I have some exciting news (albeit a little delayed) and I hope you all can share in the excitement! Becoming a member of the Yelp! Elite Squad has been a goal of mine for a couple years now—ever since I learned about what a Yelp Elite is and does. I think my first introduction to Yelp Elitehood was seeing the little Elite tag on “famous” Yelp reviewers’ profiles and wondering what it meant. I could always tell that the reviews from these reviewers were actually quality and helpful, so I knew it must have been an indication that they know what’s up. Without even realizing it, I soon was paying close attention to new restaurants and shops that these reviewers had been to, knowing that they were legit and quality places. If I came across a restaurant that didn’t have any reviews from these Yelp! Elite members, I’d have some uncertainty about whether or not the place would be a good spot to grab a bite to eat. Of course, I still love to be adventurous and try places for myself, but if I knew I needed something good, I knew that these reviewers wouldn’t lead me astray. These guys seemed like such good authorities on where the best places to eat around NYC and beyond were and I wanted to be a part of that (and even expand on it).

Since I have a bit of background in writing, food quality assurance, and generally believe that my standards for everything—especially with food—are pretty high, I was sure that I’d be a decent and honest restaurant/venue reviewer and build up a similar reputation in the food world. So, I started to just write reviews for some of the places I’d eat at, but never put in what felt like a ton of effort. That was, until I started to understand what kind of influence good Yelp reviews have for businesses and on the decisions other people make.

With a mere 30 or so quality reviews, I was already recognized by one of the Yelp! Elite Squad members as a future Yelp! Elite. They reached out and assured me that my existing reviews were good and offered value, but that if I ever wanted to be a part of the Yelp! Elite Squad, that I would need to write more frequently and consistently. That became a goal I set for myself from that point on. I wanted to write better and better reviews on places I actually enjoyed and hoped other people would also enjoy. After some time, this worked out for me. This year, I was nominated by the same Yelp! Elite Squad member and was officially inducted in! I couldn’t contain my excitement! It really can happen!

As I try to remain humble about this, I hope you’ll join me on this never-ending quest for the best foods everywhere (but especially in New York City). I’ll continue to seek out, write about, and share the places I love to eat delicious food and that earn the official Rickommended Restaurant™️ title, as long as you promise to visit these spots and help me celebrate good food and the hard work that the owners and chefs put into them. Let’s eat!