Critics and Gripers

locallady

work smarter not harder!
I sit here and read what is suppose to be reviews on local restaurants, and all I see is negative comments. Do you understand that you are hurting your local businesses? They fight with the chain, who have more $ and time for advertising and overhead. Why not take your comments to the owners of these business and give feedback on what made your experience so horrible. Sitting online in a forum complaining is not #1 going to give you anywhere else to eat, #2 give your local vedors and owners the feedback they need to improve on service and expectation levels and #3 I am looking for outlook with depth of critism and praise. So please if need be call, write, or email these owners. Let them know what needs to be changed in a calm manor, instead of boycotting these places on a site that is read by newcomers and locals alike. Thankslocal lady
 

oldman

Lobster Land
locallady said:
I sit here and read what is suppose to be reviews on local restaurants, and all I see is negative comments. Do you understand that you are hurting your local businesses? They fight with the chain, who have more $ and time for advertising and overhead. Why not take your comments to the owners of these business and give feedback on what made your experience so horrible. Sitting online in a forum complaining is not #1 going to give you anywhere else to eat, #2 give your local vedors and owners the feedback they need to improve on service and expectation levels and #3 I am looking for outlook with depth of critism and praise. So please if need be call, write, or email these owners. Let them know what needs to be changed in a calm manor, instead of boycotting these places on a site that is read by newcomers and locals alike. Thankslocal lady

Don't you suppose they already understand they are fighting the chain? If I owned a business I'd want to portray it as the best and obviously some just aren't doing that. Boycotting these places is our way of letting them know they aren't providing a service we want. And on this forum praise is given to those establishments that provide good service.
 

buddy999

It's Great to be American
locallady said:
I sit here and read what is suppose to be reviews on local restaurants, and all I see is negative comments. Do you understand that you are hurting your local businesses? They fight with the chain, who have more $ and time for advertising and overhead. Why not take your comments to the owners of these business and give feedback on what made your experience so horrible. Sitting online in a forum complaining is not #1 going to give you anywhere else to eat, #2 give your local vedors and owners the feedback they need to improve on service and expectation levels and #3 I am looking for outlook with depth of critism and praise. So please if need be call, write, or email these owners. Let them know what needs to be changed in a calm manor, instead of boycotting these places on a site that is read by newcomers and locals alike. Thankslocal lady

Restaurant reviews are like movie reviews. Since everyone has a different opinion on what kind of experience they are expecting, you'll see many different reviews of the same restaurant or movie.

Over the years that we have been here my wife and I have been to just about all of the major restaurants in Southern Maryland. When I read a review, I don't base my opinion, good or bad, on a single review. I would still try the place even if it had a bad review. When I see a number of different people giving bad reviews to a specific establishment, I may take all the reviews to heart and stay away from the place.

The bottom line is that we have the right to voice our opinions, good or bad, on our experiences. These forums are open to everyone, newcommers, locals and restaurant owners alike. It's up to the person posting the review to inform all readers what was good or bad about their experience. If one of the owners of a restaurant sees an unfavorable review of their establishment, it's up to them to correct the infraction. If they don't correct the problem and others submit additional bad reviews, the owner only has themselves to blame when business falls off. :shrug:
 
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EmnJoe

nunya bidnis
locallady said:
I sit here and read what is suppose to be reviews on local restaurants, and all I see is negative comments. Do you understand that you are hurting your local businesses? They fight with the chain, who have more $ and time for advertising and overhead. Why not take your comments to the owners of these business and give feedback on what made your experience so horrible. Sitting online in a forum complaining is not #1 going to give you anywhere else to eat, #2 give your local vedors and owners the feedback they need to improve on service and expectation levels and #3 I am looking for outlook with depth of critism and praise. So please if need be call, write, or email these owners. Let them know what needs to be changed in a calm manor, instead of boycotting these places on a site that is read by newcomers and locals alike. Thankslocal lady

Like you have never made any comments about anything. :whistle:<---
 

RoseRed

American Beauty
PREMO Member
locallady said:
I sit here and read what is suppose to be reviews on local restaurants, and all I see is negative comments. Do you understand that you are hurting your local businesses? They fight with the chain, who have more $ and time for advertising and overhead. Why not take your comments to the owners of these business and give feedback on what made your experience so horrible. Sitting online in a forum complaining is not #1 going to give you anywhere else to eat, #2 give your local vedors and owners the feedback they need to improve on service and expectation levels and #3 I am looking for outlook with depth of critism and praise. So please if need be call, write, or email these owners. Let them know what needs to be changed in a calm manor, instead of boycotting these places on a site that is read by newcomers and locals alike. Thankslocal lady


You really haven't done your homework. You seem to have missed the posts that give great reviews to places such as Clarke's Landing, Dry Dock and CD Cafe, just to name a few.

