Why is there so much lashon hora on here about restaurants (and other things)

[aygart]

I think that in this group of threads (the greater destination guides thread) there should be no discussion of restaurants. That way it can coincide with the conversation that has transpired on here about different people reading trip reports but have no interest in restaurant ratings, and so on etc. that do not need to hear about rating restaurants and reviewing restaurants.

when discussing a trip one should mention where he went that he liked and only has good things to say about it and nothing negative should be posted here. if they did not like it then if they feel like posting where they went without negative comment by all means, and the reader can understand that if there was no positive comment then maybe they did not have the best experience. When asking in the destinations threads about food, details given about restaurants should not be in regards to comments of their ratings, rather simply what they serve and compliments about their good dishes and service as some have done already in the wikis.

there can be another l'toeles thread of restaurant ratings that people should carefully discuss what they liked/didnt like about the restaurants, and that way its understood that everything in there is specifically on the assumption that the readers are there to decipher where they feel they would make a decision to go to. maybe it should be another group of threads labeled kosher food discussions, etc. where it can be separated by regions and types of facilities (restaurants, lounges, stadiums) and people can yashrusly discuss what they feel helpful to the oilam in discerning where to eat.

It would make it useless and therefore no longer be litoeles. Even more so if one has only compliments and nothing critical.

[Gvann]

It would make it useless and therefore no longer be litoeles. Even more so if one has only compliments and nothing critical.

? What would be useless? Only compliments would be in the destinations thread, the restaurant thread could have criticism, thats what I said.

[Gvann]

Well if the idea of a bad review is to save others from going there or at least to let them know not to have high expectations, why should it not be in the main threads?
Many will not look around at different threads and will end up going to that place...

Because of the issue of not being ltoeles for many readers not interested ATM for the review

[Dan]

? What would be useless? Only compliments would be in the destinations thread, the restaurant thread could have criticism, thats what I said.

Genug shoin. Go to GKRF if you only want to read positive reviews, as dictated by the restaurants there.

It would make it useless and therefore no longer be litoeles. Even more so if one has only compliments and nothing critical.

[Gvann]

Genug shoin. Go to GKRF if you only want to read positive reviews, as dictated by the restaurants there.

The point isnt to leave compliments, the point is just to mention where you ate and had a good time. Thats the point of the whole destination planning, letting people know where you enjoyed, again if someone goes somewhere that does not have anyone recommending them that’s on their discression, and there would be a thread where ltoeles they can ask if there is anything that is not good about another place to eat

[Dan]

The point isnt to leave compliments, the point is just to mention where you ate and had a good time. Thats the point of the whole destination planning, letting people know where you enjoyed, again if someone goes somewhere that does not have anyone recommending them that’s on their discression, and there would be a thread where ltoeles they can ask if there is anything that is not good about another place to eat

No, that's not the whole point. I read TRs and add them to my lists of where to go and where to avoid. This has been approved by Rabonim that I've spoken to about writing and reading reviews.

Your opinions have been heard loud and clear. If your LOR tells you to avoid that, then best you take it upon yourself to avoid or find sites like GKRF that don't allow negative reviews. There's no need for further debate here.

[Euclid]

There's no need for further debate here.

Halacha Board when?

[aygart]

? What would be useless? Only compliments would be in the destinations thread, the restaurant thread could have criticism, thats what I said.

One of the things that was stressed to me by my rabbeim in halacha is that you need to make sure you understand the topic well in order to give a definitive psak on it. It is quite clear that you do not have a good understanding of how people use these reviews and you should take that into consideration.

[aygart]

Halacha Board

[mevinyavin]

I don't think I made this point clear enough before, so I will emphasize it here.
There is an umdena that a restaurant owner wants people to write - and read! - honestly written reviews. This umdena applies provided there is both positive and negative (or just positive is fine too) and that the review is accurate. Such a review can be read by anybody at any time, and it is okay to have negative aspects in the review regardless. Rabbi Berkovits has said this explicitly. He even commented that allowing only the positive means that the reviews are worthless, as has also been noted here. Allowing the negative emphasizes the positive, making the reader think that the writer is writing lesheim shomayim instead of with an agenda.
One example of this heter of his that was published (again, back of Dovid Jaffe's "What Can I Say, Today?"):

Q. May one rely le’ma’se on speaking loshon hora if the subject gave reshus? Rav Berkovits’ teshuvos about book reviews and public praise indicate that he subscribes to this kula even as a psak for the hamon am. But in Chofetz Chaim: A lesson a day, he writes that the Chofetz Chaim did not want to publicize this kula because it may be taken too far.
A. One should differentiate between personal permission, which one should not rely on, and a situation where it is assumed that one gave permission (an honoree, a book writer, etc.) where one can rely on the heter.

[whacked1]

No, that's not the whole point. I read TRs and add them to my lists of where to go and where to avoid.

+100 I have planned entire vacations/trips around others TRs both the positive and negative. Many times even though there may be a negative aspect to the TR, i understand on context with it'll be something that'll bother me or not. 

[Gvann]

I don't think I made this point clear enough before, so I will emphasize it here.
There is an umdena that a restaurant owner wants people to write - and read! - honestly written reviews. This umdena applies provided there is both positive and negative (or just positive is fine too) and that the review is accurate. Such a review can be read by anybody at any time, and it is okay to have negative aspects in the review regardless. Rabbi Berkovits has said this explicitly. He even commented that allowing only the positive means that the reviews are worthless, as has also been noted here. Allowing the negative emphasizes the positive, making the reader think that the writer is writing lesheim shomayim instead of with an agenda.
One example of this heter of his that was published (again, back of Dovid Jaffe's "What Can I Say, Today?"):

Thank you for clarifying that is very useful to publicize.

No, that's not the whole point. I read TRs and add them to my lists of where to go and where to avoid. This has been approved by Rabonim that I've spoken to about writing and reading reviews.

Your opinions have been heard loud and clear. If your LOR tells you to avoid that, then best you take it upon yourself to avoid or find sites like GKRF that don't allow negative reviews. There's no need for further debate here.

@Dan sorry This was not in contrary to any rav’s psak, just suggestions following the flow of the content that was posted on here, though there are multiple factors that have been presented to weigh in. Its not necessarily the negative reviews that are the issue (as @mevinyavin just posted it could be totally the contrary). There is still a way a yid should talk and that conduct should be uplifted even in a negative review. I am enlightened to hear that there is a basis to post negative reviews though I still believe there are many comments that any Rav would agree are not correct to post due to language

I hope that sounds clear enough

[Gvann]

There are other threads that have been hot topic recently that people are trying to make a big deal about not speaking lashon hara about groups of people in israel, etc that arent even that offensive and are the centerpoint of real hashkafic debates, yet when it comes to rating food, which one has to hashkafikly ask whether its the best use of their time in the first place, people have the most disgusting mouths saying slander about good hearted people that daven in shul three times a day and maybe even have a learning seder and just want to make a living in a world where lettuce costs 10 dollars a box. So why is it worth destroying someone's "reputation" to say such terrible things about their business? Maybe with such a disgusting mouth thats why the food didnt taste so good...

For example, bad language

[Dan]