Topic
Topic ID 1465
31/03/2006 by Admin
Should this section be scrapped?
Jez_p: Unfortunately people are more likely to report bad experiences than good experiences. How many satisfied customers just keep quiet about their good experiences? Lots of places may have had bad reports on this site that are not fully indicative of the overall quality of the venue. Even the much praised Hillside has had one bad report.
Justin: Maybe one bad report, but lets face facts, it is impossible to please everybody, thus i feel that this section of the forum should be scrapped, i mean it is silly to judge what other people think of some where, when how qualified is that person to comment, on how good or bad standards are.
I have read people comparing the hillside to mcdonalds?
Surely that makes a mockery of this section, and shows how silly it is.
Ewoowar: "I have read people comparing the hillside to mcdonalds?" And many more who raise a cap in your direction.............take the good with the bad.............quality will out......whatever public opinion is aired on this forum about restaurants the consensus will surface....
Joby: I don't think this section should be scrapped - it's most useful for determining the general standard of a place. Ignore the extreme reviews (at both ends of the scale) and the middle-ground will tell you what you want to know. Like Ewoowar says, quality will out, as will mediocrity. The bad review of The Waterside hasn't put me off going there as it's clearly an isolated incident, but a valid review nontheless - dismissing someone's views because "they are not qualified to comment" is just sheer arrogance. How exactly does one gain the relevant qualification to state whether they had a good or bad experience in a restaurant? (p.s. and I'm sure whoever did compare the Hillside to McDonalds was doing so firmly in jest)
Justin: it was not in jest, its on here somewhere.!
arrogance?
Replies
Reply ID 18101
31/03/2006 by Jimbo
No, I do not think it should be scrapped. Joby has it right - ignore the extreme views at either end of the scale and judge on the remaining views or if a restaurant has 10 rave reviews to one stinker, or vice versa, just apply a bit of common sense.
I have always treated postings on here in the same light as pub conversation ie plain talking by ordinary folk without passing their thoughts through a rigorous politically correct filter.
Long live free speech.
Reply ID 18102
31/03/2006 by Victor Meldrew
I think its good to be able to judge a restaurant on the amount of good or bad reviews it has. This section is also a good place for the restauranters to hopefully read some constructive criticism and act on them accordingly.
Reply ID 18103
31/03/2006 by justin
ok, maybe scrapped is over the top, but i think it should be rethought.
I dont understand the rating ( marks out of 5, 10,).
What are they comparison to?
If as someone pointed out that the hillside has had 1 bad review,(of course there are more), why would i say scrap it on that basis? considering the good reports outweigh unanimously.
I think generally it should be looked at as the complaint on the waterside shows, and i agree with paul that the whole story should have been stated when posting.
If feel on occasions people dont justify there "review" or complaint as was shown a couple weeks ago, when a forum memeber can comment on someone else behalf lets say, over a risotto, and not state what the problem, when asked, was.
Thanks to all who consider the hillside, but i am not looking at this from my end.
Reply ID 18104
31/03/2006 by SMH
It's a fact of life that whinges will be drawn to the forum, if I go out for a good meal somewhere I don't go looking for a forum to post a review of it on. On the same basis should we scrap any thread that is not complimentary, for example Jade is not around to defend the thread currently running on her salon, this is one experience, i'm sure there are also many happy customers of Uglys also, but in general the negative will outweigh the positive in a place like this as people seek out to write the negative but don't on the positive.
Reply ID 18105
31/03/2006 by spitfire
Not really bothered either way, I rarely look at it.
Reply ID 18109
31/03/2006 by Andrew
Perhaps restaurant reviews should be in a non forum section of the site rather like on Ware online. That section makes it easy to see a list of restaurants and ratings without the need for sometimes contentious discussions
Reply ID 18115
01/04/2006 by farrowandfarrow
Keep it. It raises awareness of what the venues in town are like. Like most things, it's best to take a balanced, sensible view and understand that someone's piece of shoe leather is another person's nicely done steak. It's also worth remembering that a negative experience is often heightened in hindsight and facts may be omitted - either by sheer forgetfulness or by dint of wanting to have good rant at a ruined experience, particularly if it has been looked forward to or the comments previously read on this forum are all glowing. Aberrations happen (service, staff etc).
The problem with having a more defined rating (marks out of 5, 10 etc) is that the reviewer will not only have to learn more rigorous rules of review, set down by Admin, but also have to have a simmilar palate to everyone else. Each reviewer will have their own tastes and preferences (like how steak is cooked) and who are we to dictate how they should change them to suit the review system?
