Being a fair restaurant reviewer
By Sarah Schaffer
University of Maryland

LAS VEGAS-- Restaurant reviewing isn't just free meals and great wine. It's a big responsibility.

That was the message emphasized by a panel of restaurant critics at last week's convention of the American Association of Sunday and Feature Editors.

"You can ruin someone's business," said Max Jacobson, a critic for Las Vegas Life magazine. If done poorly or unethically, restaurant reviews can be "unfair, irresponsible and heartless," he said.

But despite the importance of accuracy and fairness, some food critics complain about editors who shrink their budgets and tighten deadlines, threatening the quality of their work and testing the tenets of good journalism.

Panelist Matt Kramer, a freelance food and wine critic for newspapers and magazines, said he likes to visit a restaurant at least three times before writing a review. Although he recommends this three-visit approach as the most thorough and comprehensive method of review, Kramer recognized that papers with limited funds might find this financially impossible.

So how does a small paper on a limited budget ensure accurate, responsible reviewing? Write reviews that are honest and down to earth, said Kramer.

"People will respect you if they know you play fair . . . the integrity of the review is most important," he said.

Kramer said reviewers must develop an honest rapport with their readers.

"If you're not an expert on Cambodian food, then make sure you convey that to your reader," he said.

Fellow panelist Tom Colicchio, chef at Craft, one of New York City’s hottest new restaurants, added, "If you go (to a restaurant) only one time (before writing the review), then state that in your column."

For reviewers who are limited to one visit per restaurant, Jacobson suggested getting the most out of the experience by ordering an original dish that "represents the spirit of the restaurant."

The panelists agreed a critic's primary concern should be the quality of a restaurant's food. But almost as important, the critics said, is the reviewer's take on the restaurant's ambiance and hospitality.

Kramer said readers want more than just a list of what you had for dinner. They want to read about the mood of the place and the friendliness of the staff.

Jacobson agreed, saying that commentary on a restaurant's hospitality should be an important part of a review, whether the critic is writing about a five-star establishment or the greasy spoon down the street.

"No matter how modest the place is, you can always give a customer a great welcome," Jacobson said.

Sarah Schaffer, a journalism student at the University of Maryland Philip Merrill College of Journalism, is one of eight fellows attending the convention and filing reports from it.