French Laundry Wins for Food and Gary Danko for Popularity in Zagat 2009 Bay Area Restaurants Survey

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 24 2008 - Bay Area residents are among the nation’s most tech-savvy, wine-loving, and health-conscious diners, according to the 2009 San Francisco Bay Area Restaurants guide released today by Zagat Survey. Based on the opinions of 8,755 frequent diners, the survey covers 1,212 eateries in the San Francisco Bay Area, including the Monterey Peninsula, the Wine Country and Lake Tahoe. All told, the surveyors ate roughly 1.5 million meals in the past year.

Winners:  For the first time since 2002, French Laundry reclaimed the Top Food title, with an exceedingly rare 29 rating on the Zagat 30-point scale. Another Napa restaurant, Cyrus, came in No. 2 also scoring a 29. Gary Danko, Erna’s Elderberry and category newcomer Kaygetsu, in order, rounded out to the top five. Number 1 Decor went to Garden Court, followed by Pacific’s Edge and Ahwahnee Dining Room, Auberge du Soleil and Sierra Mar. Seasons Steak & Seafood won for Top Service. As for overall Popularity, Gary Danko, Boulevard and Slanted Door took win, place and show.

Poor Service, Weaker Tips:  As with most cities that Zagat surveys, service is the most serious complaint according to 65% of San Francisco diners. This includes all sorts of issues such as failure to honor reservations, lack of attention and just plain rudeness. It’s no surprise then that San Franciscans are some of the nation’s weaker tippers, leaving on average 18.5%, compared with the national average of 19.0%. Philadelphians are the nation’s best tippers, at 19.6% on average.

Pricing:  The average cost of a Bay Area meal rose 4.4% to $38.70 this year, compared to $37.08 last year. This makes San Francisco one of the nation’s most expensive dining venues. The national average among the cities Zagat Surveys is $34.03, with Las Vegas on the high end at $44.44 and New Orleans, the country’s best bargain at $26.18. Nonetheless, 78% of Bay Area residents are eating out as much or more than 2 years ago.

“Restaurants have raised prices to help cover the cost of California’s new health care initiative,” said Tim Zagat, CEO of Zagat Survey. “Between rising meal costs and the struggling economy, patrons’ pockets are hurting. Hopefully, the new health care benefits will motivate front-of-the-house staff to improve service.”

Wining and Dining:  Given the proximity of the Wine Country, San Franciscans relish their vino - 90% of this year’s surveyors say they typically drink wine with their meals. Not surprisingly, given this interest in wine, there has been an influx of wine bars in San Francisco in the past year, including Monk’s Kettle in the Mission, Bin 38 in the Marina, South Food + Wine in South Beach and Urban Tavern in Downtown.

Going Green and Healthy:  As a green movement leader, the Bay Area prompted the law that prohibits using trans fats in restaurants across the State. Sixty-nine percent of San Francisco residents say they support this. Reflecting their environmental consciousness, 89% of San Francisco surveyors say that they consciously choose tap water over bottled water. Meanwhile 86% of surveyors feel that locally grown food is important, 71% are willing to pay more for organic food and 68% say that they’re looking for low-carb, low-fat and heart-healthy menu items.

Reserving Online:  Compared with the rest of the country, San Francisco residents are extremely tech-savvy:  A whopping 49% of our surveyors typically make their restaurant reservations online. Following close behind is Atlanta (40%) and Washington (37%), while residents in New York and Los Angeles lag at 17% and 22% respectively. Diners can easily and instantly make restaurant reservations online through OpenTable via ZAGAT.com and ZAGAT.mobi.

Favorite Cuisines:  Twenty-three percent of San Francisco surveyors say they prefer Italian, followed by Japanese cuisine (15%). Showing the diversity of San Francisco’s tastes, other cuisine favorites include French (14%), American (13%), Mexican (8%), Thai and Chinese (each at 7%) and Indian (6%). Each of these cuisines are well represented in the new guide, e.g. 134 Italian and 62 Japanese restaurants.

The Guide in Detail:  Expansive ratings and reviews of San Francisco eateries can be found in the new guide, online at ZAGAT.com and via the award-winning mobile website, ZAGAT.mobi. The guide also breaks out restaurants by location, cuisine and 42 special features (including Natural/Organic, Tasting Menus, Wine Bars and Views) and includes foldout colored city and BART maps. In addition, ZAGAT.com has free member reviews and directory listings for more than 10,000 restaurants in the San Francisco Bay area. The 2009 San Francisco Bay Area Restaurants guide ($14.95) was edited by Meesha Halm and Cynthia Kilian and is available at all major bookstores, through ZAGAT.com, or by calling 888-371-5440.

Source: Zagat Survey, LLC  

CONTACT:  Tiffany Barbalato for Zagat Survey, LLC, +1-212-404-6416,