Guides, TripAdvisor, Instagram… Who can you trust to find a good restaurant on vacation?

In 2017, a Londoner created a fictional restaurant on TripAdvisor and asked his friends to praise it on the platform. Results? A few weeks later, the establishment goes to the top of the UK capital’s top-rated addresses without even existing. At a time when online review sites can be fooled and influencers are paid to promote a new address on Instagram, what methods can you rely on to find a good restaurant? We consider the best and worst of all these habits in hopes of eating well while traveling, in France or abroad.

Good old guidelines

Two million copies Tutor are sold every year, according to Amanda Caravel. A twenty-five year contributor to this guide explains how rigorous his work is. “It is carried out thanks to real intelligence work in the field. But before we leave, we have a personal anthology of press clippings that inform us of the latest openings. Then we can go to the Tourist Office or equivalent.” As are the investigators Michelin guide the editors of A guide to the guide travel anonymously. All expenses are fully reimbursed to them. “This makes it possible to guarantee the complete independence of the book,” explains its deputy editor-in-chief. “The power of the tour guide is in his choice. “Journalists are professionals who rely on objective criteria: gastronomy, but also the cleanliness of the place and sometimes even heritage,” affirms Thomas Jung. This former hotelier founded My Hotel Reputation, a company responsible for managing customer reviews online. Guidebook author Gilles Pudlovsky highly appreciates the objectivity of tour guides Poodle Paris, Published by Editions Michel Lafon since 1999.

The question that arises for tour guides remains the obsolescence of the listed addresses, especially abroad. In France, it can be assumed that editors can more easily make themselves available in the field to regularly check the institutions they certify. In Thailand, for example, it is less clear. Amanda Caravel answers: “All guidelines are reissued annually. We have 50 employees specializing in foreign addresses.” Added to this is the vast network of natives whose function is “neutral” in relation to the activity of the guide; “One of our contacts in one of the countries is a bicycle rental company,” says the specialist. He is responsible for notifying the editors if the quality of the address decreases or the owner changes. “Then we go to the place to verify the information with the source.” However, if an obvious effort is made to update the guidelines regularly, they will obviously never be able to combat the immediacy of the web.

Reviews on the Internet, “collection of experiences”

Many savvy travelers have long since changed their guides to Google searches. “TripAdvisor accounts for 11% of global travel-related traffic. The app claims 490 million monthly visitors and 702 million reviews. The other two major players are The Fork and Google,” says Thomas Jung. But are the other opinions on these platforms reliable? “TripAdvisor vox populi. Everyone can put in their two cents there, and sometimes there are McDonald’s with a good rating,” says Gilles Pudlovsky sarcastically. And yet, during a vacation in Spain, he relied more than once on the application due to the lack of addresses in the red guide, which he particularly likes. “The great thing about TripAdvisor is the big picture. that Michelin only gave one address in Marbella, unlike the online review platform.” Amanda Caravel seems to agree. “I use it like a reader’s letter. People commenting are not professionals.” The journalist also highlights the issue of fake reviews. “There is the friend of the boss or someone who wants to play the role of the bad guy because he was unhappy as an employee or he is in competition…”

Bertrand Yellensperger, vice president of TripAdvisor’s restaurant division, said in an interview with RTBF that this proportion of fake reviews was estimated at 10%. Thomas Jung reassures us. “A restaurant owner can manage about twenty or even more fake reviews in the same day. However, the community is stronger and can easily fix the situation. Generally, I read the reviews and they match what I find on the ground.” But the most important thing for a business manager on these platforms is the history of the Internet users; they are the ones who will enable you to discover a place before you set foot there. “Online reviews are a collection of lived experiences. It’s stronger than an ad, it’s a recommendation. Customers say the food from A to Z. To have an idea, it is very good and stronger than a guide, which sometimes tends to be just a simple reference,” he believes.

Social networks and blogs for popular addresses

Social media consulting has been added to online offers. Indeed, TripAdvisor is already obsolete among the under-30s. “Young people no longer take the guide under their wing. They have their iPhone. They look at blogs and Instagram. These tools are practical if you want trendy addresses,” testifies Gilles Pudlovsky. And he knows what he’s talking about. His Instagram page has nearly 50,000 foodie followers. “A good photograph is a guide to appreciating the cuisine and the spirit of the place. Instagram is a photo of gourmet pleasure, analyzes the food critic. Then it’s important to follow quality accounts from people in the know. Culinary journalists are a good compromise.” We return to the referee. We follow people who look like us, who share the same taste, the same aspirations. So the same plates.

However, the app has its limitations. An influencer is not necessarily the best person to guide a traveler to the doors of the perfect restaurant. “Instagram is not enough to see if the place is clean, if the plates are good, or if the reception is nice,” counters Amanda Caravel, who is a little angry about the social network’s influence on table selection. “Communities, cities and institutions are calling on bloggers and influencers to promote their products. They are not professionals. It’s marketing. They are invited. Therefore, opinions are not objective. An image tool, it can bring a different look and especially trendy addresses, but it in no way guarantees this objective opinion, which is so much sought after by antique guides.

Back to the 1990s

How did we do it at the time, that is, without wi-fi, without opinion? If you ever want to be spontaneous without spending hours investigating like a food journalist, how can you find a good restaurant with minimal effort? There are still old-fashioned methods: observation and better yet, common sense. Two techniques that have proven themselves more than once. Starting with a storefront analysis. “Perfect shop. Beautiful terrace, modern design with decoration that we would like to have at home. For me, it would be in purple tones, somewhat restrained, comments Gilles Pudlovsky. However, paper towels that are too thin should be absolutely avoided,” she jokes. So many criteria that remain very subjective anyway. On the other hand, menu analysis is not. “If it is short, one can easily think that the products used are fresh. An extended card is not a good sign. If we promote seasonal products, it is also a guarantee of quality, explains Amanda Caravel. The atmosphere emanating from the place should also be considered. If you arrive for lunch or dinner and the restaurant is empty, you have to ask yourself,” he continues.

It is absolutely necessary to avoid paper towels that are too thin.

Gilles Pudlowski, food critic

Friends are left with the last card to play. “Friends are always able to inform us. They are not affected and they know what’s new in their city,” clarifies Gilles Pudlovsky. Amanda Keravel certifies this method. It’s even one that’s used A guide to the guide. “Once there we do a lot of interviews. Traders and residents give us information. This is the first advice I gave my son before going on vacation. I insisted, saying that one should always question the natives on the spot. Don’t forget the hoteliers. “Hotel receptionists are trained to provide you with information and recommend addresses based on your criteria,” adds Thomas Jung. But usually, after reading all these tips, your friends will now be turning to you to get their top vacation establishments. You should even be able to face the challenge posed by Gilles Pudlovsky. “If the readers Madame Figaro can you find me good addresses for my vacations, that’s perfect.”