Another great idea
July 5, 2007
My last posting about restaurant reviews lit up a light bulb in my head - I searched the web and found three very popular sites where anyone can give their personal opinion about wine,
but I have not found yet (there must be some) a similar restaurant site where anyone can contribute comments and opinions as well as build a community.
Ding ! So I thought “why not create a similar site for restaurants and eating places all over the world?”
All I have done so far is to register the (obvious copy) names like www.dinorati.com The idea is to make it a really open Web2 site where anyone can register and make a restaurant, cafe or snack bar review of anywhere in the world, comment on it, make links - arrange to meet for dinner parties with their friends - have picnics with groups of friends - anything to do with eating and drinking.
It will have maps and anyone can add a location anywhere, get together with other people in towns all over the world and travelers can see up-to-date information from other travelers, local people and the comments from the restaurants themselves.
Imagine, every time you plan to go out to eat, you can see what other folk have said about a place or what there is available in a town - not only that you can say a few words yourself from your own “menu” page on places you discover or comment on places others have rated.
We can create our own “star” rating, list places for value, service, novelty - not just restaurants, but any eating place, bar or even a great spot for a picnic.
You can have your own friends list, merge this with your Myspace of Facebook friends and get to meet new people around a table - the nicest way of meeting folk.
I need help working on the systems (plenty of open source software out there), take the best ideas from other community sites and start the ball rolling with a network of other communities through Facebook, Myspace etc as well as, well everybody.
We could have dino as a logo (not sure if Dean Martin is the best image, well why not - or perhaps a dinosaur).
That is all I need, another great idea, what with the Fractional Ownership site , my rentals ideas and the real-estate stuff I am working on, another global website will keep me very busy - so who would like to join me in this new venture? It certainly will be fun and it is slap bang in the middle of the Web2 dynamics. Plus we get to meet and eat.
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Comment by Susan Tackenberg
That is a great idea. The whole concept of a culinary culture should be spread as widely as possible, in my view. I recently helped the Berlinale Film Festival mount its first Culinary Cinema Special, in conjunction with the Slow Food movement from Piedmonte, and, as a devoted foodie myself, was taken aback by the profusion of information on food, dining out, cuisines of the world etc. “out there” that is either quite misleading or downright inaccurate.
Where it comes to setting up the website, I’m afraid I can’t be terribly helpful as it goes beyond my area of expertise, but you may rest assured that I will spread the word around my circle of friends - one of whom sits on the international board of experts that determines the Chef of the Year - and be a regular contributor myself. I live in Germany (which is not entirely the gastronomic wasteland many hold it to be!) but work in London, and eat out in places as far afield as Cape Town and Bangkok, and I’d love to contribute to and learn from this kind of community.
More power to your elbow - the fact that you are designing it as a global enterprise is excellent. I will be spending a week near Nizas this summer, and would be happy to get in touch with you directly if you would like to find out more about Eat, Drink, See Movies which was the title of the Culinary Cinema Special at the Berlinale.
Best regards
Susan
Comment by Georgina Owens
I agree with the restaurant website idea thibk it would be great if people contributed
Comment by Kim Poulin
Tony-
You continue to be the man! What a great idea. Whatever I can do to help, let me know.
Kim
Comment by eamon mc loughlin
Tony,
I can see you dining out on this one…..
Eamon.