Opening somewhere new: surveying an area with your neighbours' reviews

Before putting down a deposit on a unit, the reviews of five or six nearby venues tell you more than an afternoon of sitting and watching. They tell you what customers in that area are fussy about, what price they accept, and which problem the whole area shares.

Four questions it answers

1. What customers here complain about most. If five nearby venues are all criticised for parking, that is an area problem, not any one venue's — and if your unit solves it, that is a real advantage.

2. The price level the area accepts. Reviews like "a bit expensive for round here" appearing often is a clear signal about the ceiling.

3. The busy hours. Reviews often mention time: "packed at lunch, had to queue", "empty in the evening". Read enough and the area's rhythm appears.

4. Which venue is declining. A last-12-months rating below the headline figure means a venue is sliding — possibly an opportunity for you, or a sign the area is sliding.

How to do it

Pick five or six locations within walking distance, of the same kind as what you plan to open. Run Google Maps reviews — 15 credits per run, 200 reviews, runs in the background — for each. About 90 credits.

For each venue, count themes using the process in grouping reviews into themes. Then combine into one table:

The last column is the important one. A theme criticised at most venues is an area-wide problem.

Combining with TikTok place data

Run TikTok places — 6 credits, 2 pages — for the area. It returns locations with many videos tagged there, along with rating and review count.

The two sources answer different questions: reviews say perceived quality, place data says how much attention. An area with many videos but low review scores is an area people visit where nobody has done it well.

What this survey does not tell you

It does not tell you footfall, whether the rent is reasonable, or whether the area is rising or falling long term. Those need visiting and talking to people in the area.

It also does not replace sitting at the unit at three different times in a week. Public data narrows the list; the final decision still needs presence.

Boundaries to remember

The tool returns only a display name and the review text. No email, no phone number for the author. Phone numbers exist only for the business itself.

Frequently asked questions

How many venues should I survey? Five or six of the same kind within walking distance. Below three you cannot see a shared pattern.

Same kind of venue or different? Same kind for questions 1 and 2. Different kinds for question 3 about the area's rhythm.

Can this predict whether my venue will succeed? No. It eliminates units with obvious problems and tells you what to prepare for.