Hearts in Hawai'i
Explaining Our Duluth Restaurant Ratings
12/13/2021
Here is a not-so-brief explanation of how our ratings for Duluth Area Restaurants are compliled:
We consider four factors when rating a restaurant. Obviously these factors are purely objective--how you perceive any of these factors will be different. Our ratings aren't a compilation of others' ratings. This isn't Yelp! Nor is it Trip Advisor. It's simply the opinion of two people who have some considerable experience dining in Duluth area restaurants dating back a few decades.
Those four factors and what they mean are (each rated on a 1-10 scale):
Food: We base this on what we like to eat! You won't find sushi reviewed here, but will find a combination of pasta, pizza, poultry, meat and breakfast items. The calculation is the answer to questions such as a) How good was the food? b) How were the portion sizes? Presentation plays a part in this calculation, also, though not nearly as much as the quality/quantity factors.
Atmosphere:
My wife and I like booths in our restaurants. We like low lighting. We like quiet. In general, a subdued, romantic atmosphere fits us best. If we're on a window, we like a view of something, especially Lake Superior (think The Pickwick or Va Bene, in particular). When it comes to restaurant noise, crowds are a turn-off and definitely have a negative effect on the atmosphere rating. I think of the Buffalo House as a prime example. On a weekday evening during the off-season? Great. On a Saturday evening during the summer? Bad.
Service:
How prompt was the service? More imporatantly, did they get our order correctly? (every now and then, they don't!). How personable was our server? How quickly were we seated? Did the server answer any questions we had about the menu or did they fumble a bit? This is important--we like a server who has knowledge of the restaurant's offerings! Every now and then I'll ask the server what they would order, given a choice between two items. If they attempt to steer us toward the more expensive item, it creates a bit of suspicion. How often did they stop back to our table to see how things were and if there was anything else we needed? When it was obvious we were finished eating, how quickly did they respond either to ask if we wanted leftover containers or were ready for the check? All these things are taken into consideration.
Value: The first three items factor into this fourth item in an attempt to answer the question; "Was what we paid worth the experience?" It's also an indication of whether we would return to the restaurant.
Gift certificates ordered online factor into this equation in a very large way. In the past year we've been taking advantage of Seize The Deal coupons, where you generally pay 1/2 or what you get. For example, you pay $10 for a $20 gift certificate. Places which utilize these certificates such as Applebee's, Valentini's, the Buffalo House and Big Daddy's Burgers, will see an increase in the Value rating, since these things directly affect the value vs. experience question.
Once we've calculated our 1-10 ratings in the four factors, the Rating isn't simple an average. Not all four factors are equal, in our opinion. A percentage is applied to each factor as follows: The Food factor accounts for 35% or the overall total, the Value factor accounts for 30%, the Atmosphere accounts for 20% and the Service accounts for 15%. It's simple math.
Two more points to be made:
For places we've visited multiple times, only the five most recent visits are considered.
Only places which are in business are considered. Otherwise, you'd probably see places such as the now-defunct Elbo Room near or at the top. We try to keep track of places which close and remove those ratings when they do. When this happens, we archive their rating in case they re-open within the next two years. If it's longer than two years, they are treated as a new restaurant.
Reactions to our ratings have been mixed, with many negative opinions included. (shrug) I said at the start that there were OUR ratings and had nothing to do with the public at large. Don't like 'em? Rate your own! Simple enough.
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