The Falstaff system for assessing restaurants
How is the restaurant guide produced?
Falstaff rates restaurants on a 100-point system. A restaurant can be given a rating:
50 points maximum for the food.
20 points maximum fo the drinks list.
20 points maximum for service.
10 points maximum for style.
According to the points collected, we classify restaurants as follows:
//// 95-100 points. Master level.
/// 90-94 points. Top level.
// 85-89 points. High level.
/ 80-84 points. Very good level.
A subset of restaurants are displayed in the restaurant guide without points, only with name and contact details. These restaurants are definitely classified as at least good and Falstaff recommends to visit them. There are two reasons for the lack of points. The overall score does not reach 80 points, i.e. a very good level. Or either the restaurant is still in the monitoring phase and the various Club members have not made enough visits for an adequate rating to be announced.
Who are the evaluators? How many are there?
Falstaff restaurant reviewers are divided into two groups. The larger group is made up of members of the Falstaff Nordic Club. You get into the club by invitation. Invitations are for people who travel a lot, often stay in hotels and often dine in restaurants.
The smaller group is made up of Falstaff editorial staff in different countries. They organise the judging and are also the judges themselves.
Falstaff is a fast-growing organisation. The number of reviewers currently active in Estonia can be measured in dozens. 100 is the first milestone towards which we are moving, but it is certainly not the final limit.
How is the evaluation done?
The evaluation is voluntary. Members of the club are not sent to any restaurant specifically to evaluate. They visit restaurants as part of their daily lives and are free to make their own choices. After visiting a restaurant, they send their scores to the Falstaff editorial team. They pay their own restaurant bills, which are not reimbursed by Falstaff. They are independent in their ratings and do not have to explain to the editorial team why they have chosen to give such a rating.
The editorial team compiles the scores and calculates the mathematical average of the scores given by the different evaluators for each restaurant. If there is a large discrepancy between the scores for a restaurant, members of the editorial team visit the restaurant to ensure that the final scores are accurate. This visit is paid for by the member of the editorial team, who is then reimbursed by Falstaff.
The scores published by the restaurant manager for each restaurant are the result of Falstaff’s editorial work. The editor-in-chief is responsible for their accuracy.
Would you also like to be a reviewer and a Falstaff Nordic Club member?
You do not work in a hotel or restaurant?
You travel a lot, often stay in hotels, often eat out?
You would like to contribute to the development of restaurants and hotels through your rating on a voluntary basis, without compensation?
If all three answers are ‘yes’, please write to the editor-in-chief of Falstaff Nordic:
Aivar Hanson
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