How Reviews, Algorithms and Trust Shape Our Restaurant Choices
Qilin Si may hear about a restaurant from a friend, but the final check usually happens on his phone.
Si, a modeling engineer and food enthusiast, has his own routine for choosing a restaurant. First, he decides what kind of food he is in the mood for. Next, he opens Google Maps to search for highly rated options near home, but it does not stop there.
“I won’t just look at one review,” Si said. “I’ll look at different ones, positive and negative, and then make an overall judgment.”
For Austin and San Marcos diners, choosing where to eat often starts before they reach the restaurant. Google reviews, social media posts, recommendations from friends and food creators, and even artificial intelligence can all shape the choices. Those tools make restaurant discovery easier, but they also make one question harder to answer: Which recommendations are worth trusting?
A 2025 SevenRooms report found that 94% of diners use online resources such as Google, social media and media websites to discover restaurants. It also found that 69% of Gen Z diners rely on social media for restaurant discovery.
Dr. William Thomas Kaufhold, a Texas State University professor who studies digital media, said online ratings draw their power from what researchers call the “wisdom of the crowd.”
“You’re sort of relying on many, many experiences of people,” Kaufhold said.
When hundreds or thousands of people have rated a business, he said, a number such as 4.7 carries weight because it reflects many experiences. Repeated complaints paired with a low rating can instead become a warning sign.
But consumers do not necessarily treat every review the same.
Si said a Western restaurant with a rating below four stars may raise concerns, while he is more willing to trust friends or his own judgment when choosing Chinese food. He also pays attention to customer photos because they may look different from promotional images.
Photos can shape a diner’s first impression before they ever visit.
“In Chinese, we talk about food in terms of appearance, aroma and taste, and appearance comes first,” William Wong, owner of Kikko Ramen & Poke in San Marcos, said. “Online, the first thing people see is the photo.”
Wong said working with food bloggers can bring a noticeable burst of attention, but the effect is often strongest during the first week. At a sushi restaurant he previously operated, food bloggers sometimes livestreamed eating challenges, including one involving wasabi.
Kikko now uses a different kind of customer challenge. Diners can try to stop a timer at exactly 10 seconds for a chance to win the value of their entrée as a gift card for a future visit. Customers who tag the restaurant on social media or leave a Google review can earn another try.
Online visibility matters beyond the dining room, too. William Wong said delivery orders account for about one-third of Kikko’s total sales. Students may search online for ramen or poke, discover the restaurant through Google and then move to a delivery platform to place an order.
For Amanda Wong, founder of Austin Food Adventures, choosing the right restaurant to recommend requires careful judgment. FeedSpot ranked her number one on its 2026 list of Austin food influencers.
Amanda Wong is cautious when followers send restaurant suggestions, especially if they appear to have a personal connection to the business. She is even more skeptical of some publications and influencers.
“I’m less inclined to believe publications or other influencers because I know they sometimes receive a free meal, and that may not result in the most honest review,” she said.
She said she places more trust in friends and followers whose tastes she has learned over time.
That preference for familiar voices is not as different from traditional word of mouth as it might seem.
Kaufhold said authenticity plays “a big role” in whether restaurant reviews are believable. People often follow creators who seem similar to them or share similar tastes.
Trust matters, but diners do not see every restaurant equally. Algorithms help decide what appears on their screens.
“I think people are not very aware of how algorithmic bias drives what they see,” Kaufhold said.
He has seen it in his own Instagram feed. After saving a recipe years ago, Instagram began showing him more food content. He continued saving and revisiting similar posts and now keeps a list of restaurants he discovers through social media.
For a little-known restaurant, appearing in the right feed can mean more than likes.
Amanda Wong said repeated social media exposure can help a restaurant build an audience. She pointed to Ramen del Barrio, which began as Ramen Garage, a pop-up operating from the owner’s parents’ garage. After she posted about it, the attention went beyond new customers.
“The post went so viral that he found an investor through my post,” she said. She said the business later opened a permanent restaurant that now regularly draws lines.
Si now uses another tool when Google Maps is not enough: ChatGPT.
He said he turns to AI when looking for cuisines he knows less about, such as French food. But he still checks each recommendation on Google Maps.
Kaufhold said that behavior reflects a larger change in search. With traditional search engines, users often follow links to local news outlets, blogs or restaurant websites. AI can skip that step.
“AI doesn’t direct you to a link,” Kaufhold said. “It just gives you the answer.”
For all the technology involved in getting a customer through the door, however, a restaurant still has to deliver once the screen is put away.
Kikko owner William Wong said food and service are what turn a first-time diner into a returning customer.
Si reached a similar conclusion. A restaurant does not need to look especially fancy, he said, as long as the food is good and safe.
The search may begin with a friend, a five-star rating, an Instagram reel or an AI response. An algorithm may even influence which restaurant appears first. But after the scrolling, searching and comparing are over, the final judgment still happens at the table.
