Philadelphia Restaurants.com : Writing Guidelines

Article, News, and Web Crumbs Guidelines

Overview

We are looking for articles on a range of topics, in a range of lengths. Articles may be written on any topic related to the restaurant industry, including food, wine, beer, spirits, nightlife, and people in the industry. Articles are paid assignments open to all writers, and do not necessarily require a visit to a restaurant to complete.

We are also accepting News Posts and "Web Crumbs," both of which are shorter pieces that either announce newsworthy events or point readers to a website of interest. We are only interested in News and Web Crumbs that are related to the restuarant industry, including food, wine, beer, spirits, nightlife, and people.

What we are Looking for in Articles

Our website is primarily a restaurant selection guide, and our readers primarily come to our website to find out about restaurants, select a restaurant, and even make direct reservations. Our aim in publishing articles is to provide our readers with valuable information, perspectives, and insights that will enhance their dining experiences. We are looking for well-organized, thoughtful, and informative articles that fit in with our website's voice, are appropriate for our readership, and accomplish one of the following:

Offer a greater understanding of the restaurant scene in the area
Offer a greater understanding of certain aspects of the fine dining experience
Discuss and/or explain new dining trends
Offer advice on how to handle certain dining situations
Provide an in-depth explanation of certain foods, cuisines, wines, beers, or spirits
Help readers to become aware of restaurants that cater to particular needs or offer certain features

What we are not Looking for in Articles

As with our restaurant reviews, articles will be read by a wide and varied audience. We strive to keep our content informative, rather than opinionated, and in a tone and voice that would be appropriate to any reader. While we appreciate style and wit, we are not looking for pieces written in a voice or tone that only a narrow readership would understand. Snarky humor, elitist points of view, and/or obscure references might make for an entertaining essay or blog post, but they are not quite in line with the style we’re looking for in these articles. Additionally, we are not looking for the following:

Articles that review products or businesses. The only reviews we will accept are those that are posted as restaurant review assignments that meet our existing criteria and guidelines.
Promotional plugs—this is not the space to wax poetic about businesses or products that you love, especially ones that are offering incentives for you to do so. We are looking for articles that are unbiased and informative, not ones that are motivated by a PR campaign.
Opinionated rants or raves—we’re not looking to learn about your personal preferences for cheese or your all time favorite dishes. If you are passionate about a topic, by all means write about it, but try to do so in a way that will help others understand the topic, not just your personal thoughts about it.

What we are Looking for in News and Web Crumbs

News and Web Crumbs are brief bursts of information that may be of interest to our readers. We are interested in news related to the restaurant, food, wine, beverage, nightlife and fine dining industries, as well as tips pointing our readers to material of interest on the web. Both types of posts should concisely and quickly tell readers what they need to know. As a general rule, please submit a post as News if it is regarding an event, opening or closing of a business, announcement, or other happening; please submit a post as a Web Crumb if you would like to suggest that readers visit a website or read an article.

News Posts that we are interested in include:

Opening and closing of restaurants, wine bars, or other businesses
Event announcements such as festivals, anniversary celebrations, or city-wide specials such as restaurant weeks.
Chef changes, such as chefs moving from one restaurant to another, or leaving a restaurant to start their own

Web Crumbs that we are interested in include:

Interesting articles or blog posts related to food, wine, beverages, service, or fine-dining restaurant trends
Web sites that involve user participation such as a call for sumbmissions for a cooking contest, or a request for suggestions on a blog.
Interesting podcasts, videos, or other multimedia posts relating to the fine dining scene.

Lengths

We suggest the following word lengths for each post type:

Web Crumbs: 50-250 words
News: 250-750 words
Articles: 750-1250 words
Long Articles: 1250-2500 words*

*We expect most articles will fall between 750 and 1250 words, but will consider some longer articles if the content merits the length.

Example Articles

While articles will vary greatly by topic and tone, here are a few example articles:

Some Submission Basics

Articles, News, and Web Crumbs will be uploaded directly through our online writer's center, so please do not worry about formatting details such as fonts or font sizing - this information will be lost upon submitting your article.

You should always keep a copy of your submission until you see the piece published on our website. We cannot compensate you if your piece is lost through the submission process. Additionally, you may be asked to revise or add to your piece after you have submitted it.

There are several style elements that are unique to our website. Please be sure that you:

Do not use HTML tags in your submission; please submit text only.
Do not indent paragraphs; instead place an extra line between paragraphs.

Grammar & Style

Our editors will review your submission for consistency and style before approving it for publication. You may be asked to correct or revise portions of your piece before it is published on our website. Your piece will have a greater chance of being accepted with minimal edits if it is grammatically correct, free of spelling errors, and reads clearly and eloquently. Please do not submit your piece without proofreading it first. Specifically, be sure to:

Double check the spelling of establishments, products, companies, and individuals mentioned in your article
Use a food dictionary or other resource to check spellings of food items and names of dishes
Look up any wines or beers you discuss in your review to make sure you have the correct spelling as well as correct information on the origin and producer

If you have grammar or punctuation usage questions, we recommend referring to the Chicago Manual of Style.

We encourage all writers to read (or re-read) Strunk and White's Elements of Style for timeless tips on brevity, clarity, and how to avoid common writing mistakes. (A digital and searchable copy of the first edition is available through Bartleby.com; the fourth and most current edition is available through Amazon.com and most bookstores and libraries.)

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Contact

Address: Restaurant Agent, Inc.
835 5th Avenue Suite 308
San Diego CA 92101
Phone:: 1-866-588-6209
Fax:: 619.239.5071
General Info:: info@restaurantagent.com
Editor:: editor@restaurantagent.com

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