The Impact of "Audience Effect" On Restaurant Reviews

It's often said that a true test of one's character is what they do when no one is watching. The same might be said of one’s true feelings... or opinions in that an “audience” has a verifiable impact on expression and communication.?

At this point, most of us know that retail business reviews are bought and sold every day. But that doesn't mean that every review you read was paid for. In fact, a majority of the ratings and reviews out there are from legitimate sources / actual customers...but,??I think it might be safe to say that, like a secret ballot or blind taste test - the results that are obtained when outside influence is removed, tend to be more reliable.

I inadvertently stumbled upon an interesting phenomenon recently while queuing to observe one of the world's most famous works of art.

The line that snaked around the red velvet stanchions leading to the Mona Lisa was comprised of approximately 50–100 people pushing, shoving and even swearing (in multiple languages).?

The crowd itself however became more interesting to me than Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece and when I turned around to study them, I decided to film them. At that moment, something extraordinary occurred - their behavior almost immediately changed.

The same people who were pushing and shoving their way to the front line, suddenly calmed down.?

They took a step back, eased the tightness in their faces and simply held their phones a little higher to get a better photo over the same shoulders they were (only seconds ago) so intent on forcing themselves past.?

The whole energy around me changed dramatically - like it does at Wimbledon when the chair umpire calls: "Silence!"

A quick Google search later that evening revealed that this phenomenon (of recorded behavior being different than unrecorded behavior) is known as "Audience Effect".?

Simply stated, "Audience Effect" is when a person's (or group's) behavior changes when they know or believe that someone is watching them.?

I couldn't help but see the corollary between this behavioral adjustment and online restaurant reviews where guests critique restaurants for the sole purpose of an audience.?

Now, most public critics might not be consciously aware that the pubic ratings they broadcast are a reflection of themselves in some way but, the truth of the matter is that weather it's to warn, advise, entertain, help the OP or impress viewers and followers -??the sole fact that their critiques are public - inherently makes them somewhat of a public performance for the benefit (and sometimes to the detriment) of others.?

I read a few articles to learn that the "changes" or "variabilities in behavior" aren't always huge or even obvious but when it comes to online public reviews and their impact on a small independent businesses' online reputation, the slightest exaggeration or mischaracterization can mean an the loss of thousands of dollars, hundreds of potential customers, countless hours spent on damage control?and in many cases - the very livelihoods of independent operators and the staff they employ.

As unpleasant or unfair as it may seem, a business' online reputation can literally make the difference between lines around the block and permanently closed doors.?

And if a restaurant isn't fortunate enough to have an incredible online reputation or the time and resources to manage one, the latter tends to be more common.

We're not trying to change human behavior at Paire Appetit. And we're not trying to condemn existing public rating platforms. We're just trying to provide a more practical alternative to publicly reviewing restaurants like a critic in order to help people find more of the restaurants and bars that they're most likely to enjoy.

With the creative application of modern technology (e.g., advanced predictive analytics and supervised machine learning) we no longer need to rely on the credibility of public reviews or the commonality of taste between ourselves and those whose reviews we can spend hours scrolling through.

Instead, we've built a platform that can easily identify the common ground between individuals with unique preferences and the restaurants that are most compatible with them.

There will always be platforms that cater to the mainstream by issuing one-size-fits all grades to restaurants or that give a voice to those who have a greater need to be heard.

But for those whose tastes might differ from that of the the crowd or general consensus or boards issuing stars and awards - we built a resource that utilizes our members' own private answers to food quizzes and private anonymous restaurant ratings in order to continually calculate each member's own personal compatibility with food & beverage outlets everywhere.

To learn more about Paire's restaurant matching technology & how you too can eat like a local anywhere, go to: Paire.io

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