jemson Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 I try and get the paper on a Wednesday to suss out good local restaurants. However, has anyone else noticed that he seems to give everywhere an overall score of 4 out of 5. Even the breakdown of ratings seldom vary. Are the ratings just nonsense? Does he get free grub on the proviso that the eaterie gets a good write-up? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fox20thc Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 I'm sure he'll be along to tell you soon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluwaterbob Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 Martyn Dawes pays his way and writes honestly, but it is only an opinion and you may disagree ! Thats journalism. The Telegraph also write up local restaurant reviews, Leslie Draper ( who also pays her way ) is the main columnist. I have been subject to a visit from both recently and find the reviews helpful and constructive. There are many online restaurant sites which allow anyone to post a review subject to certain legal criteria so perhaps an oppurtunity beckons Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discovery Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 I agree with Bluewater Bob. Martin Dawes' review (along with anyone else's) is simply an opinion. I personally wouldn't base a decision whether or not to visit a restaurant based on what he had written. I don't think reviews are that helpful simply because our opinions vary so much. Best to go along and decide for ourselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jemson Posted July 11, 2008 Author Share Posted July 11, 2008 Yeah, fair points, but I understood that his was the opinion of an `expert` and so I`d expect to be able to get advice from his writing. Bob - what he said in the review on Wednesday didn`t really seem to tally with the ratings. I`ve now decided to not pay much heed to the scores but rather to read the review closely and look between the lines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PuressenceUK Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 So you trust a bloke who writes for a paper to tell you where to eat? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muddycoffee Posted July 12, 2008 Share Posted July 12, 2008 I heard a journalist on the radio last week who does restaurant reviews. He explained that journalists do not usually put in reviews for awful resteraunts because it is counterproductive. If they go to one and it is awful they do not file a review. Because 1 ) Nobody wants to read about bad restaurants, they would just try somewhere else the next day and put in the better place instead as their weekly review, a bad review is a waste of precious column inches 2 ) If they get bad food or service in an establishment it could be a one off bad day and the letters pages will fill up with people complaining about the review being too harsh. 3 ) If they put in a bad word for a restaurant it could ruin the business, and they can be sued for defamation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jemson Posted July 16, 2008 Author Share Posted July 16, 2008 Oh well. I`m partly proved wrong in the marks he`s given today! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdawes Posted September 17, 2008 Share Posted September 17, 2008 I try and get the paper on a Wednesday to suss out good local restaurants. However, has anyone else noticed that he seems to give everywhere an overall score of 4 out of 5. Even the breakdown of ratings seldom vary. Are the ratings just nonsense? Does he get free grub on the proviso that the eaterie gets a good write-up? I'm a bit slow here, aren't I? I shall ignore the rather ignorant remarks later on but out of curiosity I have just checked the last 12 reviews and see I have given (for food) five three stars, six four stars and one five star ratings, so you're wrong there my boy. And of those 12 reviews only five have had the same marks in all four categories (food, atmosphere, service and overall value). We can take it one and two stars are for the really bad. On the other points: I pay my own way and I say what I think. Tempting though it might be to imagine me in league with the restaurants, I ain't. And don't include in with that reviewer you heard on the radio saying we only give good reviews because that's what people want to read. The most interesting reviews are where the reviewer has had a bad time and says so. I've got my own favourite national reviewers for restaurants and hotels and it makes my day when I read they've had a bad meal. It's much more entertaining. Oh and people have threatened to sue me but they haven't done so yet. Ordered me out of restaurants, though, but that's another story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pattricia Posted September 17, 2008 Share Posted September 17, 2008 I believe Martin reviewed Taybarns, and was spot on, as I ate there last Sunday.He said the food was good value for money, but the loud music spoiled it. Which I found to be true. This is not word for word, but near enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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