Tripadvisor - whats the point?
Discussion
Was doing some browsing during my evening sitdown 'weight lightening' tonight and and a google search of a restaurant brought up a TripAdvisor link. I never look at tripadvisor as the occasional time i have its complete nonsense.
Out of curiosity i typed in my nearest major town (Chelmsford), and right enough number 1 ranked restaurant is a greene king estate (not quite flat roofed, but close) pub, full of people extolling the virtues of the amazing food. Its a ping chef, brake brothers/bidfood gammon steak and oven chips place FFS!
The other rankings were mostly crap too, some grotty takeaways, chain restaurants etc. Maybe this says more about the people here than anything! but does anyone actually bother to take it seriously, based on what is sw its not even a guide of where to avoid...
My first thoughts are that anyone with an actual interest or knowledge of good food or restaurants will disregard it but i was talking to a older couple down from Yorkshire when dining at the (not as good as it was since change of owner but improving under Peter Eaton of Woodspeen fame guidance) Star Inn in Sparsholt in Oxon, about what they thought of the changes there, and they mentioned looking at the TA reviews of it since owner change...i was surprised as they were what i would deem 'foodies' (3 chimneys, l'enclume, star at harome amongst where they have eaten post pandemic).
Does anyone actually take anything on TA seriously?
Out of curiosity i typed in my nearest major town (Chelmsford), and right enough number 1 ranked restaurant is a greene king estate (not quite flat roofed, but close) pub, full of people extolling the virtues of the amazing food. Its a ping chef, brake brothers/bidfood gammon steak and oven chips place FFS!
The other rankings were mostly crap too, some grotty takeaways, chain restaurants etc. Maybe this says more about the people here than anything! but does anyone actually bother to take it seriously, based on what is sw its not even a guide of where to avoid...
My first thoughts are that anyone with an actual interest or knowledge of good food or restaurants will disregard it but i was talking to a older couple down from Yorkshire when dining at the (not as good as it was since change of owner but improving under Peter Eaton of Woodspeen fame guidance) Star Inn in Sparsholt in Oxon, about what they thought of the changes there, and they mentioned looking at the TA reviews of it since owner change...i was surprised as they were what i would deem 'foodies' (3 chimneys, l'enclume, star at harome amongst where they have eaten post pandemic).
Does anyone actually take anything on TA seriously?
I use it....cautiously. Especially if I'm on holiday somewhere. Read the reviews not just the scores. Look out for descriptions of things you value and on the other hand people scoring highly for things you don't.
As you say there are some places you know are 'duds' and score higher than you think it should but I put that down to tastes and relative expectations as much as anything. Maybe that Toby restaurant or whatever is pretty good at doing what it does and is better than other similar establishments in the area? When I read the reviews of the places I've been to locally they are generally pretty accurate.
As you say there are some places you know are 'duds' and score higher than you think it should but I put that down to tastes and relative expectations as much as anything. Maybe that Toby restaurant or whatever is pretty good at doing what it does and is better than other similar establishments in the area? When I read the reviews of the places I've been to locally they are generally pretty accurate.
RDMcG said:
Utterly useless. Not really about the best places to go, just mass popularity, the way McDonalds sells burgers.
Yeah I agree with this, I notice that our local greasy spoon cafe has lots of good reviews and as such, it ranks higher than a gastro pub which I know is better in every way in terms of quality food.Useful tool to have though when trying to find somewhere to eat out. I go straight to the lowest reviews though and judge it from there.
Gren said:
I use it....cautiously. Especially if I'm on holiday somewhere. Read the reviews not just the scores. Look out for descriptions of things you value and on the other hand people scoring highly for things you don't.
As you say there are some places you know are 'duds' and score higher than you think it should but I put that down to tastes and relative expectations as much as anything. Maybe that Toby restaurant or whatever is pretty good at doing what it does and is better than other similar establishments in the area? When I read the reviews of the places I've been to locally they are generally pretty accurate.
I’m the same. You need to apply a lot of context to the reviews.As you say there are some places you know are 'duds' and score higher than you think it should but I put that down to tastes and relative expectations as much as anything. Maybe that Toby restaurant or whatever is pretty good at doing what it does and is better than other similar establishments in the area? When I read the reviews of the places I've been to locally they are generally pretty accurate.
There is a shack on a quay In Norfolk selling seriously good crab, lobster and crayfish sandwiches (£5) that I score a 5*. It is worth a detour.
