Do you love exploring the food spots around you? Are you frequently inspired by the plethora of online resources on recipes and latest food trends? Do you ever feel you should document your food adventures without having to start an entire social media profile dedicated to food? Restaurant journalling might be a great fit for you!
With a restaurant journal, you can have a private collection of your reviews and thoughts on every eatery you try. These journals can be bought with pre-made templates to fill out or you can freehand in a blank journal. They’re a great way to record every food adventure you have, to reference later on or just reflect on the best eats.
I didn’t realize how much of a “foodie” I am until my friends started to regularly ask me for restaurant recommendations and food advice. I love talking about food and I would love to build an entire platform about it, but, where I stand now, I won’t be devoting a medium to my love of food. And I know there are millions of other food enthusiasts out there who feel the same way. That’s why turning to a sweet, simple restaurant journal might be a great way to have a personal record of all noteworthy food experiences and reflections.
How to Get Started
All you really need is a notebook of choice and your love for food! A blank journal is a hungry canvas for you to organize your journal and feed it however you please. You go online, get inspired, grab a few pens, and just journal freely. Don’t prefer physical notebooks? Opt for a digital notebook instead.
Another option is a pre-made restaurant journal, which comes with templates for you to fill out. These are easy to find on Barnes & Noble’s website or Amazon.com. For those who prefer structure and organization, this is a ready-to-go, no-fuss option. Available options include sections such as “Restaurant Name,” “Location,” “What I Ordered,” and “Overall Rating.” Templates make it easy to reflect on your meal even when you’re in the middle of a food coma or traveling to your next food stop.
I’m definitely a fan of the ready-to-go food journal, because it helps me remember all the main points I should note and there is still some space to doodle or write outside the lines. My friend gifted me a slim, travel-friendly food journal that I have been using all of 2017 (see one of my entries in it below!).
Your journal doesn’t need to be limited to your food adventures, but can also be used for favorite recipes, meal tracking, your food bucket list, etc.
Regardless of what you choose, a food journal is whatever you make it to be. You can save menus and business cards from the places you visit, add pictures of your food, make notes of what you want to try in your next visit, your at-home food favorites, and anything else you wish. The only thing you (unfortunately) can’t put in your food journal: food itself.