For any writer, make it clear any business or personal relationship to a restaurant you may have. If you are somehow connected with the restaurant (owner, employee, relative of the chef) then you must say so in your review.  There is nothing wrong with this. This helps readers appreciate your perspective. Reviews can help others decide where to eat, but they also form your point of view that people follow to see what otehr places you rate. Good reviews capture the elusive sense of place that grounds the reader.

Avoid profanity.
Don't use direct personal slurs about specific people.
Do not criticize, rather suggest the improvement.

Final Steps

In truth, the restaurant writes its own review, for better or for worse. The good reviewer simply finds the words to convey the experience to friends who cannot attend. - mrb

This writer's guide provides direction for staff and volunteers writing for the USRG Guides. Of the food writers, we like Arthur Liebling, and Ernest Hemingway, but perhaps the best is Particia Wells. Her model book is The Food Lovers Guide to Paris. She writes to provide sensible reviews that paint the cultural picture of the restaurants of the city. These reviews connect the reader with the restaurant. Like her writing style, we choose short, concise phrases that quickly conveys a sense of the place. The reviewer takes time to discover some cultural delight, notices the kind of people who inhabit the place, the special foods offered, some bit of history or the owner's mark on the place. What is it like to be there? Specify details that keep you there.

Style

To capture that elusive sense of the place, write with the following three things in mind.

a) Write with your voice. Stop and write exactly as the words come from your mouth, not from your hand. Let the sentences flow as conversations with a good friend. Occasionally, read your restaurant review out loud to someone. There should be very little difference in the writtne words and what you say. If you can't speak smoothly what you write, then others will probably fail to read you.So write the words as you would say them.

b) Say what recalls a place. What little things really mark the place? A well observed detail brings it to life The restaurant off the Cable Car line in San Francisco with the brass dolphin handle. This can be none other than Aqua on California street. By writing of the special dress of the clientele, you inform a diner of the social comfort level. No anticipating diner wants to be "out of place." By mentioning the color of the room, how waiters are attired, or how the crowd is dressed, you will not only inform the potential diner how to "fit in", but also begin to render the character of the place.

c) Be helpful - guide people. If the place is hard to find, help the reader quickly find it in the first sentence. Speak of the special dishes to inform the skilled diner. Remind diners to try something special - even better if it is not apparrent on the menu - for example it might beYucca at a Cuban restaurant.

USRG Writing Template

Use newspaper style - The most important matter should appear first. This is especially ture of electronic medium. Write no more than two paragraphs. Here is a good order that works:

1) THE PLACE - Write first of the location, the stage.. How do you recognize it from the street ? What is the space like inside? Mention the light, smells or other first impressions that are unique and set it apart. A distinctive style or unique theme? - describe that.

2) THE ATMOSPHERE & PEOPLE - Who comes here, what might they be wearing? These are some of the elements of the culture of the place. What kind of scenes do you see? Perhaps traditional observations - Was the restaurant clean? How were guests and waiter, or waiter and kitchen relating? Was the music too loud? Was there noise coming from the kitchen? How is service paced and how are guests managed? Was your waitron helpful? Were your menu questions answered with skill? Were the bathrooms adequate? Were good recommendations made and with what style? Were plates cleared away quickly? Were your water glasses refilled as you needed without asking? Did you ever have trouble attracting your waitron's attention? Did the bill arrive on time? If something went wrong, did they handle it appropriately? Did you feel rushed or was there enough staff so that the waitrons actually waited? Are reservations important to make?

3) THE FOOD - Look at the menu and more importantly - the dishes around you as you look at tables as you walk in. About the menu - are there a large number of selections? How often does the menu change? Does it follow the seasons? Write carefully about what dishes you chose and what you avoided. Describe taste - flavors, texture, spiceyness, complexity. The presentation - colors, arrangement, garnish? Often a dish can be expalined by how it might have been made. This is helpful if you ever consider making such a dish. What was good, what could be better, what was interesting? Was the food warm, the ingredients fresh? How big were the portions?  Declare any remarkable finds. It is helpful sometimes to name a dish and conclude with a price. Always put price at the end in parenthesis, for example: Grilled Halibut with Corn ($14).

4) HISTORY - Find out when it was established. What were the motives? What was the cultural mission? What was the history of this location before? Often, prior establishments have an effect on the new.

Food, Atmosphere, Service

Many people are happy to write "The place is great." Emotional judgement is helpful, but the reader almost immediately wants to know why ? So mention a few items that give you cause to notice the greatness. The USRG observes separately  Food  Atmosphere and Service. The Overall ratings average the previous values. Read the USRG rating legend to describes the various rating elements. To assign rating values takes practice to do well. It is important to be fair and balanced from place to place.

Price and Value

Note the price range which gives an idea of the average price per meal such as $5-10. The value of the meal can be noted, but this is actually a ratio of the menu price and the food value which the USRG tracks in its Best Food Value lists. Sometimes it is helpful to mention prices. Money is always comes second to the value provided, so always put prices at the end of a sentence in parenthesis and round to the nearest dollar,  for example: Jack's Sirloin steak is prime grade ($13).

Positive Keywords