Hi Andrew,
It is good news; glad to hear they are improving the bathrooms. Now, I wish some one investigate the political drama and clean it up to improve people lives from poverty, diseases and starvation.

Hi Mr Andrew,

It is a good initiative from the newspaper and also for the restaurant owners. I was eager to learn that a single newspaper brought about such a change while the 'hotel and toursim commission' which is supposed to be the regulatory organ doesn't even bother to care. In the west there are thousands of small business cleaning companies that creat a number of jobs. It is my belief that these hotels and restaurants also need to think of contracting their cleaning activities to outside small busineses in the mean time creating a good business transaction and creating thousands of jobs.They can compensate for the revenue as a small service charge. most customers wouldn't hesitate to pay for such a comfort

I still think that the government regulatory body NEED to put a strict controlling mechanism with a considerable penality that will standardize the general situation of sanitation in the resaurant business.......

Later.

Dear Sir:
I was introduced to your website via ethiomedia.com. It appears now they have removed this site from their list of links. I wonder why they did that. May be they thought you used to and are no more reporting in favor of the opposition. Ethiomedia.com is the greatest spin machine ever created that they can not be trusted when they open their mouth about the government. I appreciate you are a just and impartial journalist who reports the truth. My hats off to you

Ethiomedia is a lie factory. It despenses at least one lie-filled story per day. The owner of the site, Abraha Belai, confuses creative writing with news reporting.

"The newspapers circulating in Ethiopia's capital have plenty of room for improvement. Typographical errors occur too frequently. Bias creeps into print regularly. But on at least one front, groundbreaking journalism is taking place here."

It didn't take long for the ferenji reporter to discover the unethical nature of many newspapers in Addis Ababa. It says a lot about the despicable nature of the free press. If there is one newspaper that tries to be as professional as possible it is Addis Fortune. The newspaper many features, one of which is Restuarant review. I personally like Addis Fortune. And I urge the editor to keep pushing the standard of its newspaper and the restuarants it critiques.

Creating a restaurant setting that reinforces and enriches the overall dining experience can translate into more satisfied customers and thus more business.

When we say we like a place — sometimes the last thing we praise is the food.

Generally, you can tell that a restaurant is a "good" restaurant by the appearance and smell of its restroom. It looks good; it smells good. Makes you want to go back, sit down at your table, and eat.

However, there are far too many that do not even come close to an appropriate level of hygiene. The restroom looks okay and the smell is enough to make you lose your appetite. You get back to your table gasping for air.

Restrooms reflect the restaurant. Therefore, Restaurateurs need to be thinking all the time about how to create a fantastic restaurant experience — making a restaurant visit more than just a good meal.

So it’s great that they are doing these reviews and restaurants are making improvements.

Restuarant rest rooms is a good begining, but it shouldn't end there. Neighbourhoods, Kebeles, woredas and towns should also be critiqued on sanitaion. The media, both public and private, can play significant role educating people the benefits of keeping their homes, their neghbourhood and themselves clean. It is a cultural issue that needs to be addressed.

As for Meda, now that they've got the facilities under control, could they _please_ do something about the service? As the review also points out, it's about the worst in Addis -- and that's saying something!

I think the ferenji journalist from NY Times stole your story/ideas. You should do something about it. Irony is he was writing about 'Mariot' hotel, 'Starbucks'look-alike coffee shops in Addis...and he is doing the same thing, if not worse...

For those who mentioned about Ethiomedia. This part of the blog is not about Ethiomedia it is about Restuarnt review and the good work of Addis Fortune. I know some of you are sacred by the popularity of the free press, which is the only voice of the Ethiopian people these days. Do you want a lie factory, please listen to Fana radio, ETV and Ethiopian radio.

Cheers

manyiferalmot, yes ethiomedia is off topic. I was just making an observation. And my point was Ethiomedia is no better than ETV, Fana radio Walta and all other government biased medias. I dont like to hear a fairy tale for my news. From what I have gatherd and saw, the opposition is no better than the government. While the two parties are accusing each other and playing politics, the people are suffering. A free press is crucial but when it pumps out articles twisting the truth with exageration and white lies, like Walta does for EPRDF and Ethiomedia for the oppostion, it just turn people off who are independent and non partisans. The Reporter, Addis Tribune and Tobiya are only the few print media in the country who are unbiased and independent.

...Addis Fortune is also independent

Sorry mate, but Reporter, Addis Tribune and Tobiya are in the opposition camp. You know it and I know it but you're just trying to hoodwink readers.

