Restaurant price-tracking website Pricelisto compared 36 different celebrity-owned eateries across the U.S., looking at TripAdvisor and Google reviews to reveal which hold the highest average rating.
Bon Jovi‘s JBJ Soul Kitchen placed first with an impressive 4.89 out of five stars. The New Jersey restaurant grabbed perfect scores from nearly all its customers, with 96% of TripAdvisor reviews and 92% of Google reviews giving it five stars.
Matthew McConaughey‘s Boteco placed second with 4.66 stars – despite having just 19 TripAdvisor reviews. Pink Pelican Ice Cream, owned by America’s Next Top Model winner Whitney Thompson, placed third with 4.64 out of five stars.
The Walking Dead star Norman Reedus’s Nic & Norman’s restaurant in Georgia is in fourth place with an average rating of 4.62 stars across more than 5,600 reviews.
Susan Sarandon‘s ping-pong-themed restaurant Spin rounded out the top five with 4.59 stars, collecting 877 five-star ratings from Google alone.
The Ten Highest-Rated Celebrity Restaurants In America
| Celebrity | Restaurant | Average Rating Out of Five Stars (Google Reviews and TripAdvisor) | |
| 1 | Jon Bon Jovi | JBJ Soul Kitchen | 4.89 |
| 2 | Matthew McConaughey | Boteco | 4.66 |
| 3 | Whitney Thompson | Pink Pelican Ice Cream | 4.64 |
| 4 | Norman Reedus | Nic & Norman’s | 4.62 |
| 5 | Susan Sarandon | Spin | 4.59 |
| 6 | Zach Braff | Mermaid Oyster Bar | 4.56 |
| 7 | Nicholas Braun | S&P Lunch | 4.55 |
| 8 | Ryan Gosling | Tagine | 4.53 |
| 9 | Hugh Jackman | Laughing Man Coffee Shop | 4.49 |
| 10 | Chip and Joanna Gaines | Magnolia Table | 4.44 |
While Bon Jovi and Matthew McConaughey’s eateries topped the charts, not all celebrity restaurants made the same impression.
Pharrell Williams‘ Swan saw the lowest average rating at 3.63 stars out of five, while reality star Lisa Vanderpump‘s eateries also flopped in the popularity stakes.
The reality TV star runs four different places with ratings ranging from a decent 4.25 stars (Wolf by Vanderpump) down to a disappointing 3.73 (Vanderpump à Paris).
The study revealed a huge difference between how customers rate celebrity-backed eateries. Most of the top performers were community-focused establishments that scored five stars from over 70% of diners, with barely anyone-star or two-star reviews.
A fair number of big-name restaurants scored poorly, especially when judged on atmosphere and value for money.
- Celebrity restaurants with a casual atmosphere and lower prices scored much better than luxury dining spots.
Discussing the findings, a Pricelisto spokesperson said:
“Celebrity restaurants are a popular tourist attraction for many, especially those that are situated in Vegas, with visitors making plans to eat there based on name recognition alone. However, it’s clear that the actual dining experience varies significantly between establishments, with Bon Jovi’s focus on community striking a chord with visitors.
“To avoid disappointment, make sure to check visitor reviews as you would when making plans to eat at any new restaurant. While it’s important to support your favorite celebrities, it’s more important that you get quality service and value for money – now more than ever. Celebrities who invest in genuinely good food and a great customer experience see that reflected in their ratings.”
Methodology: A list of 36 restaurants either founded by celebrities or in which celebrities have majority/partner stakes were analyzed for both their TripAdvisor and Google reviews. A weighted average was taken for each review category (five-star, four-star, etc.) and then the Google and TripAdvisor weighted review scores were averaged to provide a metric by which the restaurants could be ranked, with the most well-reviewed restaurant at the top, descending.
Permanently closed restaurants were excluded, and in cases where a restaurant has multiple locations, the original/founding location was chosen for the review scores.
The Views Expressed In This Article Belong Solely To The Original Author, And We Assume No Responsibility For Its Accuracy, Completeness, Or Any Consequences Arising From Its Use.
