Chowhound.com

Via Seth(Flipping the Funnel):

One of the most profitable small businesses in Queens, NY, is a little Thai restaurant named after its owner. Mrs.Sripraphai sells amazing Thai food. With no advertising, they’ve managed to keep the place packed, night after night.

The buzz about the restaurant got so loud that the all-powerful New York Times could no longer ignore the place—even though it’s not in Manhattan. A two-star review (almost unheard of for a restaurant like this) led to long lines—even after the restaurant doubled in size.
So what’s the secret? How did she do it?

She didn’t. Chowhound did.

Yes, Mrs. Sripraphai created a remarkable restaurant. But the visitors to chowhound.com made the difference.For several years, dozens of us posted about the restaurant. Every single dish was analyzed. Arguments were made for and against the jungle curry. There was no funnel—but many of the diners had a megaphone. Chowhound.com is exactly the platform a remarkable business needs. Even though the design of the site won’t win any awards, the 350,000 people who come every month (looking to read and to be read) are precisely the people who make or break a new restaurant.

Why does it work? Because the people who post are trusted. They have a reputation. They are not anonymous.And most of all, they have real voices, voices filled with authenticity and experience, giving people a reason to trust them.