: No Need to Be a Professional!

I have always envied writers who make a living reviewing restaurants. Some of the most prominent food critics are flown all around the nation and world tasting the most scrumptious delicacies that restaurants will prepare for them. You don’t have to be working for The New York Times or The Washington Post to be a food critic; you can review food on your own and post it to great sites like Yelp, Tripadvisor, and OpenTable. You can even be paid for your restaurant reviews on sites like Review Stream! Here’s how to effectively review your next dining experience:

Without even entering the restaurant, you can already begin your review. Note specific things like parking or transportation accessibility, signage, and lighting. You want to mention the signage and lighting so your readers will be prepared if the restaurant is not easy to locate. Aside from parking accessibility, you might want to pay attention to how many cars are parked in the lot and if there are many people outside the restaurant. This is sometimes a great indicator of how popular the scene seems to be or if a special promotion may be going on.

Once you enter the restaurant, you can already begin making comments on the level of the service. Does a host or hostess instantly ask to assist you? Is the host or hostess friendly, enthusiastic, and helpful? Does the host or hostess ask to check your coat for you? Does the host or hostess honor a previously made reservation and seat you right away? You should note where you are sitting in the restaurant; for example, you may want to specify that you were seated right by the windows with an ocean view. If you are not seated right away, you should definitely time how long you have waited to be seated.

Now that you are seated, review the menu. Does there seem to be many options? Are there menu items that vegetarians can enjoy? Are the menu options traditional or innovative? Choose what you would like to order and note your interaction with your waiter or waitress. Once again, note whether he or she seems friendly, enthusiastic, and professional. Also note whether he or she seems to be knowledgeable about the menu.

While you are waiting for your ordered items to be served, you will be able to take some time to review the interior of the restaurant. Is the restaurant’s design trendy or traditional? Are the tables packed closely together or spread out comfortably? You should even sneak off and rate the bathroom!

Once your food comes out—whether you are beginning with an appetizer or skipping straight to the entrée—you should enjoy yourself while continuing to analyze each aspect of your meal. Before you eat, notice the presentation of the food. While eating, note any dominant tastes you enjoy or dislike. Is the dish spicy, sweet, tangy, fresh, or gamey? Is the cook undercooked, overcooked, or just right? How is the portion size?

There are also little things you should pay attention to. How attentive is your server in refilling your drinks? Does he or she mention whether or not you will be charged for refills? If not, do you notice on your check that you are charged for refills? How soon does your server bring your bill to you after you have completed your meal? Is the bill correct?

*Keep in mind:

• It may be a bit tacky to actually write down things while dining depending on where you are. Try to take “mental notes”—if you have trouble with this, you can take notes in your cell phone (less obvious) or take notes when you sneak off to the bathroom.