[link] the value of reviews

I mostly agree with Mr. Kauffman's point. I read at least three sources before picking a restaurant. And to be honest, Yelp has made it easy for me to even look up reviews for any hole-in-the wall that no hoity toity restaurant critic will even add to his/her list. Internet democratization may not be to everybody's liking, but I think it's brought more good than harm.

No one takes individual comments on Yelp and Chowhound as the gospel truth. Everyone knows that Yelp reviews (especially) are salted with posts from the restaurant owner's best friends, cranks, and people who don't know diddly about food. But those faults communicate themselves more often than not, and most of us read every individual comment with an eye for undue bias. What makes Yelp valuable is in the collection of comments, the group-think assessment, the sense that five minutes of skimming will give the person who consults the site great dishes to try and potential problems we might encounter.