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.

This rating system is a joke---- COLD STONE CREAMERY 4.0!!! I love ice cream but I would not classify this as a restaurant... Seems like the selection of merchants are either on its last legs of business or quick serves.....

This rating system is a joke---- COLD STONE CREAMERY 4.0!!! I love ice cream but I would not classify this as a restaurant... Seems like the selection of merchants are either on its last legs of business or quick serves.....

I'm not sure I'd go (out of my way) to any of my current local participating restaurants, if they weren't in the program. Right now I'm hitting the occasional cheap one (under $10) to build up some re-qualifying visits in case any of my four programs ever has another promo again!

No one ever posts a bad comment.

As others point out, the actual reality is that RN never posts a bad comment. Plenty of us submit them when reviewing restaurants.

My own experience is that less-traveled destinations have the best RN spots (Kansas City, Minneapolis, Madison WI, Portland OR) while good restaurants in heavy traffic locales don't need the business. I just returned from Anaheim where the RN options were paltry and sad.

As others point out, the actual reality is that RN never posts a bad comment. Plenty of us submit them when reviewing restaurants.

My own experience is that less-traveled destinations have the best RN spots (Kansas City, Minneapolis, Madison WI, Portland OR) while good restaurants in heavy traffic locales don't need the business. I just returned from Anaheim where the RN options were paltry and sad.

I find that the restaurants are hit or miss. Once they gain enough customers they leave the program.

How are the restaurants out in SEA? I will be out that way very soon.

Thanks!

I'm familiar with most of the SEA participants - where will you be staying?

Hey bunkeyair your complaint about the Idine rating system "This rating system is a joke" is probably correct and your example that "COLD STONE CREAMERY 4.0!!! I love ice cream but I would not classify this as a restaurant" is an excellent example of how you cannot take these numerical ratings seriously. I think that you get this on most if not all restaurant rating systems on the internet. A firend of mine reccomended Yelp.com's rating system. It is rife with this sort of anomaly. To some people a burger joint is a great restaurant. I do not even bother to look at the rating systems. I think the best ratings still come from newspaper or local magazines where a reporter gives star ratings. I also look at written comments on web sites.

Do you really expect good restaurants do participate in Rewards Network/IDines program? It will happen on occasion but a large portion of restaurants participating in IDine do so because IDine essentially loans them money at incredibly high interest rates. Good restaurants tend to be owned by people that have a better grip on finance and that wouldn't even consider what IDine offers. I wouldn't make the same argument for restaurants that participate only in IDine's marketing program (without a cash advance). I would add that establishments that participate in the marketing only program are either new or for one or more reasons can't get enough tables.

Suffice to say IDines restaurants in my city are certainly the bottom 1/3 of what is available.

Hey bunkeyair your complaint about the Idine rating system "This rating system is a joke" is probably correct and your example that "COLD STONE CREAMERY 4.0!!! I love ice cream but I would not classify this as a restaurant" is an excellent example of how you cannot take these numerical ratings seriously. I think that you get this on most if not all restaurant rating systems on the internet. A firend of mine reccomended Yelp.com's rating system. It is rife with this sort of anomaly. To some people a burger joint is a great restaurant. I do not even bother to look at the rating systems. I think the best ratings still come from newspaper or local magazines where a reporter gives star ratings. I also look at written comments on web sites.

I read the Yelp written comments for new local RN places.

I'm familiar with most of the SEA participants - where will you be staying?

I most likely will be staying close to the SEA airport. I will be there for only a long weekend to vist my sister who is studying at a local university.

I would love to treat her to a good Mexican or Italian meal while there. I am also open to other options.

I am also open to other options.

Based upon my experiences, I cannot recommend the two Mexican participants on Capitol Hill (La Puerta and Gallerias). For Italian, Perche No's description is misleading - it is in Wallingford/Green Lake, a couple of miles (at least!) from Seattle Center - I have not been to that one, nor any of the other Italian joints listed; that cuisine is the "donut hole" of my local iDining, sorry! I'd advise you to Yelp them for feedback.

For a special occasion (from firsthand knowledge), I'd recommend Seastar. A bit pricey, but the food is good, and the service professional without being snooty. Without a vehicle, after taking the train into town from Sea-Tac, you can ride the SLUT (South Lake Union Transit) streetcar from behind Westlake Center to Denny Way - Seastar is above Whole Foods.

