Today we decided to have a little Thai food today for lunch from our favorite Thai restaurant in the area, Thai Papaya. I couldn't remember their website address because they used to be named Thai House, but relocated and are now Thai Papaya, so I did a quick search.
The results came back with a restaurant review of the location on the Yelp.com website.
I've heard of the Yelp.com website, but had never really checked it out until now. Seems to be a good little site for finding recommendations and opinions of various businesses and services. Obviously they help people find the best places to eat, but they're covering much more than restaurants. It reminds me of the Epinions.com site I used to frequent quite a bit way back when.
The site provide easily found contact information a local map, a list of amenities and a few different reviews of the restaurant from their users. All handy information to have if you're looking for somewhere great to eat in your local city.
They provide reviews but also a social network community very similar to other websites with active social features and items. They also provide free tools for businesses to communicate and connect with their patrons as well. That feature alone is a good reason to give Yelp.com a look if you're a small, independent business owner like the owners of Thai Papaya.