These are not SOMD local, but still somewhat intertesting. I have wanted to go to The Inn at Little Washington for years. Maybe someday...
 

kom526

They call me ... Sarcasmo
If you want to read some flowering blather about local restaurants, then read the Weekend section of the Enterprise. Gwenyth Saunders is the "food critic" but she NEVER has anything bad to say about any place she eats.
 

RoseRed

American Beauty
PREMO Member
kom526 said:
If you want to read some flowering blather about local restaurants, then read the Weekend section of the Enterprise. Gwenyth Saunders is the "food critic" but she NEVER has anything bad to say about any place she eats.

I totally agree with you. Some "critic" she is. :rolleyes:
 

BadGirl

I am so very blessed
RoseRed said:
I totally agree with you. Some "critic" she is. :rolleyes:
It always cracks me up when she writes about the most mundane thing on a restaurant's menu. She praises the salad, the room temperature butter, the french fries, etc. I want to hear about a restaurant's more remarkable items, the skillful cooking, the artful presentation, the ambiance and not read about stuff that a restaurant pulls out of a bag, a microwave, or a SYSCO crate.

She should take a clue from the Washington Post's food critic - Tom Sietsema. He's awesome.
 

mAlice

professional daydreamer
kom526 said:
If you want to read some flowering blather about local restaurants, then read the Weekend section of the Enterprise. Gwenyth Saunders is the "food critic" but she NEVER has anything bad to say about any place she eats.


I'm thinking this is probably a local restaurant owner (or relative, freind, etc) that didn't get a very glowing review here on the forums. :lmao:
 

RoseRed

American Beauty
PREMO Member
elaine said:
I'm thinking this is probably a local restaurant owner (or relative, freind, etc) that didn't get a very glowing review here on the forums. :lmao:


Good point! :sourgrapes:
 

MMDad

Lem Putt
locallady said:
all I see is negative comments. local lady
I looked at the reviews you are whining about just to see if you are right:

Here are the latest ones:

Outback - praise for call ahead seating.
Nook & Monks - Rave review.
Jake and Al's - Steak was awesome, veggies were poor.
Moe's - Satisfactory.
Frying Pan - greasy.
Linda's - Sucks.
Roost - Nasty bug stories.
Jethro's - "very good! Service was beyond reproach"
Roberts - "the food and atmosphere are great"
Spinnakers - "beats any other restaurant around here!"

There is much more to these reviews than negative comments.

You wouldn't happen to be Linda, would you? Sometimes the truth hurts.
 
locallady said:
Do you understand that you are hurting your local businesses? They fight with the chain, who have more $ and time for advertising and overhead.

In order for me and my family to patronize a business, I don't need a well known chain name to be on the business nor do I expect an elaborate menu. I do, however, expect that business to offer the basics such as hospitable wait staff and palatable food. If they can't get their act together in order to provide the basics, we will go elsewhere.
 

morganj614

New Member
elaine said:
I'm thinking this is probably a local restaurant owner (or relative, freind, etc) that didn't get a very glowing review here on the forums. :lmao:

One who doesn't allow 9 people to sit together :rolleyes:
 

Sharon

* * * * * * * * *
Staff member
PREMO Member
locallady said:
I sit here and read what is suppose to be reviews on local restaurants, and all I see is negative comments. Do you understand that you are hurting your local businesses? They fight with the chain, who have more $ and time for advertising and overhead. Why not take your comments to the owners of these business and give feedback on what made your experience so horrible.

Good grief, a food review nazi. :jameo:

If you go to this page http://somd.com/dining and click on any of the sub sections you'll see plenty of good reviews.

Most chains are just so-so anyway. If I wanted prefab food I'll visit the frozen food section at the grocery store and heat it up myself.
 

kom526

They call me ... Sarcasmo
Maybe most of us lack the capacity for constructive crticism, you know the ability to tell someone they suck without hurting their feelings.:shrug: :lmao:
 

SamSpade

Well-Known Member
Typically the only time a bad restaurant review has any effect on my patronage...

... is when someone else's *bad experience* matches my own. That's when I realize that it wasn't an isolated experience or just a bad night - it means they really do suck. And if my experience was bad - and someone else's was bad - the restaurant owner has a bigger problem than bad press.

My brother-in-law is a manager at a pricey steakhouse in Seattle. He frequently mentions that people will respond to great service even with mediocre food. (Of course, it doesn't hurt to have great service with great food, but the point is made). It's rare that I experience a restaurant with great service - perhaps friendly service, but not great. And, as in my BIL's comment, I'll blow off a restaurant with terrible service even if the food is great.

My wife is mostly easy to please with service - her main concern is, keep her drink full - and it's usually tea or water. Keep her drink full, you'll get a good tip. Blow it, you *might* get a tip. Act surly, put upon, or ignore us the whole meal while chatting with your buds in the corner, and the manager will hear from us.

Me, I like everything. Well except loud or annoying music while I eat. I can even tolerate irritating patrons and screaming kids - just, no Elvis impersonators.
 
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