Reply ID 18117
01/04/2006 by Capitalist piglet
It serves a purpose & its down to us to separate the wheat friom the chaf (reveiws that is not the restaurants). Its a continuation , to a wider audience, of that best sort of review (& if good, priceless advertising) - "word of mouth". Have no problem with the subjective "marks out of five" system either. Obviously we have no set standards to refer to but I think we know roughly what people mean by 0/5 through to 5/5.
Additionally its quite a good feeling to come home after a really good meal & tell everyone about it (& maybe cathartic if youve had a crap one!!)
Reply ID 18119
01/04/2006 by justin
quote:
Originally posted by farrowandfarrow
Keep it. It raises awareness of what the venues in town are like. Like most things, it's best to take a balanced, sensible view and understand that someone's piece of shoe leather is another person's nicely done steak. It's also worth remembering that a negative experience is often heightened in hindsight and facts may be omitted - either by sheer forgetfulness or by dint of wanting to have good rant at a ruined experience, particularly if it has been looked forward to or the comments previously read on this forum are all glowing. Aberrations happen (service, staff etc).
The problem with having a more defined rating (marks out of 5, 10 etc) is that the reviewer will not only have to learn more rigorous rules of review, set down by Admin, but also have to have a simmilar palate to everyone else. Each reviewer will have their own tastes and preferences (like how steak is cooked) and who are we to dictate how they should change them to suit the review system?
My initial post was put across in the wrong way.
anna, that last comment is exactly what i mean.
Reply ID 18305
07/04/2006 by wizkid
No it shouldn't be scrapped, I look at the forum when thinking where I might go.
Reply ID 18449
18/04/2006 by Wrapper
This should defintely stay on here as I too use this as a guideline to try somewhere else to eat. Otherwise I would be in the Waterside all the time!!!
Reply ID 18794
03/05/2006 by gregb
quote:
Originally posted by Andrew
Perhaps restaurant reviews should be in a non forum section of the site rather like on Ware online. That section makes it easy to see a list of restaurants and ratings without the need for sometimes contentious discussions
Wholeheartedly agree. I'm new to the area and find it pretty difficult to decide on somewhere to eat in Hertford based on the info on this site. Instead I've found myself popping over to Ware to check out somewhere based on reviews I've seen on their site.
I wouldn't say scrap it but it definitely needs a big revamp.
Admin, if you want ideas, I used to live in West London and used this site a hell of a lot for ideas on where to eat...
http://www.lammas.com
Reply ID 19087
15/05/2006 by Dude
Don't scrap it! Can you not introduce a poll system instead, so that scores can be easily compared? then the more detailed view can be in the thread if someone wishes to read further.
Reply ID 19866
18/06/2006 by jayzee
scale scoring 1-10 1 being bad 10 being great
Reply ID 20371
29/06/2006 by Nelse
Should this section be scrapped?
Could we not have a system like ware online has????
Reply ID 20377
29/06/2006 by Admin
quote:
Originally posted by Nelse
Could we not have a system like ware online has????
Time and resources! [:)]
Reply ID 20948
15/07/2006 by GrahamF
Hope you don't scrap it. Just joined and I was interested to see some of the threads. My only gripe is that it's limited to Hertford - anyone know if there is one that covers the whole county?
Reply ID 25978
15/09/2006 by stroller
This should definately not be scrspped dispite all the locsl eatery owners attempts to do so. For the ordinary punter with a spare 50 squids in their pocket it serves as a great guide of where not to go.
Reply ID 25991
16/09/2006 by Admin
quote:
Originally posted by stroller
This should definately not be scrspped dispite all the locsl eatery owners attempts to do so.
Excuse me? Which local eatery owners have attempted to have this section scrapped? None as far as I'm aware.
Reply ID 33454
07/01/2007 by Dreamer
Absolutely not - don't scrap it. This forum provides us with a) the ability to let off steam if we get awful service, b) a guide as to where not to go and c) important feedback to restaurants in the hope that they will pull their socks up.
Then again, this is not just a forum for complaining - contributers should note when they have had pleasurable experiences too!
Reply ID 33458
07/01/2007 by ~Sarah~
Don't scrap this section, it's good to hear what some establishments are like that I would probably never visit. Hey, it might tempt me to visit one!
21 replies