Meet the contributor

Paige Whitmore

Restaurantor contributor

Paige Whitmore writes about restaurants located throughout Illinois, Wisconsin, and Iowa for Restaurantor, switching from fancy cities' dining establishments to more humble venues that define the culinary scene of a particular locality. Paige's work encompasses Chicago restaurants, supper clubs in Wisconsin, cafés, independent steakhouses, and other small-town restaurants. She does not care much about the current fads but rather seeks out those venues that can still be considered good enough after the hype is over.

1 Published guide

From this contributor

Latest guides by Paige Whitmore

Browse restaurant guides, dining recommendations, and local food stories researched and written by Paige Whitmore.

Updated Sep 10, 2026 14 min read

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago is generous to the diner who doesn’t confine himself to one-star dishes. He could begin his day…

A Different Kind of Restaurant Research

Paige approaches the restaurant business through the prism of editorial and consumer points of view. Her education in communication and hospitality-related subjects provides a great tool for viewing both the narrative that the restaurant conveys and the experience that it provides.

It makes a difference.

As good as the ambiance is, it will never compensate for bad food. A well-known name will never replace excellent service. And even a humble little restaurant beats its fancy competitor if it always delivers on its promises.

What She Pays Attention To

Paige evaluates menu quality, prices, service habits, ambiance, feedback from recent diners, reputation of the restaurant in the area, and consistency.

Paige looks for changes too. Does the restaurant improve over time? Do regular customers notice deterioration in quality? Is there a difference between two different locations of a chain? These factors might alter her recommendation completely.

Her Midwest Coverage

The territory covered by Paige includes Illinois, Wisconsin, and Iowa, with main research areas including cities like Chicago, Springfield, Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay, Des Moines, and Cedar Rapids, among others.

Paige specializes in contemporary American cuisine, steakhouses, supper clubs, cafés, neighborhood restaurants, and independents.

Her Editorial Standard

Paige thinks that an effective restaurant guide should provide much more information than simply listing the most popular restaurants.

A good restaurant guide should tell the readers what makes the restaurant special, who the restaurant is intended for, and how the dining experience will feel after all.

This is the approach Paige takes to every Restaurantor guide she prepares.