How Important Are Restaurant Reviews...

I tend to ignore them.People are more likely to leave a review when they have a bad experience.The best way is to dive in and try anywhere which tickles your pickle cause ,and i quote the Grinch here "One man's toxic waste is anothers pot pourri" ...

They're about as important and reliable as movie reviews...everyone's taste is different.

Tut.Tut..Now this is a discussion,not an argument,so don't shout at me..I completely disagree...Example..Friends of ours took over a restaurant last year in January..They spent PSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPS in doing it up...I'am talking lots of dosh..They got in two top quality chefs and not before long the place was jumping..Fully booked 3 to 4 weeks in advance..Restaurant reviews were outstanding on trip advisor and a well known food critic showed up and gave it 29/30...Anyway my good lady and I dined at it and couldn't fault a thing...However 9 months later,rumours were abound that the chefs had fell out with each other,one had left completely and another Polish chef had took over the kitchen..We were about to book it for our anniversary so I had a wee peek at Trip Advisor..OMG.. ..How the tables had turned..Poor service..Cold food being sent back to the kitchen..Chicken pink in the middle,not cooked properly..Someone's wine glass with lipstick on it at a table...It was like a different establishment..So we went elsewhere for our anniversary...The restaurant shut down three weeks before Xmas..It is still closed and from what I hear is now back on the market...So although I don't take everything I read about reviews true,i watch out for constant bad reviews...Here's one...Why does ABC Commissary and Hollywood & Vile at DHS have poor ratings.?..

Sometimes when trying a new place I do a quick search on TA. I do usually use it for hotels but I ignore the written word and look at the pictures taken by people who stayed there, anyone can lie or twist the truth in the written word but pictures don't lie.

That being said, we are visiting Key West for the first time later this year so I've been looking through TA for good places to try for dinner, I'm just making a list of places that look good, though we aren't going to go exclusively to the places on my list.

If I'm not sure, I will read the reviews just to see what the trend is. Even if there are complaints, if they are complaining about something I don't care about, then I discount the complaint. When they are praising something, again, I see if it's something that is relevant for us. I like when there are a lot of reviews - I figure the truth is usually somewhere in the middle, and if that matches our expectations, then we will give it a try.

Well I look in my Disney PassPorter to see what it says about the restaurant and then I go only to check the reviews. What I have learned about reviews is some people just like to complain so I look over all at what is being said and how long ago was it. I had gone to California Grill before the make over and I'm going this May to see for myself. So we shall see.

This exactly. I also am more likely to take a review to heart from someone I know, or on message boards like these where you tend to get to know the personality of the reviewer a little better (are they always complaining about everything? I'm probably going to take their bad review with a grain of salt)

I usually read the Trip Adviser reports to get a general idea on the restaurant. If they have mostly good reviews, then I try it. I am also the type of person to try everything once.

I thought this question sounded familiar. Anyway, I posted this on another thread:

It's very critical for me. I mean, it's really no different than picking out a restaurant in your hometown that you've never tried before. Although to be fair, when you've spent a good chunk of time watching all those restaurant makeover shows as a guilty pleasure (Like Kitchen Nightmares and Restaurant Impossible), it does make you think twice about dining out. (I wouldn't be surprised if people opted to never dine out again after seeing those shows.) For the most part, I don't just pick a place just for sake of trying it. If I don't know what to expect, that's what the reviews are for. (Some like knowing the unknown but not me!) Still, it's a lot of money coming out from your pocket that could've been spent in other ways so you want to feel justified and satisfied for spending it in a wise way. I understand no restaurant is perfect and I'm sure even the very best get negative reviews but if I find that a good solid majority like it (By that, at least 80-90% or greater favorable opinion of the place.), then I'm more inclined to eat there. If not, I'd rather spend my money on different food. But it's not just reviews that factor in the decision-making. Obviously, price is huge, the menu and the foods they offer are also important and every once in a while, cravings overrule....well, everything! But for me, my restaurant selections are based on reviews, price and food offerings in that order. That's just me though.

Other than that, I also look at trends. I give a certain time frame like at least the past year and then see the trends if the restaurant reviews are going up, going down or staying the same. Generally speaking, if the trend is staying the same in the 4s or 5s, that's a good sign. Trending upwards hopefully indicate the restaurant is improving. If it's trending in the 3s, it's average at best in my book. Anything lower means staying away and I also stay away if there's a downward trend in terms of the reviews.

I review every restaurant I try on Trip Advisor. I read all bad reviews first to get an idea about why the diner has given a bad review. If it seems "personal", ie: problem with adding up check, drinks don't come fast enough, server wasn't around enough, someone was rude to them, that sometimes indicates that the reviewer has a grudge and the experience, for them that day was not good.
If the food complaints seem odd, then I discount those. I recently read a review that said the curried chicken sandwiches at the Garden Tea Room were "too exotic".

We have a reservation for Hollywood and Vine tomorrow...hope it's good, did not read any reviews on the one, yet!

I'll check out a few reviews, but not necessarily pay a lot of attention unless they're all REALLY terrible. And now if I travel anywhere, I tend to ask around my friends and colleagues recs on where to go first, then browse around for interesting places to eat and check out reviews (mostly on urbanspoon), etc.

I do look at the reviews and comments. I do take them into consideration if there are a lot of negative reviews. One or two could have been an off night or sometimes you just can't please a person no matter what you do.