Diners hate twitter, texting, but photography is ok

By Anthony Todd in Food on Oct 28, 2010 7:40PM

The Stew has reported the contents of the most recent Zagat Guide, the 2011 America's Top Restaurant's Guide. We probably don't use Zagat as much as we should, preferring more substantial reviews, but this guide doesn't just have restaurant reviews. The more interesting part of this year's Zagat is the survey data contained within, about general dining preferences.

Apparently, diners are fairly peeved. On the other hand, there are fewer of them. This seems like a lose-lose for restauranteurs, who should pay close attention to these survey results. 44% of Chicagoans report that they are cooking more, and eating out less, and many more report that when they choose to eat out, they are doing it in less expensive restaurants. In a victory for those of us who hate cell phones at the dinner table (and are slightly skeptical of twitter more generally) "63 percent say it’s rude and inappropriate to text, tweet and phone chat at the table." Civility is not dead in America, thank goodness. Bloggers are apparently ok, as 85% of diners think that it's acceptable to take pictures in restaurants.

The full survey results are available at the Stew, or you can purchase the 2011 Zagat.