Review Simulator: Predict Nigerian Restaurant Reviews

Simulate how any Nigerian taste persona would review a restaurant — star rating, authentic Pidgin English text, and tone label, all in one call.

The Review Simulator takes a taste persona and a set of restaurant details, then predicts exactly how that persona would review the place. It returns a star rating from 1 to 5, a written review in authentic Nigerian Pidgin English, and a tone label that describes the style of the generated text. Whether you’re exploring the web app or integrating via API, the simulator gives you a window into how a real Nigerian diner would react.

How it works

The simulator models a reviewer’s habits from their persona — their average rating, price sensitivity, preferred vocabulary, and past reviews. It weighs those traits against the restaurant’s features (like ambience, food quality, and price point) to generate a rating and review that feels true to how that person actually eats and talks. The output is not a generic summary; it reflects the persona’s voice, from measured critique to full Pidgin energy.

How to use it in the app

1. Go to the simulator

   Navigate to /simulator on the NaijaTaste web app.

2. Set your persona

   Choose one of the three preset personas or, if you are signed in, your profile persona is pre-filled from your review history. You can also adjust individual persona fields manually.

3. Enter restaurant details

   Type the restaurant name, its city, and select the features that describe it — for example, “expensive”, “nice ambience”, or “fast service”.

4. Click Generate

   Hit Generate Review. The simulator returns a star rating, the review text in Pidgin English, and a tone label within a few seconds.

Signed-in users get persona traits calculated automatically from their review history — you don’t need to fill anything in manually.

Understanding the output

The response contains three fields:

• rating — A whole number from 1 to 5 reflecting how the persona would rate the restaurant. This is shaped by their rating_tendency (harsh, balanced, or generous) and how the restaurant features match their priorities.
• review_text — The written review in Nigerian Pidgin English. The language, vocabulary, and complaints or praise mirror the persona’s tone_keywords and sample_reviews.
• tone_label — A single label describing the overall tone of the generated text.

Tone labels

Label	Description
pidgin-heavy	The review is written almost entirely in Nigerian Pidgin English with minimal standard English. Expect strong vernacular, local idioms, and expressive phrasing.
mixed	The review blends Pidgin and standard English. Common for personas who are expressive but not exclusively Pidgin speakers.
formal	The review reads in clear, structured English with little or no Pidgin. Typical for personas with a formal writing style in their sample reviews.
casual	Relaxed, conversational English without heavy Pidgin. The persona writes informally but not in full vernacular.

API usage

Send a POST request to https://naijataste-api-vcp4.onrender.com/simulate-review with a persona object and the restaurant details.

Request

{
  "persona": {
    "user_id": "demo_user",
    "avg_rating": 3.2,
    "rating_tendency": "harsh",
    "price_sensitivity": "high",
    "tone_keywords": ["jollof", "service", "price", "portion"],
    "total_reviews": 45,
    "sample_reviews": [
      "The food was okay but too expensive for the portion size"
    ]
  },
  "item_name": "Yellow Chilli Victoria Island",
  "item_type": "restaurant",
  "location": "Lagos",
  "features": ["expensive", "nice ambience", "average food", "fast service"]
}