Quite certainly, most of us at some time in our lives visited a restaurant or a hotel, which came highly appraised by guide books and magazines, only to be disappointed about what we experienced. Why does that happen?
The answer is simple. A lot of what we read is biased by paid advertising, marketing and public relations.
When we make a reservation at a restaurant, we are not usually aware of what proceeded our decision. Actually, a lot of us don't really care. But how did we come up with the idea of visiting a specific establishment? How did we find out about that restaurant?
Actually, a series of actions took place before we ever heard of an establishment. In order for a restaurant's name to get out there and become a familiar name to us, a marketing machine was put to motion. The same marketing machine is responsible for some of the awards the restaurant has earned and the amount of exposure it gets. So, the press, digital media, personal relations, money and marketing, are all factors that influence us, and we don't even realize it.
Inevitably, if all that doesn't exist, it's less likely that we will ever hear about the restaurants which are out of the radar, even if they present excellent food options. Does this mean that we will never come across the establishments that do not have enough resources? If this is the case, then we are destined to miss out on some wonderful and probably inexpensive experiences.
Unless, we run into these places accidentally. Or some people we know recommend them to us. Another way to find out about them besides mouth to mouth, is of course from locals or from trustful internet sources.
So, mingle with locals, make lots of friends around the world and share the truth on sites like this one!