Trying to Decipher the Citysearch Bar Code Experiment

The newest toy for both local restaurateurs and diners, as announced by a lengthy Chronicle piece yesterday, is the implementation of Citysearch "bar codes" in over 500 San Francisco restaurants, bars and various other businesses. It's the first large test market in the U.S., and the bar code actually looks like more of a crossword puzzle (see Cafe Claude storefront above). As best we can determine, here's how it works:

1) Prospective diner downloads fancy software to cell phone.
2) Prospective diner encounters restaurant.
3) Prospective diner takes cell phone photo of bar code to access Citysearch reviews.
4) Prospective diner eschews typical methods of choosing a restaurant, such as scanning the menu, reading newspaper reviews, asking acquaintances, etc., and instead:
5) Prospective diner listens to cinderella7 and her 2005 review (or medgrrl's six consecutive "yums") and decides to eat at restaurant with Citysearch bar code.

Now our question to the dining public: is this a plausible scenario? And more importantly, has anyone already used this magical bar code technology? Actually, does anyone still use Citysearch, period?
· Cafe Claude French Restaurant [Citysearch]
· Bar codes create bridge for window-shoppers [Chron]

Your thoughts, reactions and the like in the comments or straight to us.

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Cafe Claude

7 Claude Lane, San Francisco, CA 94108 (415) 392-3515