Regional Interests

'The Four Top': When Critics Go Viral | Food Journalism 2.0 | Reservations On No Reservations

Oregon Public Broadcasting | By Katherine Cole

Published August 28, 2017 at 6:00 AM PDT

<p>It's easier than ever before to make reservations at your favorite restaurants, so why are so many restaurants still holding out?</p> — It's easier than ever before to make reservations at your favorite restaurants, so why are so many restaurants still holding out?

An influential critic's review can make or break a restaurant ... but what makes or breaks a review? And why is it that only scathing critiques garner national attention?

Next, food media has fragmented. Why are magazines looking more like websites, and websites looking more like magazines? And what happened to newspapers?

Finally, with so many booking apps and online services making dining reservations easier than ever, a few holdout restaurants continue to follow a no-reservations policy. Our pundits aren't fans.

Meet our panelists: Roger Porter is the editor of Eating Words: A Norton Anthology of Food Writing; Michael Zusman is the co-author of The Artisan Jewish Deli at Home; Mattie John Bamman is a culinary travel writer and the editor of Eater Portland; Our host is Katherine Cole.