iDine/Rewards Network - discouraged by bad restaurants

I've been using Idine for a while. Some of the restaurants in my area are just abysmal. There is one called the weathervane that consistently has dirty tables and bad food. ( one wonders why anyone would return, and, on my second try I wondered myself). One I tried on "seacoast" NH last summer was just simply disgusting. That's when I stopped using idine. That's not to say that all idine restaurants all bad, there is one called the Bella Luna in Portsmouth NH that is sublime.

I find that it is hard to keep up enthusiasm for bad food or dirty surroundings. Any one else loosing the enthusiasm for idine? Is there a mechanism or trick to finding out what's good? I find the ratings on the idine site completely unreliable

Hi George,

Sorry you have had generally bad luck with the restaurants.

First, as you noted, it is indeed a function of what restaurants are around in your area.

Second, although I read the reviews on the idine website, I do a much more through Google review of what may have been said about the restaurant. Doing such a review may lead to reviews from Tripadvisor.com, menupages, and of course, do a search of the restaurant in FT, as well.

That being said, even good reviews may not live up to the hype when you dine there. Case in point, I ate at Galanga in Ft. Lauderdale, which is lauded on IDINE and elsewhere.

I found it expensive, the service pretentious and uninterested in serving those unlike themselves. Moreover, they charge a valet parking fee that is ridciulous for their strip mall setting.

Finally, you might wish to do a cost-benefit analysis in the sense that if the restaurant does not live up to your expectations, have you really blown a wad of cash for nothing. A less expensive bomb is better tolerated than a more expensive one. Again, Galanga is a case in point.

In any event, even if the restaurants are not great around you, do not fail to search for restaurants in the places you might be vacationing.

Good Luck! :)

I think it all starts with your expectation. An establishment using this to gain business may have a few flaws. If they are that busy, they usually would not end up using these kind of services to promote themselves.

I agree it is hard to understand the rating on the website. No one ever posts a bad comment. I know I rush through the ratings and do not always think it through enough to say a 3 is really deserved more than a 4 (you know, it was really a 3.4, not a 3.5 when I rounded the score.

As suggested, search elsewhere. I will give the restaurant one chance. If I found it not pleasant, but was interested, searching elsewhere might give you a clue if to return a second time. But if the experience was that bad the first time, hey, you got some miles and that is why you signed up afterall.

Living in FL, I don't use any restaurant in the tourist areas (like the NH seacoast reference of the OP). If I do, I have low low low expectations.

I've been using Idine for a while. Some of the restaurants in my area are just abysmal. There is one called the weathervane that consistently has dirty tables and bad food. ( one wonders why anyone would return, and, on my second try I wondered myself). One I tried on "seacoast" NH last summer was just simply disgusting. That's when I stopped using idine. That's not to say that all idine restaurants all bad, there is one called the Bella Luna in Portsmouth NH that is sublime.

I find that it is hard to keep up enthusiasm for bad food or dirty surroundings. Any one else loosing the enthusiasm for idine? Is there a mechanism or trick to finding out what's good? I find the ratings on the idine site completely unreliable

I lived in NH for several years and rarely found any good restaurants part of RN. I actually began to frequent a restaurant in Vermont that was much better than anything I could find in NH (esp. the greasy food at Weathervane). As the others mentioned, it has a lot to do with your area. In BOS, I find there are good restaurants in the network; however, as I look at the restaurants further out in the suburbs, they start to get sketchier and more hit-and-miss.

...I agree it is hard to understand the rating on the website. No one ever posts a bad comment...

Actually, I think RN/idine cheats on the ratings. I posted a bad review of an RN restaurant once (several months ago), and the review was NEVER displayed. I don't know if my numeric ratings were even included in the averages! I noticed a number of glowing, five-star reviews of the same crappy restaurant though. So you can't trust the reviews shown on RN. Take a look at restaurant reviews on OTHER websites for guidance!

Overall, I have rarely had a bad meal at an RN restaurant. I think that is because my choices have mostly been in major restaurant cities (SF, DC, NYC) where there is intense competition in the restaurant biz.

The "internals" of the ratings make no sense - there was a restaurant here with an overall score lower than any of the subcategories, something like 2.8 (I know, yikes!) with the separate numbers all above three. I never got to dine there as it was always closed the times I tried.

One of the poorest experiences I had was in San Francisco (a joint that came and went fast), although I'd say the most downright negative was a Thai place in downtown Sacramento where the staff pointedly refused to pick up the check and credit card because the tab was just under their $10 minimum, although I was planning on pushing it over with a tip; they paid attention to every other table, but mine. After a few minutes of this drama I got up, picked up my credit card, put on my coat, and walked (not ran) out. I was damned if I was going to sweetly pay cash, nor did I feel it was my job to physically accost the staff to get their attention. I did not rush down the street; no one came out looking for me.

There have been a few stinkers in terms of atmosphere/quality, as well as an occasional "find", but most RN places I've visited were ones to which I'd say I'm (was) indifferent.