6 ms·

>> always goes to busy restaurants on the assumption that a lot of customers means they have good food. It is actually good heuristic, I would just modify it e

>> always goes to busy restaurants on the assumption that a lot of customers means they have good food. It is actually good heuristic, I would just modify it ever slightly.. lot of customers means that they will not serve "stale" or yesterday's food.

finebalance 8y ago
That's actually a very useful heuristic because, unlike perhaps in the US, in many parts of the world food standards even in higher quality restaurants are rather lax.
- Larrikin 8y ago
  Even in the US I learned the hard way about eating lunch early. Chipotle is perfectly fine with serving old steak from yesterday if you're one of the first customers of the day.
  - windows_tips 8y ago
    Overnight-marinated special.
  - reaperducer 8y ago
    I was told once that Wendy's chili is made from the hamburgers that weren't sold the day before. I don't know if it's true or not, though. Even if it is, that's some fine chili for a chain fast food restaurant.
- the-dude 8y ago
  That must be American Exceptionalism. Wow.
Sangermaine 8y ago
>It is actually good heuristic No it's not. It assumes there's a correlation between quality and customers, or at least that quality is a prime cause of customers. But there's no reason to think that's the case. In fact, it's more likely that location is the prime factor: the restaurants in Times Square in NYC are very busy, but they are by no means the best in the city or even particularly good. They just have great locations in the heart of the tourist zone. I remember reading something by Tyler Cowen where, with regards to NYC restaurants, he advised trying the ones on the streets and not on the avenues, because the streets get less foot traffic and so have to be better to draw people in. I've found this generally to be true living here. After location, the second most important element is probably hype/fame. The hot restaurant of the moment isn't the best restaurant of the moment, it's the one that has managed to capture people's attention, which could be for a variety of reasons ranging from a celebrity chef to some new gimmick.
- jack9 8y ago
  The vast majority of america does not have such a bias toward location. It's makes a good heuristic, in america. It's not surprising when there's exceptions.
jgowdy 8y ago
I agree with this being a valuable heuristic. Not for whether or not the food tastes delicious in terms of seasoning or flavor, but are they moving product. It’s easier to think of it in terms of a butcher shop. You don’t want to buy meat from a butcher shop that gets few customers (yes exceptions for boutique expensive butcher shops). You want the busiest butcher shop you can find that meets your other parameters. It’s only one factor, but I consider it a rather important one. I’ve seen too many episodes of Kitchen Nightmares and similar shows to take a chance on a low volume restaurant that isn’t low volume due to an intentional design decision.
jalk 8y ago
When traveling abroad, pick the restaurants where the are lots of locals as opposed to the ones filled with other tourist

finebalance 8y ago

That's actually a very useful heuristic because, unlike perhaps in the US, in many parts of the world food standards even in higher quality restaurants are rather lax.

Larrikin 8y ago
Even in the US I learned the hard way about eating lunch early. Chipotle is perfectly fine with serving old steak from yesterday if you're one of the first customers of the day.
- windows_tips 8y ago
  Overnight-marinated special.
- reaperducer 8y ago
  I was told once that Wendy's chili is made from the hamburgers that weren't sold the day before. I don't know if it's true or not, though. Even if it is, that's some fine chili for a chain fast food restaurant.
the-dude 8y ago
That must be American Exceptionalism. Wow.

Sangermaine 8y ago

>It is actually good heuristic No it's not. It assumes there's a correlation between quality and customers, or at least that quality is a prime cause of customers. But there's no reason to think that's the case. In fact, it's more likely that location is the prime factor: the restaurants in Times Square in NYC are very busy, but they are by no means the best in the city or even particularly good. They just have great locations in the heart of the tourist zone. I remember reading something by Tyler Cowen where, with regards to NYC restaurants, he advised trying the ones on the streets and not on the avenues, because the streets get less foot traffic and so have to be better to draw people in. I've found this generally to be true living here. After location, the second most important element is probably hype/fame. The hot restaurant of the moment isn't the best restaurant of the moment, it's the one that has managed to capture people's attention, which could be for a variety of reasons ranging from a celebrity chef to some new gimmick.

jack9 8y ago
The vast majority of america does not have such a bias toward location. It's makes a good heuristic, in america. It's not surprising when there's exceptions.

jgowdy 8y ago

I agree with this being a valuable heuristic. Not for whether or not the food tastes delicious in terms of seasoning or flavor, but are they moving product. It’s easier to think of it in terms of a butcher shop. You don’t want to buy meat from a butcher shop that gets few customers (yes exceptions for boutique expensive butcher shops). You want the busiest butcher shop you can find that meets your other parameters. It’s only one factor, but I consider it a rather important one. I’ve seen too many episodes of Kitchen Nightmares and similar shows to take a chance on a low volume restaurant that isn’t low volume due to an intentional design decision.

jalk 8y ago

When traveling abroad, pick the restaurants where the are lots of locals as opposed to the ones filled with other tourist