Sudbury Secret Foodie project crunches numbers on local eateries

The idea of 100 new food critics roaming around Sudbury doesn't frighten Sam Roumanes.

"If you run a good ship, I don't think it really matters," says the owner and operator of Mr. Prime Rib.

"I think it's a good thing to know that if these foodies are out there, there's some accountability."

Mr. Prime Rib was just announced the top restaurant in Sudbury according to Sudbury Secret Foodies, a new online restaurant rating system.

The idea is for locals to eat out, then review that restaurant anonymously on factors like food, noise level and value.The review goes to Stephanie Pich, a local food and travel writer, who then compiles the notes into Top 5 lists on Facebook.

Those lists are available to both tourists and locals to fill up their foodie passports.

"Maybe people in the south end will come out to New Sudbury, maybe people in Garson will go out to Lively," says Pich.

"Just have a little bit more flexibilityand adventure when you're going to eat out, as opposed to going to the same places all the time."

Sudbury is looking delicious these days

Pichhas travelled around the world, writing about her food experiences. She says Sudbury's food scene is expanding, but maintains a northern Ontario base.

"I think we have a great balance of the big-city, trendy foods, then we have those other places that have been showing up in our dining weekend plans for generations," saysPich.

"I think that the more people are dining out, the more restaurantswill be open, and it'll just snowball."

Locals helping locals

Roumanes says the fact that locals are the ones who will be rating his restaurant makes the system more honest.

"This way, you don't know when they're coming in, what's going on, you treat them as if you should be treating all your customers, and hoping that experience is a great one so you get afavourable review."

Once she has enough data, Pich says she'll create reports for restaurateurs about their reviews and the demographics of their customers.

That's something Roumanes says could help boost his 50-year old restaurant.

"People don't want to deal with you on a one to one basis, they like to do things from their home, discreetly," he says.

"So when they do this, it's a form of getting their message out on a comfortable level, in a comfortable setting. We really look at it as a huge yardstick."