3.7 on Yelp? Hmm. It’s simple, really: The ideal review distribution is 5 stars mentioning the food and 2 stars mentioning the service. That is a well known axiom for Chinese food in metro cities. Did Beard fail to note the ethnic difference?
Yeah, I kind of noted this in the piece, that the rating could certainly be directly related to racist tendencies or a market that just doesn't understand. However, it is worth noting that there seems to be a consistency that the chef does seem to be so committed to his principles that he's willing to really double down with no flexibility or understanding for his patrons. I have heard some interesting stories from people today on social back channels as well from folks who I'd consider reasonable open minded people.
I used to look at the Beard nominations list and get happy, mad, frustrated, etc. because of who was and wasn't nominated. Now I look at the nominations only as a list of suggested places to consider checking out the next time I'm in another city. I changed my view once it became clear that the Beard Awards aren't really about finding the "best" of anything-- and I know this because (1) there are some nominees every year that seem like real stretches, and (2) you'd see some of the same names on the list every year if that was the case. I mean, did Lula Cafe have better "hospitality" in 2023 than it did in 2022? Once I realized that awards for food are inherently stupid given the subjectivity and that the Beard Awards have multiple motivations for their selections, I was able to enjoy them a lot more as a fun conversation item and not anything that's really meaningful.
Where is the "love" button for this story?
3.7 on Yelp? Hmm. It’s simple, really: The ideal review distribution is 5 stars mentioning the food and 2 stars mentioning the service. That is a well known axiom for Chinese food in metro cities. Did Beard fail to note the ethnic difference?
Yeah, I kind of noted this in the piece, that the rating could certainly be directly related to racist tendencies or a market that just doesn't understand. However, it is worth noting that there seems to be a consistency that the chef does seem to be so committed to his principles that he's willing to really double down with no flexibility or understanding for his patrons. I have heard some interesting stories from people today on social back channels as well from folks who I'd consider reasonable open minded people.
I used to look at the Beard nominations list and get happy, mad, frustrated, etc. because of who was and wasn't nominated. Now I look at the nominations only as a list of suggested places to consider checking out the next time I'm in another city. I changed my view once it became clear that the Beard Awards aren't really about finding the "best" of anything-- and I know this because (1) there are some nominees every year that seem like real stretches, and (2) you'd see some of the same names on the list every year if that was the case. I mean, did Lula Cafe have better "hospitality" in 2023 than it did in 2022? Once I realized that awards for food are inherently stupid given the subjectivity and that the Beard Awards have multiple motivations for their selections, I was able to enjoy them a lot more as a fun conversation item and not anything that's really meaningful.