City Intelligence - Knowing What I Don't Know

There are many aspects to this (things to do, how to get around, what to look for, what to avoid, etc.). In this case I am trying to solve the problem I have when visiting a new city and I want a place to eat. 

There are obviously different dining experiences I am looking for at various times. Many times this problem is solved by the benefit of branding (e.g., McDonald's and Panera Bread are the same everywhere--don't give me no Royale with Cheese counter examples). Still other times a binding constraint "solves" the problem (e.g., I am hungry NOW and this place is good enough and very close). 

But what about those times when I am going for a nice weekend date with my wife out of town or travelling with friends to a football game and need a good meal the night before or on a business trip with a colleague and/or client? Perhaps a matching process I will call "Goldilocks" could be the solution. 

Basically what I am envisioning is a big-data solution that will take my prior experiences and my general preferences and combine them with similar cohorts to develop a suggestion algorithm. I know others have and are trying this, but I have yet to come across anything close to being as robust and easy to use as I desire. Perhaps simplifying the input dimensions and ranking options is the key to being accurate in prediction, reliably useful, and fast. 

The process would start with a few questions and then followup after with the same questions to build and refine calibration:

• What type of dinning experience are you wanting: more formal than average or more casual than average?
• Overall for what you desired was this restaurant too formal, too casual, or just right?
• Are you looking for: a lively more festive place or a quiet more intimate place?
• Was the restaurant too loud, too quiet, or just right?

Some additional questions would be asked after the experience to further enhance the database:

• How did the food's taste and presentation meet your expectations: better, worse, or just right?
• How did the service meet your expectations: better, worse, or just right?
• How did the value for the price paid meet your expectations: better, worse, or just right?
• How would you rate this restaurant overall: excellent, just right, or poor?

The goal would be to suggest restaurants that were just right. Why not always hope to exceed expectations? Because expectations should change such that just right is, well, just right.