Finding the hidden gems to eat in Greater Sudbury can be tricky for tourists, and even residents.
A local food expert is trying to make locating those yummy eats a lot easier.
Stephanie Piché has a new way to tap into the city's best-loved dining places. It's through her public Facebook page called 'Sudbury Secret Foodies'.
She's assembled a group of nearly 50 anonymous local volunteers who dine at different restaurants; then rate quality of food, ambience and service.
Each review will be completely confidential in terms of who wrote it.
"It's a little bit more fair than a tourist who might be coming through town and doing one review that one time," said Piché.
"Because one time if you have a really great night or you have a really bad night, that can really skew other people's opinions on what that restaurant is actually like."
The unique concept is preferred by local restaurants, opposed to reviews on sites like Trip Advisor and Yelp.
"It’s not always accurate. Whereas if we dealt with local people and give them the chance to do the surveys, then it would be something that is truthful from the local community," said Stacey Cameron, Taphouse Northern Grill owner.
"The fact that it's really geared to Sudbury locals, maybe eliminating the tourism aspect, not that that's not important, but I think it's a great resource for people in Sudbury maybe to find a new restaurant," added Bev Wills, Fionn Maccool's general manager.
The survey is open to foodies of all ages; except for those who work in the restaurant industry.
As for the Facebook page, it will only display the top five lists and survey results are solely available to the restaurants upon request.
"It's only going to be shared with them alone," said Piché.
"Not in comparison to any other restaurant. It is basically going to be their data that's collected by those diners, kind of like a secret shopping network. I'm basically just compiling the information myself and making a pretty package for them. Hopefully it's something that can help them chose new menu items."
Piché said she will be updating the list regularly, and she eventually plans to offer more specialized lists of popular places to eat for, like holiday parties or possibly breakfast options.
