The legacy of the food critic and restaurant reviews is a surprisingly long one. It’s also complicated. Food critics emerged from simple desires like sharing thoughts about great meals and giving weary travelers advice about where to get a good meal on the road. But, as times changed, the role of food writers and restaurant reviews expanded. It went from being a hobby to a well-paid profession (with obvious perks).   Here to enlighten us about that history is one of the most influential food critics in the US. John Mariani has spent 40 years tasting his way through culinary trends and across state lines. He’s a professional food writer, critic, author and journalist who has written for major publications like Esquire and Forbes. In today’s episode, Mariani provides interesting historical insights into the evolution of food critics. He’ll talk about how the role has changed through the decades, and offers some much needed optimism for an industry that’s been hit hard through the pandemic.  What we covered in this episode John Mariani gives a  short history of the food critic (4:26) The origins of the Michelin Guide (7:17) John Mariani explains the different types of restaurant critics (11:59) How funding for food critics has changed (16:33) The difference between online reviews and professional critics from John Mariani point of view (20:32) Drawing the line between criticism and just being mean (24:07) The problem with the stars system (25:32) Understanding the psychology of online reviews (27:58) John Mariani is looking into the future of restaurants through the lens of the past (32:08) Why the industry will survive (35:29) John Mariani answers whether restaurateurs are afraid of food critics (37:33) Series of rapid-fire questions. Link to the podcast episode on Apple Podcast  Thanks Chef Gabriel Kreuther for the introduction Link to conversation with Chef Gabriel Kreuther - 2 Michelin Stars in Manhattan Click to tweet It's no dirty little secret about Michelin, although I think it probably comes as a surprise to many people, that they don't have that many inspectors.
 Click To Tweet We were told if a place is that awful, or a place you don't want to send the reader, don't write about it.
 Click To Tweet I'm sure when restaurateurs pick up the newspapers or the magazine, their eyes shoot or right down to the stars and if they get less than three, their hearts sink because they know that the public doesn't know the difference between two and three.
 Click To Tweet Everybody was saying the restaurant industry in America and France, everywhere is going to die. 70% of restaurants were going to go out of business forever. And I said, hold your horses. First of all, you don't know anything about restaurant history, if that's what you believe.
 Click To Tweet We're going to be very, very cautious about opening any wounds. Because we know these are our favorite people, restaurateurs, and chefs, they are our favorite people. Because these people have suffered so much. Click To Tweet Social media John Mariani Instagram Facebook Twitter Linkedin Links mentioned in this episode Subscribe to John Mariani's Blog Link to John Mariani's articles in Forbes Link to John Mariani's articles in Esquire