UK's leading online restaurant guide launches its sister site amsterdam-eating.com, London-eating, which features honest reviews submitted by the everyday restaurant diner, offers a unique way for locals, visitors or newcomers, to find or choose a place to dine by reading other's recommendations and opinions.
www.amsterdam-eating.com features listings and reviews for over 1,400 restaurants and allows browsers to search easily for restaurants by location or cuisine, as well as helpful links which include a list of restaurants ideal for: children, romantic dining, special occasions, fine dining, or a young, hip atmosphere. The site also highlights a Top Ten List including Michelin-starred restaurants; Le Garage, Christophe, La Rive and Yamazato. Common celeb-frequented restaurant Envy (part of the IQ Creative Group which also owns The Supper Club), is also available for review.
london-eating.co.uk was founded in 2000 by Charles Astwood and has grown enormously within the past 5 years. Astwood, who previously worked in advertising, launched the initial London-Eating website as a way to communicate with peers regarding the restaurants he frequented with clients and friends. The user-friendly review site and online guide soon became a full-time occupation and has grown to become the largest online restaurant guide in the UK, with more than 650,000 unique users visiting the site each month.
london-eating.co.uk and amsterdam-eating.com are part of the parent group city-eating.com, which covers other UK cities such as Manchester and Brighton and international cities such as Paris and Sydney.
London-Eating Statistics:
- Chef's and restaurateurs are encouraged to feedback on reviews (see Jamie Oliver's feedback below after receiving sustained criticism on the site of his restaurant, Fifteen)
- Over 650,000 unique users per month
- Users are 52% women and 48% men
- 80% of those users earn over 30K with 25% earning over 50K
- 60% of users visit the site over three times a month
- Users average eating out at least once a week
- London-eating consistently out ranks the competition in website popularity and usage.
- City-eating's featured reviews are uniquely submitted by ‘real-people' who are not employed to review restaurants.
- Bad restaurant reviews are not taken off the site after restaurant owner complaints, as the ethos of the site is to present each side of the story allowing those looking for a place to eat make an educated and well-informed decision.
Often times restaurant-owners will post comments such as this one from Jamie Oliver, Thursday, January 09, 2003:
"I must be honest I don't know why I'm bothering reviewing your comments at midnight, but as this project has been a real love and dream of mine all my life, I feel I should post something to make myself feel better. we have had a crazy first 6 weeks in opening the restaurant with all its normal staff problems, but great reviews, lots of constructive feedback. We are getting there and the food is really getting close to where I would like it to be. Thank you for your comments, I have found them very interesting and will act on all your points as I am every day.
A few points to make: I am working weekdays am and pm for most the year with weekends off, sorry. fifteen is a 100 per cent charity and must make money. The price is based on the ingredients (which is the best of British if any one cares) which I source very hard for your pleasure but also to set a good example to the students. So we mark up a standard 65 per cent from our cost ie. you get what you pay for. Please note room service at the metrople in Birmingham nec is the same price ... think about it.... We get 4000 phone calls a day at the moment so if want a table then keep trying. Come and see us. I'm really proud of this place and it's only going to get busier and better as my whole team get settled and stronger. All the best, jamie oliver."
