USRG USRG Help Editors Grammar & Spelling Guide Writers Style Guide Rating Index
| United States Restaurant Guide a guide to every restaurant in the USA | www.usrg.com |
The USRG uses
five symbols to rate a restaurant's overall, food, atmosphere and service values. There are
half symbols as well. This gives a restaurant 10 possible levels. Five symobls is the highest value and 1/2
is the lowest. The exact values of the ratings are listed in the Rating Legend.
Overall - Stars
award the overall value of a restaurant averaging food, atmosphere and service. The food
value is weighted more heavily. Health points may be added or subtracted based on experiences or health department notices.
Food - Forks award the
overall food value noting food quality, freshness of ingredients, temperature, and
presentation. Is the chef inspired? Is the cooking consistent? Is the menu of wide enough
range to satisfy a range of diners? The best restaurants are willing share
occasional recipes with the dining community.
Atmosphere - Hearts are
awarded for Romantic qualities. The most important element is being able to have
a social conversation appropriate to the character of the place. A
romantic atmosphere is completed by comfortable furnishing, interesting views or interior settings, good tablewear, fresh flowers, candlelight, fireplace, room
design, music.
Service - The image of the
service person represents both the wait staff
and management's service ability, sense of control,
latitude of basic and gracious service, attention to differing needs. The hallmark of fine service
is, well, waiting. This has a calming effect on atmosphere.
Price Range - This tracks an average meal with a beverage for one person. This is the price of the dinner dish that reflects the typical experience of the restaurants cooking. For a la carte restaurant a salad is added on. No dessert is included. No tax or tip is included. Prices mentioned are rounded to the nearest dollar as known at the dated time of the review.
Who says it is the best?
The ratings seen in the United States Restaurant Guide average the ratings and reports of "trusted" diners. These ratings are free of commercial ties to restaurants or sponsors. The published ratings are reviewed by the Regional USRG Editorial Staff on a seasonal basis. The USRG awards Stars to restaurants in four categories - Best Overall, Best Food, Best Atmosphere, Best Service. The ratings and the reviews come from direct dining experiences of "trusted diners." Essentially anyone can vote and review, but trusted members have a higher weighting. The USRG Five Star Awards are based on the USRG precision 100 point survey system measuring food, atmosphere and service.
A USRG rating is national in scope. The mark tries to provide a meaningful value as diners travel from city to city, state to state. You will not find a 3 star restaurant in a city unless it is a 3 star restaurant measured by national standards.
USRG reviews and ratings are the reflections of true diner experiences. They are intended to guide diners to the best culinary experiences in the many regions of the US. The USRG tries to publish recipes of these places in order to bettr "remember" them.
These ratings and reviews are not intended to harm any restaurant, but to reflect the open and free expressions by diners about their experiences. We hope any perceived negative criticisms should be looked by restaurants as an opportunity for improvement.
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