You cannot go in with zero information, but if you know how to read Google Maps and are willing to consider several options, you can do very well overall, although many great places are still easy to miss.
How do you read Google Maps, beyond picking something with a high average star rating and (secondarily) large number of reviews? Since the vast majority of customers don’t leave reviews, it seems like the star rating should be biased, but I’m not sure in what way or how to adjust for it.
Important question that could be its own post. The number is huge, the reviews give you important context where you want to look for people showing big upside and especially for those giving bad reviews WHY are they doing that? If the complaints are about non-food issues or aspects you don’t care about then that is a very good sign and can make up for a lot. And you get pictures, which you learn to read, and access to the menu, etc.
How do you read Google Maps, beyond picking something with a high average star rating and (secondarily) large number of reviews? Since the vast majority of customers don’t leave reviews, it seems like the star rating should be biased, but I’m not sure in what way or how to adjust for it.
Important question that could be its own post. The number is huge, the reviews give you important context where you want to look for people showing big upside and especially for those giving bad reviews WHY are they doing that? If the complaints are about non-food issues or aspects you don’t care about then that is a very good sign and can make up for a lot. And you get pictures, which you learn to read, and access to the menu, etc.
I’d be interested in the full post!