Letters to the Editor: Why ditching anonymity is a wise move for restaurant critics

To the editor: As someone who has written about the food and beverage industry for more than 30 years, I have been a fan of Bill Addison ever since his Eater days (“After two decades, I’m dropping my anonymity as a restaurant critic. Why now?,” Dec. 9). Therefore, I was pleased to read about Addison’s inevitable (in my opinion) decision to finally step out from behind the cloak of anonymity in his position as the Los Angeles Times restaurant critic. The late Times food critic Jonathan Gold came to that same conclusion years ago.

My reasoning is that whenever I visit a restaurant or cocktail lounge when I am on assignment, I never attempt to conceal who I am or why I am there. In fact, I often make it a point of letting them know. After all, that is the only way I can experience what is hopefully the very best efforts of the establishment, thereby setting a threshold for other customers to rightfully expect.

Richard Carleton Hacker, Sherman Oaks