Questions to Keep in Mind

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  1. What makes you decide to eat at a restaurant? Think about some recent very good (or very bad) restaurant experiences. Was there one primary aspect involved? Or was it a range of things?
  2. What features do you commonly see in restaurant reviews? Do reviews tend to describe the experience in chronological order? Do they give readers an easy-to-scan summary? What structure do they tend to follow?
  3. Does the restaurant you’ve chosen to review have clear goals in mind for diners? Is it trying to be a fun experience or a calm, quiet one? Does it have a gimmick? Or is it fitting within a specific genre? How well does it achieve those goals? (Tip: Don’t review a restaurant that specializes in food you know you don’t like.)
  4. What pictures show key aspects of the restaurant in terms of diners’ experiences? If the restaurant appears to be based on “comfort foods,” are the plates loaded with large portions? If the restaurant offers elegant dining, does it offer cloth napkins and nice silverware? What can you show readers that will help them understand the experience they’re likely to have?