A sample issue · issue 4 · 1–14 September 2026
12 Bridge Street, Wilmington, DE 19801 · marisols.example
In short
The kitchen is not the problem — across the sources read this fortnight the food is praised in fifty-one of sixty-two reviews, and named as the reason people returned in nineteen. What is costing you sits either side of the meal: the booking page asks for a card without saying why, three reviews since June describe being charged for a table they cancelled, and nobody has answered a review since March. The card wording is the one to fix this week — it is the only complaint that reaches people before they have eaten anything.
Every source the researcher planned for a restaurant, whether or not anything was found there.
Listed in full at the foot of this page with the date each was read.
One per thing a customer said that could be attributed to a platform and a date.
The published totals on the platforms that carry a rating.
The bracketed numbers through this page are sources. Each one is listed at the foot with the address it was read from and the date it was read. Nothing here is estimated, inferred from an industry average, or carried over from a previous issue — and a section with nothing provable behind it is not printed, it says what was looked for instead.
Open the issue as deliveredWhere you stand
| Platform | Rating | Reviews | Latest | How it reads |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google[1] | 4.6 out of 5 | 62 | 2026-08 | Locals, mostly repeat, and almost entirely about the food. |
| OpenTable[2] | 3.1 out of 5 | 24 | 2026-08 | Diners who booked online. Every one of the deposit complaints is here and nowhere else. |
| The county guide[3] | 8.4 out of 10 | 31 | 2026-07 | Visitors rather than regulars; service pace comes up twice. |
What it is about, and how often
| Theme | Against Neutral For | Against | For | Said | Where |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Booking and delivery | 4 | 1 | 5 | Google, OpenTable, The county guide | |
| Staff | 2 | 2 | 4 | Google, OpenTable | |
| Service speed | 2 | 0 | 2 | OpenTable, The county guide | |
| Food quality | 1 | 4 | 5 | Google, OpenTable, The county guide | |
| Value and pricing | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Every row is a count of things customers actually said, attributed to a platform and a date. The model that writes the opening is handed this table and cannot add a row to it.
The same complaint, on several sites
On 3 separate platforms
4 of the 5 things said about this were complaints, and they were not all in one place — which is the difference between a bad week and a thing that is actually happening.
“they took 20 off me for a table I cancelled two days before, no one mentioned that when I booked”
OpenTable · 2026-08-14[2]
“asked for my card just to reserve - felt like a trap”
OpenTable · 2026-07-28[2]
On 2 separate platforms
2 of the 4 things said about this were complaints, and they were not all in one place — which is the difference between a bad week and a thing that is actually happening.
“shame no one from the restaurant ever responds”
Google · 2026-08-20[1]
“left a review about a real problem in April, still nothing”
OpenTable · 2026-08-05[2]
On 2 separate platforms
2 of the 2 things said about this were complaints, and they were not all in one place — which is the difference between a bad week and a thing that is actually happening.
“an hour between courses on a Tuesday with half the room empty”
The county guide · 2026-07-12[3]
“waited 25 minutes to order”
OpenTable · 2026-08-11[2]
What moved since issue 3
Booking and delivery
33% →80%
up 47 points — worse than issue 3
Staff
80% →50%
down 30 points — better than issue 3
Where it is costing you
4 of 5 mentions were complaints, across 3 platforms, and 4 of them in the last six months.
“they took 20 off me for a table I cancelled two days before, no one mentioned that when I booked”
OpenTable · 2026-08-14[2]
“asked for my card just to reserve - felt like a trap”
OpenTable · 2026-07-28[2]
“charged a no-show fee when we did turn up, took three emails”
Google · 2026-08-02[1]
2 of 4 mentions were complaints, across 2 platforms, and 2 of them in the last six months.
“shame no one from the restaurant ever responds”
Google · 2026-08-20[1]
“left a review about a real problem in April, still nothing”
OpenTable · 2026-08-05[2]
“the waiter remembered us from last year”
Google · 2026-07-30[1]
1 of 5 mentions were complaints, across 1 platform, and 1 of them in the last six months.
“best short rib in the county, and I have looked”
Google · 2026-08-18[1]
“the short rib is worth the drive on its own”
Google · 2026-07-04[1]
“kitchen is doing serious work for a room this size”
The county guide · 2026-07-12[3]
Where we looked
What we could not find
The sources
In a real issue these are the pages we actually opened, on the dates shown. If you disagree with a line above, this is where you go and look at the same thing we looked at.
24 issues for $490, and the first is written the day you sign up.