NEW YORK-
Poor service is the top gripe of consumers surveyed for two new Zagat guidebooks – the 2007 “Top U.S. Hotels, Resorts & Spas” and “America’s Top Restaurants.”
Asked what irritates them most about the hotels, resorts and spas they visit, “poor service” was cited by 55 percent of the 14,461 frequent travelers who supplied opinions for the hotel guide, and by 72 percent of the 123,000 people who contributed to the restaurant guide.
Among diners, Italian food remains the No. 1 cuisine, cited by 27 percent of those surveyed, followed by American food, cited by 16 percent, and French in third place with 12 percent. When combined, the votes for Japanese, Chinese and Thai comprised 25 percent.
Nearly 83 percent of those surveyed say they are eating out as much or more often than two years ago, but who eats out most? Texans, with residents of Houston, Austin and Dallas-Fort Worth eating out four meals a week.
Well over 70 percent of diners in Portland, Ore., San Francisco and Seattle say they are willing to pay more for sustainably raised foods, but only 58 percent of New Yorkers and 55 percent of folks in St. Louis agree.
Lodgings earning top ratings from Zagat were The Peninsula Chicago, rated the No. 1 large hotel, while the Four Seasons Big Island, Hawaii, was rated the top large resort. Twin Farms in Vermont won as best small hotel.
The top score for food awarded by Zagat surveyors was 29 out of 30, and only 11 restaurants made the grade: Atlanta’s Bacchanalia; Charlotte, N.C.’s Barrington; Carlos’ in Chicago; Jean-Robert at Pigall’s in Cincinnati; French Room in Dallas; Sanford in Milwaukee; in the San Francisco area, Gary Danko and The French Laundry; the Inn at Little Washington in Washington; and in Piermont, north of New York City in Rockland County, Freelance Cafe and Xaviar’s at Piermont.
The restaurant guide separately ranks eateries by popularity. The Cheesecake Factory chain made it in the top five favorite restaurants for six regions – Long Island, N.Y.; Los Angeles and Orange County, Calif.; and in Florida, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, and Palm Beach.