Addis Fortune is by far the most independent newspaper in Ethiopia. All you've got to do is read its editorial. The Reporter and Addis Tribune editorials are exteremly bias. Tobia, I don't want to even want to go there.

It is one thing to be pro government like Walta and ETV or pro opposition like Reporter, Addis Tribune and Tobia, but it is totally different to fabricate stories. It is tabloidish and goes to the core of the website/newspapers's credibilty. Ethiomedia invents stories. More than once Abraha Belai was caught fabricating news. No body, even opposition supporters, don't believes what is written in that website. They look for other sources. My friend, Ethiomedia is the joke of town.

Sorry mate, but Reporter, Addis Tribune and Tobiya are in the opposition camp. You know it and I know it but you're just trying to hoodwink readers.

Addis Fortune is by far the most independent newspaper in Ethiopia. All you've got to do is read its editorial. The Reporter and Addis Tribune editorials are exteremly bias. Tobia, I don't want to even want to go there.

It is one thing to be pro government like Walta and ETV or pro opposition like Reporter, Addis Tribune and Tobia, but it is totally different to fabricate stories. It is tabloidish and goes to the core of the website/newspapers's credibilty. Ethiomedia invents stories. More than once Abraha Belai was caught fabricating news. No body, even opposition supporters, believes what is written in that website. They look for other sources.

My friend, Ethiomedia is the joke of town.

I enjoy reading Addis Fortune's Restaurant Reviews. I give it two thumbs up.

Addis Fortune is great.

Addis Fortune is high on the list of my favourite newspapers and or websites.

Fortune's focus on business, economics, and life style is very refreshing. They report on researched facts, numbers, and social issues which is almost non-existent or at best, in a short supply in the other so-called "Free Press" who exist for the sole purpose of advancing trash for a political expidiency. Fortune is in a league of its own. Kudos to the folks at Fortune, please keep it up!!

Hamelmal,
Why do you always try to change the topic to your propaganda? You are abusing Andrew’s message board to spread your agenda by criticizing the opposition party web sites. It is clear to everyone that you and thousands of others are hired to spread Meles’s propaganda. Take a break once in a while and smell the coffee. You might be able to see things clearly.

Let us have an open mind. The purpose of Andrew's board is different than the others you would like to talk about. We have to learn not to compare apples to oranges. They are both very essential to our body, but different in value and taste. Good job Andrew!!

Hello Andrew,
Nice job. I was in Addis last summer just to visit my parents and see Addis since I grew up in a small city of the country.I was not impresed at all with the resturants and their sanitation standareds. Indeed the Resturant issue is some thing that need to be addresed in most big cities of the country. I ask one of the host to give me a gide where their restroom is and she pointed out to ward the kichen area and I turn back and said that is the kichen area, then she replay ya, but just push the door and you wont miss it. How can I miss a big hole! Well that was some discusty thing man. I was not even fnish my coffee when the big belley flay makes itself a gust of my breakfast.
Well the government have to play a big role here. They have to introduce a legislative that bans resturants with out desent restrooms and good vent system. What are the saniterians doing in the city? perhapes they are corapted too.
Thank you.
H. Yohanes

helo there what's up ....what do you now about ethiopia????????????????

we need peace first and then progress. no segregatin race,religiousely,sex. if you agree
all minority Ethiopian christian. well we could
talk about anything. we do not need no religious
symbol in ethiopia flag. example cross. when we support cud some people bring the old fucken ethiopian flag with cross on. what does that cross tell us to do. we need plain ethiopian flag
so we can suport cud toghther. ok and if we need
1 priest on politics on the side 1 sheik should be present. ok ethiopia is a country with a majority of ..... but alaws minority tryin to rule. my point is not been hating but each one of us we could be example to others let's creat new ethiopia now. all we need is progress,more company, education as well. so our ass chould stay at home and work for back home intead of working for forighn country. fuck hailessellassie
f yohannes f meles f mengistu f all. can we dream any better. ok enough is enough. god bless ethiopia and hope we have what we should have. thank you concerned Ethiopian fellow.

Andrew,

I appreciate your effort on such topics like restaurant cleanliness... etc

on the other had... I would like to see if any of you guys, hamelmal or others know a site that discusses ethiomedia... i used to be one of the biggest supporter... but i asked a smiple question to one of their 'prolific' writer... and what i got back was ... a shameful insult... and i have it documented... i would like to share...

though i'm strictly neutral in my political stance... i grew tired of the empty chatter as well as the negativity the site spreads....

..................
sorry if i veer off of the core topic..