Similarly I rate The Star Inn in Harome (Michelin) at 5* where the price is much higher.
Context is everything.
Also it can be a good “pulse check” if there has been a recent change in owner, manager, etc and things have suddenly taken a dive…
vaud said:
I’m the same. You need to apply a lot of context to the reviews.
There is a shack on a quay In Norfolk selling seriously good crab, lobster and crayfish sandwiches (£5) that I score a 5*. It is worth a detour.
Could you post a name/link to the place? Used to have a similar shack to visit in Pembrokeshire, however their lobster rolls have gone >£15, so definitely a rare treat nowadays.There is a shack on a quay In Norfolk selling seriously good crab, lobster and crayfish sandwiches (£5) that I score a 5*. It is worth a detour.
theplayingmantis said:
Out of curiosity i typed in my nearest major town (Chelmsford), and right enough number 1 ranked restaurant is a greene king estate (not quite flat roofed, but close) pub, full of people extolling the virtues of the amazing food. Its a ping chef, brake brothers/bidfood gammon steak and oven chips place FFS!
And yet when I do the same search I get number 1 is The Hub Farm Shop & Light BitesObvs it can't be the same search.
I used to use TA allot before lockdown. Mainly to track where I was eating and the places I liked and would recommend to friends and family.. These days with the likes of Trust Pilot and other review platforms, I am becoming quite cynical that much of it is made up and purchased likes..
However I did a stinking review of a place we went to every Christmas eve and was actually contacted directly by their CEO, which resulted in a letter of apology and a free meal for the family, so some firms are paying attention to the feedback.
G
However I did a stinking review of a place we went to every Christmas eve and was actually contacted directly by their CEO, which resulted in a letter of apology and a free meal for the family, so some firms are paying attention to the feedback.
G
It does work, you just need to read it properly and learn how to interpret the results to get the best out of it.
If you live in an area which has no decent places at all then it's pointless going to the No.1 rated eatery.
The best Hogroast shop in the World will never be at No.1 in Bradford.
An area largely inhabited by Council dwellers and mouth breathers won't usually have any decent places
Restaurants who have bad ratings due to previous ownership may not be that bad today afterall.
In a town local to us the No.2 spot is taken by a place which is no longer open.
Quite often the crap comments have been answered by the owners themselves to reveal the other side of the tale.
You usually find the best places have some 95% of ratings in the top band and 5 comments in the 'really crap' band.
If there is a more even spread throughout the whole of the 5 or 6 bands then they're average and to be avoided.
If you live in an area which has no decent places at all then it's pointless going to the No.1 rated eatery.
The best Hogroast shop in the World will never be at No.1 in Bradford.
An area largely inhabited by Council dwellers and mouth breathers won't usually have any decent places
Restaurants who have bad ratings due to previous ownership may not be that bad today afterall.
In a town local to us the No.2 spot is taken by a place which is no longer open.
Quite often the crap comments have been answered by the owners themselves to reveal the other side of the tale.
You usually find the best places have some 95% of ratings in the top band and 5 comments in the 'really crap' band.
If there is a more even spread throughout the whole of the 5 or 6 bands then they're average and to be avoided.
Chunkychucky said:
vaud said:
I’m the same. You need to apply a lot of context to the reviews.
There is a shack on a quay In Norfolk selling seriously good crab, lobster and crayfish sandwiches (£5) that I score a 5*. It is worth a detour.
Could you post a name/link to the place? Used to have a similar shack to visit in Pembrokeshire, however their lobster rolls have gone >£15, so definitely a rare treat nowadays.There is a shack on a quay In Norfolk selling seriously good crab, lobster and crayfish sandwiches (£5) that I score a 5*. It is worth a detour.
Lovely people running it as well. Ignore that the web site is down, the owner isn't very tech savvy.
It was my son's 18th a couple of weeks ago, and liking a steak I took him to the local Beefeater with extended family. I remember going there a couple of years ago and the steak was really good so I had no worries.
Walked in to a cold, blunt receptionist who showed us to our table.
Needless to say, the evening was terrible, three steaks out of five were cooked wrong, all the meals were cold. We had three meals knocked off the bill and I still think it wasn't enough.
Anyway, I left a scathing review on TA. Then a day later I found a review from 'Morgan' who was saying she felt sorry for the staff with the large table celebrating an 18th birthday(us) and that one of the party was drunk and aggressive (no-one was drunk, we had two younger children as well). I did get up to see where our sauces were and I complained that we were halfway through our meal.
