Writing Reviews: Length, Tips, etc.

Hello and thank you so much for this great site and of course, the advice! So, I am applying to a company that would like a sample review. In this case, it's a recent dining experience. As a complete newbie, with a nasty tendency to the verbose, could you give me an idea of the sort of length said review should be?

In particular for the application, is it best to err on the too detailed, or will that be a red flag? And, in general, what sort of helpful hints, insights and guidelines could you share, for my possible future employment? Thanks for taking the time to read and if you do; for the feedback.

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It actually calls for a paragraph, so I guess I'll see what I can do!

Make sure it is objective and does not have extraneous information. Stick to the facts.

Make your paragraph descriptive but not flowery. Everything is in past tense as this is something that is over. Make sure that your grammar is impeccable--match between number and verb, etc. You won't be able to cover an entire visit in a paragraph, so focus. Keep away from opinions and be specific. 'The floor had paper and food debris under tables near me.' vs 'The floor was filthy.'

Everything that's been said, plus... I'm throwing out a few things I have seen in guidelines for restaurant shops.

Be the opposite of what you see on Yelp. Mystery shopping clients want specific information that they can use to confirm their staff are following the training they are given, not opinions.

Evaluate the food and drinks for what they are, not whether they suit your tastes. i.e. If you ordered something advertised as "spicy," but you don't really like spicy food, don't complain that it was spicy and you didn't care for it. However, if the menu stated it was "mild" and it arrives spicy, that's something to mention.

Keep emotions and personal things out of it. (some surveys do ask for emotions, but very few)

Don't compare it to other restaurants. Don't compare it to other visits at this restaurant. Talk only about what you observed during this visit.

Timings are really important in restaurant shops. Make note of how long it took to get your items after ordering them. Since this is a sample, you probably didn't time it, but it would be good to note if you can remember or if there was anything notable (things arrived quickly or slowly).

For a sample shop it is perfectly okay for it to be total fiction. My saved sample to submit for such occasions is an imaginary restaurant with imaginary décor, menu selections etc. So creating timings can also fit within the imaginary framework. What the company is trying to evaluate is whether you write coherently, whether you can keep it objective, whether you can be descriptive and whether you can communicate well. They want to see narrative that an editor wouldn't need to spend a lot of time correcting spelling and grammar or needing to get back to you asking what you meant to say.

What Flash said. I have several sample reviews saved on my computer that cover different types of requests. It's easy to copy and paste into an application.

Happiness is not a goal; it is a by-product. Eleanor Roosevelt

@Flash wrote:

For a sample shop it is perfectly okay for it to be total fiction.

Oh, interesting! I guess you are right. I have a sample that I wrote based on a real restaurant outing I had that wasn't a shop.

I really appreciate the feedback from everyone! I was actually going to have to make one up, as I really haven't gone out to eat in a while. I suppose I was wondering how one could write an entire review in one paragraph, but it's a challenge I'll have to meet.

Off topic slightly, I actually am doing a shop for another company that just hired me. They provided samples that were rather "flowery", which has to do with the differences of both the shop and company, I suppose. The report has to be written using a browser not supported by Mac: IE. So, I'll go ask advice on that in the right forum.

Thanks again for everything and I'll check back often and soon!

Mal

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Writing Reviews: Length, Tips, etc.

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