(photo: cheezburger.com)
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About 3000 votes of the nearly 7000 votes cast for The Beijinger Restaurant Awards this year have been disqualified. So says Mike Wester, the magazine’s co-owner, who I talked to earlier this week. Actually, I have this conversation with Wester every year: I call to ask how things are going, he tells me he has spent countless hours checking votes, and we both wonder about the kind of people who connive to fix the results to the detriment of both consumers and those in the business who do a good job and play fair.
Anyway, I have been hounding him to list who, where, and what received the most bogus votes. I realize some might be advertisers and that this is an industry where relations are so intertwined that today’s cheater might be tomorrow’s business partner, but it would be nice to see who is trying to give themselves a booster chair of votes at the table as well as to see who isn’t. Again, it stinks for the honest people in the business that there is the potential of being defeated by someone not on quality of service and product but on the ability to crank out votes, so kudos to Wester for making the effort.
The restaurant awards winners will be announced on Monday.
http://images.cheezburger.com/completestore/2010/11/5/c6b9a154-6730-44f8-ae5f-d34cc30ef07c.jpghttp://images.cheezburger.com/completestore/2010/11/5/c6b9a154-6730-44f8-ae5f-d34cc30ef07c.jpgAbout 3000 of the nearly 7000 ballots cast for The Beijinger restaurant awards this year have been disqualified. So says Mike Wester, the magazine’s co-owner, who I talked to earlier this week. Actually, I have this conversation with Wester every year: I call to ask how the voting is going, he tells me he has spent countless hours checking the ballots, and we both wonder about the kind of people who connive to fix the results to the detriment of both consumers and those establishments that do a good job and play fair.
Anyway, I have been hounding him to list who, where, and what received the most bogus votes. I realize some might be advertisers and that this is an industry where relations are so intertwined that today’s cheater might be tomorrow’s business partner, but it would be nice to see who is getting that booster chair of “extra” votes as well as to see who isn’t. Again, it must suck for the honest people in the business to know there is always the potential of being defeated by someone not on quality of service and product but on the ability to crank out votes.
About 3000 of the nearly 7000 ballots cast for The Beijinger restaurant awards this year have been disqualified. So says Mike Wester, the magazine’s co-owner, who I talked to earlier this week. Actually, I have this conversation with Wester every year: I call to ask how the voting is going, he tells me he has spent countless hours checking the ballots, and we both wonder about the kind of people who connive to fix the results to the detriment of both consumers and those establishments that do a good job and play fair.
Anyway, I have been hounding him to list who, where, and what received the most bogus votes. I realize some might be advertisers and that this is an industry where relations are so intertwined that today’s cheater might be tomorrow’s business partner, but it would be nice to see who is getting that booster chair of “extra” votes as well as to see who isn’t. Again, it must suck for the honest people in the business to know there is always the potential of being defeated by someone not on quality of service and product but on the ability to crank out votes.
By the way, I realize there are people who think The Beijinger itself fixes the awards but for me it passes the trust test on several levels:
* The results ring true with me as a consumer, although that doesn’t mean I agree with all of them.
* Some non-advertisers beat advertisers, which can put revenue at risk / means the sales reps might end up facing upset clients.
* I have known Wester for over six years and he is so anal about the voting that I believe it when he says he checks every ballot – he missed his calling as a sabermatician.
I’d like to clarify that we do not consider “getting out the vote” — aka restaurants asking their customers to vote for them — cheating.
Likewise, it’s inevitable that these establishments ask their staff and their friends to cast a ballot as well, and this, while teetering on the edge of acceptability, at its heart this is how democracy works (and there’s no good way of preventing it anyhow).
However, (relatively unsophisticated) analysis of the voting reveals easily recognizable patterns of fraud, and it’s these votes that have been removed.
Short of setting up polling booths and requiring ID, there’s really no perfect system.
We could hide the voting behind our website’s user registration system, but nothing prevents people from registering multiple accounts. Same with emails — we could require everyone to register with their emails, but who these days doesn’t have multiple email accounts?
Even with fraudulent ballots removed, some will complain that democracy is a crappy way to select the best of anything. That’s why we also each year have picks from an expert panel (12 individuals with more-than-ordinary experiences dining out in Beijing) and our editor’s picks, which are our way of calling attention to places that maybe didn’t happen to win the popular vote or make it on to the experts’ panel.
All in all hope that when the lists are announced that they serve not as a point of contention, but rather a useful resource for all that records the collective wisdom of our readership on a great selection of places to eat in Beijing.
Michael Wester:
“I’d like to clarify that we do not consider “getting out the vote” — aka restaurants asking their customers to vote for them — cheating.”
As a restaurant owner, if i ask my customers to vote for me i’m cheating????
Sorry to say that Mr Michael, but TheBeijinger Magazine is who gives the stamps to put on the tables where you can read……VOTE FOR US.
And also the posters.
Don´t worry this year will win the same as the other years…….. not doubt.
@Dulse de Leche, Mr. Wester said that “we do not” consider that cheating. So of course you can ask your customers to vote for you. That’s what any normal businessman would try and do for his restaurant – place out those posters and cards, send out an email or newsletter perhaps, and ask the customers you come in contact with to “please vote for us if you think we’re the best in the category we’re nominated for.”
Thanks Michael for the clarification!
What did you expect? This is China. Cheating is part of the culture. It’s everywhere, in every school, business and organization. Chinese Business ethics: an oxymoron.