Ben Leventhal, co-founder of food site Eater and reservation platform Resy, reflects on Eater's controversial early editorial features tracking struggling restaurants.
0:00 / 0:12exact quote · 12.4s
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“Knowing what I know now, I wouldn't do things like death watch, which in hindsight were harsh and cruel to the restaurants that became its subjects.”
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Insight
Leventhal: Consumers resist surge pricing because restaurants feel democratic
“There's something about hospitality that forces consumers into a different mental model than they are using for other Entertainment categories. And I think it's the intimacy of it. I think it's the legacy and the history of hospitality. Restaurants in people's…”
Ben LeventhalJan 20, 2025▶ 32:23Resy and Eater: Ben Leventhal
AssertionNot checkable as stated
Ben Leventhal: Early online media prioritized publishing speed over accuracy
“The priority was pace and speed, and certainly that took precedence over, I would say, accuracy in some cases.”
Ben LeventhalJan 20, 2025▶ 18:50Resy and Eater: Ben Leventhal
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Leventhal: Restaurants are orders of magnitude harder than other small businesses
“If you think about the moving parts at the average independent restaurant and how complicated The production and assembly and delivery of food is to the table, and you compare that to any other small business, it's orders of magnitude more difficult.”
Ben LeventhalJan 20, 2025▶ 25:20Resy and Eater: Ben Leventhal
Opinion
Leventhal: Metering restaurant software fees based on booking volume is insane
“The idea that more successful restaurants pay more is insane. You pay us a flat fee. Use the software as much as you want it.”
Ben LeventhalJan 20, 2025▶ 43:08Resy and Eater: Ben Leventhal
Disclosure
Leventhal: Eater avoided reviews and photos at launch to prioritize publishing speed
“Now, we did say, we're not gonna write reviews. And we also said, we're not going to post photos of food. And we said, we're really not interested in, in adding to the noise with more photos of food. And we're really not interested in writing reviews because w…”
Ben LeventhalJan 20, 2025▶ 11:12Resy and Eater: Ben Leventhal
Insight
Leventhal: Independent restaurants with 10% profit margins are crushing it
“If you're running a 10% as an independent restaurant, you're crushing it.”
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