About Us

Opinionated About Dining OAD is a restaurant rating system compiled by an expert membership of highly literate connoisseurs who travel the world to experience culinary art. By relying on statistical accuracy, transparency, discerning palates and weighted votes of members, the Opinionated About Dining survey provides a more distinctive approach to rating restaurants. The OAD algorithm generates a ranking system that classifies restaurants based on the reviews of the membership community. Each member influences the results based on the number of restaurants he/she has visited and the current ranking of those restaurants. History and OverviewOAD (Opinionated About Dining) was created by Steve Plotnicki in 2004. Originally functioning as a blog to document the founder's dining exploits, Plotnicki quickly identified widespread frustration with the reliability of dining guides on the market and recognized the need for a way to more accurately capture the movement of global dining culture. So in 2007 the focus of OAD was shifted from personal opinions to the results of a survey guide that would be shaped by many. Almost a decade later, OAD has evolved into an internationally respected dining guide brand that incorporates the opinions of nearly 5,000 of the world’s most passionate foodies and destination diners, regarding 16,000+ restaurants located throughout the world. What makes OAD different from the other Guides?Everyone is entitled to a have an opinion. But OAD’s philosophy is that all opinions are not equal. Unlike other more egalitarian survey guides on the market, OAD believes that experienced opinions generate more accurate conclusions. So to intensify the accuracy of the results of its surveys, OAD emphasizes the experience of the voting panel as well as each individual voter. OAD ensures that, within the voting pool, the more experienced the diner the more of an impact their opinion has on the results of the survey. Each voter’s results are run through a proprietary algorithm that takes into account the quantity and quality of the restaurants each has visited (in conjunction with a number of other factors), which results in their being given a score. That score determines how much weight each participants’ votes have on the results. Reviewers & Audience The survey’s reviewers come from all walks of life. A London-based expert in database storage; a Lithuanian former fashion model based in Paris; a Dutch fish wholesaler; a San Francisco-based President of a biogenics company; and a data analysis specialist splitting her time between Hong Kong and Tokyo. The common thread between them all is an undying passion for fine dining and a willingness to travel all over the world to have the next great meal.