Top 10 Websites for Restaurant Addicts (Part 2)
This is a continuation from last weeks post on 10 websites no restaurant addict should be without. So far I’ve covered Restaurant.com, Entertainment.com, Zagat.com, Urbanspoon.com, and LocalWineEvents.com. The next five websites will allow you to order meals for delivery, add up points to receive free meals, make reservations online, and get insider tips about the restaurant from the locals:
- Vmeals.com - Can’t leave the office for lunch or dinner?
You can order food online from several hundred restaurants in 33 major cities in the U.S.. First, you select a menu from one of their restaurants and choose items for your order. Then arrange for delivery and payment via their secure web site. Vmeals routes your order to the food provider, confirms acceptance of the order, then tracks your order and manages any changes. It’s that simple!
Plan B: If Vmeals is not offering delivery services in your city, you can also try seamlessweb.com or ordercorner.com. -
RewardsNetwork.com - Get 20% cash back when you dine
When you join Rewards Network online, there are no out–of–pocket costs. You simply register a credit or debit card with them and use it to pay the bill at participating restaurants, bars and clubs when Cashback Rewards are being offered. After that, additional Cashback Rewards are automatically credited to the card you used a couple days after you dine. -
Yelp.com - Real People. Real Reviews.
Yelp is the new and fun way to find, review and talk about what’s great - and not so great - in your neighborhood and beyond, everything from cool restaurants to the latest bar or club opening! This is a great complement to Citysearch.com because many times it will have reviews for restaurants that are not included on the other site. Bonus: You can also find reviews on everything else from yoga instructors to doctors! -
OpenTable.com - The world’s most popular website for making reservations online
Over 90 million diners have used OpenTable.com to make lunch and dinner reservations at over 10,000 restaurants nationwide! Not only can you make the reservations, but you can send email invites to friends and receive email reminders of the event that you booked. Bonus: When you join Open Table you are automatically enrolled in the “Dining Rewards” program. You receive Dining Rewards points every time you make a reservation. When you accrue over 1,000 points you can redeem them for $20, $50, or $100 Open Table Dining Cheques that can be used at ANY of the restaurants featured on the site! -
Citysearch.com - Reviews and recomendations that include “insider tips” from the LOCALS
Want to know the parking situation at different restaurants, whether it is “kid friendly”, or perhaps the best time of day to avoid a crowd? Citysearch includes these tips and more in the info section of each restaurant! Plus it will direct you to nearby bars, hotels, spas, and theatres when you are done with your meal.
I know what you’re thinking…”But Diner Dave, I could find these websites using Google, so why do I need this list from you?” And the answer is that I have actually used all of these dining and restaurant related websites every time I go out to eat. When you are attempting to select a nice restaurant for dinner would you rather sift through a random list of restaurant review sites based on a couple of keywords? Or would you rather listen to someone that has REPEATEDLY used these websites and can select the best based on experience? If you agree or disagree with my selections I welcome your feedback.
Diners: What websites have YOU used to browse restaurant reviews, make reservations, or find restaurant coupons & gift certificates?
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Love this site–it is so yummy! Especially the little fork icon.
Question: What did you think of the San Francisco Chronicle’s article that alleged that yelp allows restaurants to re-order or ‘hide’ bad reviews for a fee?
I learned about yelp while living in the Bay Area. Everyone was yelping. Since then, I’ve always used yelp to check on place to eat–and I’ve had success with restaurants with good reviews. I have even written several reviews myself. But I am not so sure anymore…
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/07/04/BUFU11IP6J.DTL
Thanks for submitting this article Michelle! I’ve read it and agree with some of the comments made by the readers. The major flaw with these types of consumer review sites like Yelp and Citysearch is that you are relying on complete strangers to review restaurants, clubs, etc… You never know if you are hearing an honest unbiased review based on their experience in the restaurant, or if a disgruntled ex-waiter is trashing the restaurant to spite them!
My advice would be to find “top reviewers” in your city of residence and read their restaurant critiques. You can also “invite friends” and “follow reviewers”. I have about a dozen reviewers that I follow and trust what they have to say about restaurants in the Houston area (where I live).
You could also visit more than one restaurant review site to research a restaurant’s food, ambience, service, etc… I use a combination of nationwide sites, like Yelp and Citysearch, and local restaurant review sites, like b4-u-eat.com (only reviews Houston restaurants).
Hope this helps!