Rant: The Future of Restaurant Reviews?

Some restaurants will likely open in June, though at a limited capacity. Some might only offer patio dining at first. Others will wait until July or later to open. And when they open, all restaurants will institute significant changes, enhanced safety measures to protect their customers and employees. This will be new territory for everyone, trying to balance the new, enhanced safety concerns with the desire to provide a pleasant dining experience. It will seem, in some respects, like these are all new restaurants.

How should food writers review restaurants during this time?

There are many questions to consider concerning this issues and it might benefit food writers if they engage in conversations about these matters with their peers. I don't have all of the answers, especially as I've just started conceiving of the questions. Sure, some of the basics of restaurant reviews will remain the same, although there might be a need for some alterations. Let's consider some of the issues to ponder.

First, maybe we should consider when would be the appropriate time to review these newly opened restaurants. Do you give them three months before reviewing them, providing necessary time to adjust to all of the changes? Would it be fair to review them earlier than three months, especially when this is all so new to everyone? Maybe we should wait even longer than three months. If you do review a restaurant earlier than three months, your review should provide caveats about the shortness of the time frame, and that restaurant deserve time to adjust and work out all of the potential problems of this new paradigm.

Second, restaurants may only have limited menus at first, so that is something to consider. Should they be penalized for such a limited menu? Will it depend on how long that limited menu exists? Restaurants might initially have supply issues so that should be a consideration.

Third, how do you assess the ambiance of a restaurant under all of the new safety measures? It certainly won't feel as intimate as it once did. It also won't feel as lively and exciting, as when a restaurant was busy and crowded. Would you penalize the restaurant for lacking a proper ambiance when they are simply trying to make everyone safer? In one positive aspect, the noise level of restaurants, which has been a common problem for some places, should be alleviated at most spots.

Fourth, how do you assess service? Initially, service might not be up to par considering all of the new safety measures, such as the wearing of masks by employees. Why penalize the service when they are also trying to keep others safer? Restaurants might initially be under-staffed as well, so service might not be as quick as usual. It is a learning curve for all.

Fifth, how should pricing be evaluated? It is possible that some restaurants will raise their prices, trying to recoup money they lost during the pandemic, as well as trying to pay their employees better. Restaurants margins have been notoriously low and this pandemic pointed out the problems with such a system. Restaurants need to make more money to be able to survive, so we should expect higher prices, and we should be willing to pay them. As a corollary, I would suggest tipping well when these restaurants reopen.

Sixth, will reviews now include a section on safety measures, and how a restaurant measures up in this regard? Will these reviews criticize restaurants for failing in some safety measure? Does the public want such information?

There are certainly other questions that should be addressed as well. It's a complex issue and I'm sure there will be plenty of different opinions on the answers to these matters. At its most basic, I think food writers need to be fair in their reviews, to consider the uniqueness of the position of restaurants at this time. They haven't had to deal with a pandemic like this before, and all of the numerous changes required to increase the safety of their guests and employees. They will try to do their best, but some mistakes might be bad.

Plus, after being closed for these months, or doing only take-out/delivery, there's probably not a single restaurant that hasn't suffered significant financial difficulties. Some of these restaurants may have to close. They might not have sufficient resources to continue operations. And a bad review, within the first couple months of their reopening, could be a death knell. And it probably wouldn't be fair to review them so soon.

All food writers who write restaurants reviews should consider these questions. Talk with your fellow writers about these issues too. We shall soon enter a new world with our restaurants and we need to create new maps to navigate through all these changes.