I Reviewed Restaurants for 12 Years. They’ve Changed, and Not for the Better.

Up to a point, swapping autonomy for ease is a pretty good trade: who wants to run the math on their accounting books or call the restaurant to place a delivery order? But if taken too far, convenience becomes a Trojan Horse. We cede too much control and become dependent on something we can no longer steer. Platforms that promised to bring convenie... See more

But when ease becomes the default measure of value—when “fast” and “frictionless” are always better, we lose something critical: the slow, inconvenient texture of real life and real relationships.