"From the mighty cinnamon-powered sausage, to the pistachios in the lamb special, every bite begs me to ask, `Why did it take me 29 years to know flavor combinations like this?'" wrote one diner about a Lebanese restaurant in Lincoln Park. Then there was this disappointing take on a North Side Asian place: "I've had better Thai in strip malls in suburbia.
" Whether the words are insightful or insulting, they are becoming influential. At Web sites like Centerstage.net, Citysearch.
com, Yelp.com and many others, thousands of reviewers rate and review everything from art galleries to zoos. "I look more at user reviews than at professional ones.
They definitely have more power," said Alexander Cheswick, the chef and owner at May Street Market, a year-old Chicago restaurant that has been warmly reviewed by professional critics. "The customers review us every day, not once a year like a newspaper critic." The notion of user reviews is not new.
They are grounded in the age-old concept of word-of-mouth recommendations, but they have blossomed on the Web thanks in part to sites like Angieslist.com, which helps homeowners find contractors. But in the last year, retailers like Macy's have started to include customer reviews of shoes, for instance, while numerous Web sites have been launched to tap into the trend.
Businesses are starting to take these reviews seriously because they can pop up among the top results during a Web search. And the people who read these reviews have a tendency to place more trust in them, as they come from peers. Yet the reviews can stir controversy because unlike professional reviews, user reviews are not vetted by editors or written from a perspective (or palate) based on years of experience.
That's part of the charm. But unkind reviews can frustrate business owners who didn't see the biting words coming. "My wife is more sensitive to the negative reviews than I am," said Ken Walczak, who with his wife, Karen Gerod, operates the Swim Cafe, a Chicago coffeehouse and restaurant.
The user reviews are mostly positive for the Swim Cafe, but as Walczak tells his wife, "it's a mixed bag and you're not going to please everybody." Indeed, here's how one diner describes Hot Doug's, a Chicago hot dog joint that's frequently reviewed due to its unusual menu: "Today I tried the Mint and Garlic Lamb Sausage with Roasted Red Pepper Mayonnaise and Pinna Brigante Sheep's Milk Cheese. Quite a mouthful.
It was delicious, as always." Another wrote: "If you like lots of fat people stuffing French fries in their mouths while unsuccessfully attempting to stifle belches--it's great! I'm sorry but this place is way overrated.
" How to handle user reviews has become a topic at the Chicago chapter of Score, a group that counsels young businesses and is affiliated with the Small Business Administration. New businesses "should be concerned about these reviews," said Jim Stoynoff, the group's chairman for partnership development. "At an established restaurant with a lot of repeat customers, a bad review might not make that big of a difference.
But in the early stage, a bad review can be devastating." And if a bad review is handled poorly, it can create a stir. At Yelp.
com in recent weeks, a firestorm broke out regarding a review one woman posted about bad extensions she received at a Chicago hair salon. The reviewer called the place "a nightmare.
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