Donald Shampine

I generally do not use social media or restaurant review sites as the basis for my decisions on where to eat. The sites and information can often be misleading, inaccurate, and generally unhelpful. People feel they are qualified to serve as a critic for the simple reason that they eat food. Yet, most people lack basic kitchen knowledge, let alone the culinary expertise needed to truly be a restaurant critic.    Even a good review can be misleading as they often don’t give enough information to help you make an informed decision. Without a clear definition of the customers’ expectations and then a clear description of the product and how it met or failed to meet the definition, the reviews often lack substance on which to base an informed decision as to whether you should eat at the restaurant. Occasionally there are helpful reviews, but you must be careful on how you use them to base your eating decisions. Look to the quality of the review, the relevance to you...