How to write a restaurant review
The goal of writing a review is to give information about the good and bad aspects (if any!) about the restaurant.
What should be the style of the review?
It should be in a chatty style so that it is fun to read and not in a boring formal style.
What aspects should be emphasized in a review?
All aspects are important: the location, the exterior, the atmosphere, the decoration and furniture, the menu, the arrangement of the tables, the service and, of course, the food.
What are the ways to describe the various aspects?
* The location: Is it easy to locate with any major landmarks nearby? Is it a busy shopping area? Is it primarily a residential area? Is there a parking space?
* The outside: Does the restaurant have indoor and outdoor space? If there is only indoor space, is there room to sit outside for waiting diners? Is there any top canopy? Is there a staff member outside to take reservations or package orders?
* The atmosphere: Is the atmosphere happy or is it a boring and depressing place?
* The decoration and furniture: What is the lighting system: soft/dim/hard/bright lighting? Are the walls covered with some kind of paint or other decorative designs? What is the seating arrangement?
* The menu : Was the menu design anything extraordinary? What is the least expensive and most expensive item on the menu? What is the variety of cuisine listed? Is there a separate wine list?
* The table setting: What is the tabletop like – glass, wood, Formica, etc.? Were the glasses and napkins already set?
* The service: How was the attraction of the staff (eg, if there is a festival going on, then the waiters could be dressed in traditional clothing to match the festival)? The waiter came quickly to take his order? Did the food get to the table quickly? Was there any food not ordered it brought to your table? Was the waiter hovering around the table in an irritating manner?
* Food: Was it mild, spicy, salty, too sweet? What exactly did you or your group eat? Were the prices worth it?
Additional Tips:
be creative: Basically, when writing a restaurant review, you have to use different types of words when describing the decor and the food. You can’t use the word ‘nice’ and ‘tasty’ or ‘delicious’ repeatedly! To find different types of words and not sound like a parrot, write your review in a Word document. on your computer; look up other similar words using the computer dictionary [Tools-Language-Thesaurus].
Enhance your review with photos if possible. If you have a digital camera with you, you can also take photos of the food. It is very important, however, to always ask permission to take photos inside the restaurant. Some establishments are very strict about taking pictures and you must always abide by the rules and regulations. If they ask why you are taking a picture, you can simply say that you are trying out your new camera! Naturally, you shouldn’t say you’re going to write a review too; then management is guaranteed to do everything they can to accommodate you and you won’t get the real picture!