Stuffing the ‘best of Indy’ ballot box

Anyone who follows a service provider on Twitter likely has seen the get-out-the-vote pleas: Help get my restaurant/store/salon onto one of the “Indy’s best” lists. I know my timeline has been full of them lately—enough so to make me question the business value of making the grade.

(In the interest of full disclosure, I’ll admit I’ve been a “best of” skeptic ever since Outback was named the top steakhouse in Fort Wayne more than a decade ago. In a city full of meat-and-potatoes restaurants, I just didn’t buy it.)

Of course, the lists are far from scientific. They’re typically compiled by media outlets who solicit votes from their audience. And I certainly can’t blame business owners for wanting a pat on the back.

But time is scarce, and money talks. So I wonder if the payoff is worth the investment. Sure, it’s nice to be able to say you’re the best cat wrangler in central Indiana, but does it bring customers through the door?

Discuss.