We had breakfast (dim sum) and lunch out today. One was better than the other but they were both pretty ‘meh.’ While I guess people would like to know that, I’m just reluctant to criticize knowing/guessing just how darn hard it has to be to run a profitable restaurant. If it were really awful or the service REALLY sucked, yeah, I’d speak up. Any opinions on this???
Around here I go out to eat rarely . I’m not expecting anything but service , I always think to myself . I can make this shit at home better . It’s just a convenience to me .
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I didn’t phrase this well. Would you POST negative comments?
I’m not going to make judgments for what some people might like and others might dislike . Everybody is different… So yes I am also reluctant to criticize . I wouldn’t post negative comments .
In the one case - dim sum - I’ve eaten a ton of it and make a few dishes myself. So it’s really not a guess that this was ‘meh.’ But someone owns this place and I hate to hurt them with my words.
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Pretty much. Just like in general we don’t criticize another human beings even if you think he/she can do a better job.
But if those “human beings” were charging you for something, i.e., singing, dancing?, and they were subpar…??? I look back on my posting activity and think I’ve tended to just ignore the subpar.
I think it depends. Usually, I believe giving people or restaurant a few chances. I don’t like to judge a restaurant by one visit because even the best restaurant can fumble. Subpar is just below average, right? Some of us have very extensive experience and our “subpar” maybe someone’s outstanding.
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I look away and move on . I vote with my dollars .
That’s a very good point.
It may be hard to run a profitable restaurant, but that’s no reason to let other people spend their hard-earned money on a “meh” meal.
I have often posted reviews of “meh” restaurants, sometimes with qualifiers. For example, if the restaurant is new and the service poor, I might say they didn’t have their act together yet (implying that they might in the future).
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That’s the other side of how I feel. If I can knowledgeably discuss something, why not? Thanks for your input.
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The other thing I am thinking is that maybe restaurants should also be judged in light of its environment and price point.
Let’s take sushi for example. Maybe you are a very knowledge person in sushi and have eaten at some of the finest sushi restaurants in Japan. In which case, your knowledge base is so high compared to most people here in US. I won’t be surprised that 95% of the sushi restaurants in US suck in comparison.
Yet, is it fair to hold a sushi restaurant in Arkansas against the good sushi restaurants in Japan? You also will come across as very arrogant if you start to shoot down 95% of the sushi restaurants here too. Your friends will be “What is wrong with her?”
Everytime I came back from SF or Toronto eating their Dim Sum, I tried to avoid Dim Sum in the east coast for awhile because they just don’t taste as good – in my humble opinion. At the same time, I try not to criticize them too much because they are kind of the best there are in this area.
I think there is just this very large gray area.
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I’ve already dealt with that in that I don’t compare Seattle dim sum (where we are now) to San Francisco. I think that’s REALLY a valid point, CK. The place I’m thinking of doesn’t come close to measuring up to the place where we’ve been eating for many years. But as Bob said “If I hadn’t had dim sum in six months and this was my only choice…”
If it is below average in its neighbor competition, then I think it is fine to point it out. It is no different than some people say “In and Out” is better than “Burger King”…etc.
Oh, I know. But they’re so damn nice 
No, and [quote=“catholiver, post:3, topic:4210”]
Would you POST negative comments?
[/quote]
If someone asked for opinions about a particular restaurant, and I had one, I would answer. My loyalty is to the potential customer, not to the restaurateur. I probably wouldn’t offer up a lukewarm review unbidden. But I would post about an egregiously negative experience.
That’s a luxury professional reviewers have and most people don’t. Most people pay for that one visit. So I have no problem judging it.
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Yeah. The dim sum place we won’t go back to.
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I think it’s good to know what to avoid, I don’t like to waste money on meh. You can make an objective review and include the bad.
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I’ve written my share of critical reviews - both on yelp (occasionally) and on my (now defunct) blog - but I’ve always tried to be constructive in my criticism.
I prefer writing positive reviews, and do my best to promote places I think are worth it.
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