Yesterday, I wrote about using Yelp to help our local restaurants. While the platform is very beneficial to create a local buzz and build a positive Georgetown reputation, there's another widely used social platform do that... even better.

Using Tripadvisor as a local can hugely affect a restaurant's business. Again, we should be using platforms like this as locals to dictate the message (or how good or bad a restaurant is) a tourist sees. 

Tripadvisor is free, just as Yelp is, and you can add photos as well. 
And, just like Yelp, you can grab an app for your phone. 

I urge you all to use these platforms to help support our local restaurants, show them locals care and let them know they have a local base. 

Here's an example of a Tripadvisor review. This is for Atlantic House Restaurant:

My goal is to see all of our Georgetown restaurants succeed. I hope you all begin to use Tripadvisor and Yelp to share your experiences as locals so others who visit here can enjoy our dining treasures. 

In a previous post, I talked how important it is for locals to support Georgetown restaurants. The main reason is so they can have a dependable foundation during the offseason. More importantly, there'd be no offseason as a local base could be primary and consistent. 

So, let's dicuss using Yelp, which publishs crowd-sourced reviews about local businesses. (Click the name above as it will take to the Yelp site.)

What I see a lot of on Yelp are tourist-based reviews of our local restaurants. While that's a good thing, these tourists can also dictate the amount of customer flow with a good or bad review.

Instead of having tourists dominate the review market, I suggest us locals sign up on Yelp and start reviewing our restaurants, good or bad, and let us be the welcoming mat for tourists.

Below is an example of a review.

What you see is a five-star review for Rustic Table. Almost all of our Georgetown restaurants are on Yelp. Once you sign up, you can search the Georgetown area for them. Then, when you find one you want to review, you can do so. I'd also add pictures of dishes you've had, too. People coming into the area love to see it before they try it.

You can even rate existing reviews as Useful, Funny or Cool, and like other reviewers' photos.

Message me if you need more explanation. I am glad to help. 

If we, as locals, use Yelp to help our restaurants build the local base they need, then tourists will see how much we support them and how proud we are to showcase them to the world. 

The one constant in Georgetown is faith. Faith guides us in moments of glory and pain. Faith balances us during shaky times.

This Father's Day, I suggest honoring your dad, granddad and/or great granddad by taking him to a restaurant full of faith, love, hope and warmness.

Ball & Que Restaurant always puts together a fabulous Sunday lunch, even publicizing a menu on their Facebook page for it. 

This Sunday, however, should be a special one. Not only for the customers, but for staff as well. 

Everyone here works tirelessly to provide a great meal, a wonderful experience and dependable service to all. If you dine in, you will be witness to that.

Friends, make this Sunday one to remember and celebrate Father's Day at this humbly awesome eatery.

Wendy Goude and her team had a successful opening last night at Townhouse Restaurant.

The new eatery is located at 724 Front Street. 

I think Wendy ought to be commended for bringing yet another breath of fresh air to Front Street. This new restaurant is sure to be the talk of the town for the rest of the year. 

And seeing the community support involved in helping get it off and running, and the turnout last night, Townhouse will be here for a long, long time. 

Congrats, friend. 

When you think of Georgetown as a local, you pretty much go through your mind recollecting and reminiscing the amazing beauty and awesome kindness exemplified by our river front and smiling faces. As a born and raised Georgetonian, I have always appreciated this town, admired its people and adored the amazing community outreach.

Georgetown truly is a people’s town. Lots of faith can be seen throughout the area. A person’s good will charitable giving is often expressed anonymously. There’s so much to experience and explore. So much so, our wonderful town is constantly promoted as a tourist destination.

We have breathtaking river front views. There are some awesome parks to visit here. You can’t miss those gorgeous Oak trees. You can also experience amazing historical housing and history telling shared while on tours.

I have always loved the fact our town never gives up. After Hurricane Hugo, we never gave up. After the horrendous Front Street fire, we never gave up.

And, our restaurants never give up.

I look at our wonderful restaurants as doorways to Georgetown. Whether you are a tourist or local, our restaurants live and die by your business, and if the food or service isn’t great, they see it by not seeing you come back.

Restaurant owners in Georgetown work day and day out to provide the best dining experience for the area: locals and tourists. Yes, that’s right, locals.

These restaurants, specifically the ones on Front Street, are not tourist-only. They would bend over backwards to have a local base they could depend on. They work hard, from hostess to chef to owner, to create fine dishes for all to enjoy.

I want locals to know they are always welcome in Georgetown restaurants. They are part of our town. They want you to be part of them.

I am strong-skilled in advocacy, however, what I was known for I do no more. Life changing events allowed me to refocus my life and goals in 2013. I have always wanted to help Georgetown and I think this niche is just it.

Georgetown Foodland is a Facebook page created to help and support our local restaurants. What I do and share is free, at no charge to restaurants. I just want to provide exposure for them to our town (locals) primarily and tourists. Locals need to know they are welcome, appreciated and needed.

The website, georgetownfoodland.com, just went online this month. It will feature short stories on restaurants and other possibilities later.

Please support our local restaurants. Dine with them. Build friendships. Create a bond through food.

Oh, and enjoy the scenery… the tastes are beautiful.