i'm ryan sutton, the new york food critic for bloomberg news.
Catching Elephant is a theme by Andy Taylor
Dear Google: Are you going to ask me if I want the entire webpage translated into English every time there’s a bottle of French wine on the list? Are you? Really?
Dear Autocomplete: I was trying to Google GAGNAIRE, a pretty big deal French chef with restaurants around the world. He’s been around longer than the other guy. Is this going to happen every time?
Dear Restaurants: Next time I have to Google the obscure business name you use on my credit card statement, I’m totally disputing the charge. For reals.
Rest assured that I’ll be highlighting the offenders on this Tumblr sooner than you can say “Joe’s Holding Corp No. 457,” which is more or less what I saw on my corporate American Express earlier today. You shouldn’t have to do research to find out where you ate a month ago, right guys?
The search giant Zagoogat (or more colloquially, Google-Zagat) incorrectly thinks that Marea on Central Park South is open on Sundays and only Sundays. That’s right. A restaurant that’s open just one day a week. That would be a heck of a gosh darn way to turn a profit.
Rest assured, Marea is open erryday, baby.
I know human and algorithmic errors are common and understandable in the digital age of Google-Zagat mergers, but quite frankly I can’t think of a single restaurant that’s closed Wednesday through Saturdays. So rest assured Lincoln Ristorante is open those days, and every day. That’s all.
Torrisi stopped serving a la carte lunch late last year, but Zagat apparently never got the memo.
Midday meals at the ambitious venue are now $65 per person, Fridays-through-Sundays. Sandwiches are only available at Torrisi’s sister restaurant, Parm.
Sorry, Zagat.
Once upon a time, diners used to rely on Google and Zagat for accuracy. Has that time passed?
Non-curated, algorithmic-based search engines that advertise incorrect prices are most definitely, most indubitably, a BAD DEAL.
Also, in case anyone was wondering, Torrisi hiked its prices well over a month before Google started showing Zagat data in search results. Perhaps you guys should work on your fact-checking algorithms?
The Bad Deal & The Bloomberg: Get Your Fix
The fine folks at Bloomberg LP are now displaying headlines from The Price Hike & The Bad Deal on their professional terminal service. That’s a GOOD DEAL.
So if you work at a bank, hedge fund, or anywhere with access to a Bloomberg, you’ll see breaking updates from The Bad Deal & The Price Hike. Click on the headline and you’ll be taken to our respective website. In fact, if you’re a Bloomberg subscriber, you can now create an NLRT (like an extra-powerful Google Alert) for Price Hike & Bad Deal news.
