Leery diners no longer starstruck when choosing where to eat out
Customers line up at a small eatery offering braised pig's feet in the northern province of Shanxi.
Skepticism has always surrounded the authenticity of online ratings and reviews, and that has fed a growing trend in China of shunning highly rated restaurants in favor of more modest eateries.
Lo and behold, some diners are finding 3.5-star-rated restaurants as good if not better than those with more stars. The trend, particularly obvious among the young, is a U-turn from the past steadfast loyalty to the ratings and reviews posted on platforms like Yelp and TripAdvisor.
"I used to blindly follow ratings, but several high-rated restaurants didn't live up to their reputation," said a local diner surnamed Luan.
Another diner, from Hong Kong, commented on the social platform Red that "high ratings no longer guarantee a great meal" in his hometown, adding that "sometimes, the real hidden gems are those with average ratings."
A recent survey on the social media platform Weibo found that 42 percent of Chinese respondents said they have lost some trust in review platforms over the years.
This new trend in choosing where to dine originated from a statement by renowned food connoisseur Chen Xiaoqing during a TV roundtable talk show in late December.
The director of the popular food documentary series "A Bite of China" said, "Restaurants with ratings between 3.5 and 4.0 often have delicious offerings."
That spurred an outpouring of comments from netizens who shared their dining experiences. Some said the negative reviews are more due to the poor service rather than the quality of the food. Some said the only reviews to trust are those related to eateries that have had solid ratings for five years or more. And some said they found hidden treasures in lower-rated restaurants.
Customers dine at a 50-year-old small eatery in the southwestern city of Chengdu.
Veteran social media food host Wei Yuanyuan suggested the most reliable options for good food and service often exist in the middle spectrum of ratings.
"A rating between 3.5 and 3.9 often indicates a quality dining spot, especially in today's trend, where lower-rated restaurants are unexpectedly popular," she said. "Those extremely high ratings like 4.8 or 4.9 can be misleading."
However, food critic Zhuge expressed caution about the trend. He argues that long-standing establishments with high ratings are more reliable because they rely less on online promotion and more on steady repeat business.
"Ratings below 3.5 often signal serious shortcomings in taste, ambiance or service," Zhuge said.
For takeouts, he recommends well-known restaurants or eatery chains instead of relying on online reviews.
Reviews and ratings of restaurants began in the early 2000s, with Yelp-style mobile apps such as Meituan, Dazhong Dianping, and Koubei in China. They promised honest reviews.
It didn't take long for helpful advice on where to eat was commercialized as a business model. Platforms began charging eateries for high-profile visibility and promotional features.
One Beijing coffee shop owner revealed online that he paid for a 9,800-yuan (US$1,365) package to give him a higher public profile, with additional charges for influencer marketing and sponsored meals.
Young tourists try authentic local delicacies at a wet market in the northeastern city of Harbin.
Seizing the opportunities of this new environment, some restaurants began to solicit positive reviews by offering consumers free meals and discount coupons. Some even hired marketing companies to create promotional material to boost online ratings.
Zhang Yuan, a frequent diner, told Shanghai Daily, "I was often offered a free dessert for a 50-word positive review. It wasn't much effort, so I obliged and received a mango dessert."
In addition to offering freebies for reviews, some businesses have directly purchased fake comments. On the Tmall online shopping platform, there are many services offering "gold medal management," "expert reviews" and "one-stop shop for hosted operations."
Tactics even include posting negative reviews on competitors. A review management team, specializing in Meituan and Dianping operations, claims to be a professional group that helps businesses climb the "hot list" rankings, thereby increasing customer traffic and takeout orders.
"Over 90 percent of our clients will renew our services," a member of the team told Shanghai Daily.
Chinese food industry analyst Zhu Danpeng said such deceptive tactics to boost ratings is not a sustainable path for the restaurant industry.
She noted that quality, reputation and customer experience, which encompass factors like ingredients, taste and service, should be the focus of reputable restaurant management.
"Regardless of marketing efforts or high ratings, if quality is subpar, consumers will vote with their feet and not return," Zhu said.
A fried-dough stall in the city of Harbin has become popular among tourists.
Several examples serve to illustrate her point.
A small eatery in Harbin, which hosts an annual ice sculpture festival every winter, is impressing visitors with exceptional food at reasonable prices, rather than by any digital skulduggery.
Its owner, known for his blunt manner, said he attracts a steady stream of locals and tourists by serving them tasty meals at affordable prices.
In Hubei in central China, Tian Tian Wang Restaurant has been catering to visitors for 36 years. Despite lower ratings on popular apps, it enjoys a steady stream of patrons.
"Our foray into online promotions proved counterproductive, diverting our focus from culinary excellence and reputation building," the restaurant owner, surnamed Luo, told Tide News.
Fu Lei, an attorney with Beijing Yingke Law Firm, pointed out potential legal violations in manipulating online reviews.
"Such deceitful practices could infringe upon China's Anti-Unfair Competition Law and Consumer Rights Protection Law," he told the Beijing-based Legal Daily. "Violators could incur penalties of up to 2 million yuan or have their business licenses revoked."
Customers choose from an array of snack foods at a small restaurant in the city of Xiangyang in Hubei Province.
Indeed, in June 2021, China's Supreme People's Court identified the practice of using fake reviews to boost sales and reputation as a form of online criminal activity.
Guo Yao from Shanghai's Market Supervision and Administration Bureau said his agency is cracking down on fake reviews.
"These practices mislead consumers and unfairly skew competition," Guo said. "We're targeting fabricated reviews and transactions, with confirmed violators facing administrative penalties under the law."
Nationwide, market regulation authorities handled 9,069 cases of unfair competition in 2022. That number included 738 cases of fake reputation-building, with penalties amounting to over 48 million yuan.
Attorney Fu stressed the need to uphold market integrity. He called on businesses to be honest and play fair with consumers.
"A united approach is crucial in combating unfair competition and fostering a transparent market," he said.
A box-meal buffet restaurant in Harbin has become popular with young visitors.
