Social Media and the Steakhouse

There's something you should know about me: when it comes to fine dining, I'm all about the steak.

I'm not talking "petit filet" or "surf and turf." I'm talking slab of Meaty-Meat-Meat!

During my recent stay in Las Vegas, I planned a pilgrimage to one its legendary Temples of T-Bone. The problem was choosing the right Cathedral of Cow, as all the major chains have "missions" there.

Enter social media in the form of consumer review site Yelp.com:

• Ruth's Chris: good steaks, bad Vegas location.
• The Palm: a definite possibility.
• Delmonico's: sounds good but it's got that Emeril thing. Meaty-Meat-Meat don't need no stinkin' "Bam!"
• Morton's: another definite possiblity.
• Smith & Wollensky: One review says it's practically empty on a Friday night, and another says "My $47 steak tasted like an over-marinated hunk of Spam soaked in soy sauce." Next!
• Brand Steakhouse: It was right in our hotel; no social media needed to know it was always empty, all the time.

As I reviewed the reviews, I found Del Frisco's Double Eagle. I'd never heard of the place (there aren't any in California), and its name didn't exactly inspire confidence. But holy cow, the reviews!

So we went. It was fabulous.

I'm neither the first nor the last to jump on the Yelp bandwagon, but my experience made it obvious how powerful social media has become. Its ability to guide buying decisions and confer trust is rendering it into an online kingmaker.

Social media: it's what's for dinner!