Based upon my experiences, I cannot recommend the two Mexican participants on Capitol Hill (La Puerta and Gallerias). For Italian, Perche No's description is misleading - it is in Wallingford/Green Lake, a couple of miles (at least!) from Seattle Center - I have not been to that one, nor any of the other Italian joints listed; that cuisine is the "donut hole" of my local iDining, sorry! I'd advise you to Yelp them for feedback.

For a special occasion (from firsthand knowledge), I'd recommend Seastar. A bit pricey, but the food is good, and the service professional without being snooty. Without a vehicle, after taking the train into town from Sea-Tac, you can ride the SLUT (South Lake Union Transit) streetcar from behind Westlake Center to Denny Way - Seastar is above Whole Foods.

Thanks! Now I just have to finalize my plans and head west!

I was somewhat puzzled by BigFlyers statement that "Do you really expect good restaurants do participate in Rewards Network/IDines program? It will happen on occasion but a large portion of restaurants participating in IDine do so because IDine essentially loans them money at incredibly high interest rates. Good restaurants tend to be owned by people that have a better grip on finance and that wouldn't even consider what IDine offers. I wouldn't make the same argument for restaurants that participate only in IDine's marketing program (without a cash advance). I would add that establishments that participate in the marketing only program are either new or for one or more reasons can't get enough tables. Suffice to say IDines restaurants in my city are certainly the bottom 1/3 of what is available."

In Austin some of the best restaurants in town belong to IDine. Maybe they are struggling for business in the current economic conditions? One thing that I have noticed is a large number of Sushi places are signing up.

True Austin Tx does have some great restaurants but I have to agree throughout the US there are alot of low grade restaurants. It would be nice if they would classify the upper tier restaurants.

I agree that it would be extremely useful to be able to sort out good from not-so-good restaurants.

You certainly couldn't tell that from the restaurant reviews associated with IDine. Those ratings suffer from grade inflation. Everything is rated between 4 and 5 no matter how good the place is. I have even fallen for this as I do not want to give a good restaurant a 3 when ones that I know are not as good as it are rated as 4.5.

I look to food critics in the local papers and sites like Yelp to get opinions. I still largely ignore the numerical ratings or star ratings but do read the comments that people make. I then relate these comments back to the price range of the restaurant.

When traveling I have found a few quite nice places to eat by using the IDine search engine. Then checking out the places web site for menu etc , and then using google search to read review on web. Sometimes to get a miss but you have to expect some failures. Most of my successes have been on visits to California. Elsewhere not so successful so far.

One of the better RN values I've experienced was in Austin - Capitol Brasserie (no longer in business?).

One of the better RN values I've experienced was in Austin - Capitol Brasserie (no longer in business?).

Any reccomendations for Idine restuarants that are good in Seattle? Headed that way with the wife next month. Interested in down town, Space needle area or Queen Anne or easy to get to by public transport from down town area. We like all kinds of food except my wife will not eat Sushi. Any suggestions would be very welcome.

I mentioned Japanese Gourmet @ Pike Place Market, which isn't just sushi - if you're at the market anyway it's a good value. Thoa's is okay, but frankly not really worth it unless you need specific spending for a promotion.
I went to Kwatay a few days ago for the first time for their Happy Hour; one appetizer wasn't too bad, and the other was awful. It's really more of a nightclub than (an African) restaurant, in case you were considering it as it's right by Seattle Center.
I tried Navya Lounge downtown recently for their Indian lunch buffet; I won't be back.
Seastar is the only iDine joint I can recommend to visitors as worth making a special trip. The SLUT tram behind Westlake Center downtown will take you right there in a few minutes (get off at Denny Way - it's above Whole Foods).

Habesha's Ethiopian buffet lunch is a good deal (weekdays only), but I'm not sure that's what you guys have in mind?

I haven't been to Amore, but it seems popular, and not far from the Space Needle (headed south towards downtown). As with the other Italian eateries on the "within 5 miles" list, Yelp them first!

Bumped to add that I went to Red Fin (at Hotel Max) downtown today for lunch. The Yelp reviews are mixed, but my Bento lunch was quite good, and the service excellent. They do have a genuine sushi bar, but also offer burgers, etc. The woman seated next to me seemed to enjoy her squash soup (generous portion) and salad.