by KYW's Steve Tawa
From BYOBs to high-end ethnic, a new Philadelphia restaurant guide is coming out this week, with ratings and reviews on the top dining spots. And the survey indicates that our dining habits are changing.
The 2007 Zagat results come from avid customers, more than 5,000 of whom wrote pithy remarks for the 2007 Philadelphia restaurants survey.
Co-founder Tim Zagat says Philadelphia is home to one of the most active bring-your-own scenes in the country:
"Any other city would look at Philadelphia and say, 'Oh my god, I've never seen so many BYO restaurants."
In large part, Zagat says, that's a product of the exorbitantly high cost of obtaining a liquor license. There are 236 BYOs in the current Philadelphia edition of the guide.
Philadelphians are also spoiled for choice. There are 96 types of cuisine reflected in the guide.
But, like other towns, there are low points:
"Sixty-seven percent of Philadelphia diners whom we surveyed found poor service to be the most irritating factor in the local dining scene."
The average cost of a meal is just under $33.00, pennies above the national average.
Zagat says Philadelphia is the highest tipping city in the country -- averaging 19.4 percent, compared to the national average of 18.8 percent.
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