…Nicely appointed. The menu looks appetizing. And the chef seems like he didn’t just fall off the turnip truck. No reason not to try it.
Do you go the first week it opens, or do you wait a little bit until they’ve seasoned the pots and pans and got their act together?
Depends on how desperate I am for something new in the rotation. If I go the first week, I am prepared for some mistakes.
I get around to going to it about five years later, only to discover that it closed a month ago.
I’d avoid the crowds for the first few weeks and then try them for lunch on a Tuesday.
I’d wait at least a month until the local reviews roll in. Besides the professional reviewers, I know several people who not only love to be the first to sample the latest fare, they love it even more when they can be the first to tell their friends about it.
this is me too
but every time I find a place I like iy means its going out of business in 2 months or less
I wait for the inevitable dickhead who says nothing about the food but gives it two stars because the drinks are too expensive. 
Normally, I would wait at least a month. But if it’s near me and I know the owners, I’ll likely show up on opening night or even “soft opening”.
I love to go to restaurant opening nights because of the drama. I can think of twice in my recent memory that were giant disasters with people waiting forever and squawking. Just be sure to eat before you go!
Pretty much this. There are several pubs around here where the first beer poured after the liquor license went into effect was to me. But for a regular restaurant, we’ll likely wait until the kitchen has its act together and the waitstaff has settled into a routine.
Or negative reviews because an Indian vegetarian restaurant didn’t serve any meat dishes, and the food had too much spice in it.
I like to wait a couple of weeks at least before trying a new restaurant. I’m not so flush with cash that I want to waste it on a meal that’s so-so just because the new place is trying to get its bearings.
That’s actually valid, though, if the dude explains his reasoning. If the going rate for a draught, proper English pint American IPA is $6, and they want to charge $10, then, yeah, knock them down a star or two.
That beer is a commodity; it’s nothing special. If their bacon wrapped, Kobe beef filet mignon costs $60, and it’s perfect, it’s not the same as some dreck filet from some chain place like Outback or whatever. You’re willing to pay more for better stuff. But a drink is a drink.
No, you’re paying 60$ because they’re putting one over on you, and you fell for it while looking out for an overpriced beer. I never go to any place that tries to pull that nonsense.
Then you’ve never had a good steak.