zlacker

I'm sure Taleb has more to say, but I would say that whether a restaurant survives has a loose correlation to the quality of the food. Especially in NYC. There are plenty of thriving restaurants that will serve you garbage food with bad service (Anything in Times Square).

The point is that commercial success in a variety of industries is a result of a variety of factors, product quality is frequently not the most relevant.

That is: a restaurant owner can correctly say that another restaurant has excellent food and service without that being an endorsement of the restaurant's ability to survive as a business.

>>dghlsa+(OP)
You're perfectly right, I'm conflating quality with business success.

I would disagree with the loose correlation point. Although it's just one component of a restaurant's broader strategy for success, quality is undoubtedly crucial. While in Times Square, I would doubt you would blindly choose any restaurant without considering food and service quality.

Also, I would say that while a restaurant owner can correctly evaluate another, it's not necessary implied that specifically an award winner has proven that the unbiased opinions of others put them in this position.