We complained to TA, and advised them that 'Morgan' seemed to be always raving about 'our' food is always amazing, and 'our' staff are always so attentive. 'Morgan' was obviously an employee or someone affiliated to the venue.
TA agreed and took every one of her reviews down. Result!!
I also complained to Whitbread (the owners) who were worse than TA. They really weren't bothered that their business was so bad, customers treated abysmally, and insulting by saying we were drunk.
We were perfectly civil and entitled to complain about bad food and rude service.
Walked in to a cold, blunt receptionist who showed us to our table.
Needless to say, the evening was terrible, three steaks out of five were cooked wrong, all the meals were cold. We had three meals knocked off the bill and I still think it wasn't enough.
Anyway, I left a scathing review on TA. Then a day later I found a review from 'Morgan' who was saying she felt sorry for the staff with the large table celebrating an 18th birthday(us) and that one of the party was drunk and aggressive (no-one was drunk, we had two younger children as well). I did get up to see where our sauces were and I complained that we were halfway through our meal.
We complained to TA, and advised them that 'Morgan' seemed to be always raving about 'our' food is always amazing, and 'our' staff are always so attentive. 'Morgan' was obviously an employee or someone affiliated to the venue.
TA agreed and took every one of her reviews down. Result!!
I also complained to Whitbread (the owners) who were worse than TA. They really weren't bothered that their business was so bad, customers treated abysmally, and insulting by saying we were drunk.
We were perfectly civil and entitled to complain about bad food and rude service.
bigandclever said:
theplayingmantis said:
Out of curiosity i typed in my nearest major town (Chelmsford), and right enough number 1 ranked restaurant is a greene king estate (not quite flat roofed, but close) pub, full of people extolling the virtues of the amazing food. Its a ping chef, brake brothers/bidfood gammon steak and oven chips place FFS!
And yet when I do the same search I get number 1 is The Hub Farm Shop & Light BitesObvs it can't be the same search.
Edit to add, its different on my personal laptop to my work one thats server is in the US - ive just checked them both. Wonder if thats the difference?? Gardeners is number 7 on one number 1 on t'other. Top 10 is also different as the bang average pig and whistle is 19 on one 8 on the other, however the sentiment is fair- turtle bay and las iguanas in top 10....i mean come on!
Actual good places, the cuckoo, olio, the green man and square and compasses languish down the list when should all be top 10. Perhaps better use of the filter should be applied, as all are deemed as restaurants, but some restuarnts are more equal than others.
Edited by theplayingmantis on Monday 5th September 14:44
theplayingmantis said:
bigandclever said:
theplayingmantis said:
Out of curiosity i typed in my nearest major town (Chelmsford), and right enough number 1 ranked restaurant is a greene king estate (not quite flat roofed, but close) pub, full of people extolling the virtues of the amazing food. Its a ping chef, brake brothers/bidfood gammon steak and oven chips place FFS!
And yet when I do the same search I get number 1 is The Hub Farm Shop & Light BitesObvs it can't be the same search.
bigandclever said:
theplayingmantis said:
bigandclever said:
theplayingmantis said:
Out of curiosity i typed in my nearest major town (Chelmsford), and right enough number 1 ranked restaurant is a greene king estate (not quite flat roofed, but close) pub, full of people extolling the virtues of the amazing food. Its a ping chef, brake brothers/bidfood gammon steak and oven chips place FFS!
And yet when I do the same search I get number 1 is The Hub Farm Shop & Light BitesObvs it can't be the same search.
My daughter works at a 4 star city centre hotel. The chain she works for monitors Trip Advisor religiously and responds to most negative reviews and many of the positive reviews too. If staff are mentioned by name positively in the review they get a bonus. Most of them make an extra £100 a month or so through this.
theplayingmantis said:
bigandclever said:
theplayingmantis said:
bigandclever said:
theplayingmantis said:
Out of curiosity i typed in my nearest major town (Chelmsford), and right enough number 1 ranked restaurant is a greene king estate (not quite flat roofed, but close) pub, full of people extolling the virtues of the amazing food. Its a ping chef, brake brothers/bidfood gammon steak and oven chips place FFS!
And yet when I do the same search I get number 1 is The Hub Farm Shop & Light BitesObvs it can't be the same search.
Gassing Station | Food, Drink & Restaurants | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff