Restaurant Reviews on Yelp?

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roadfix

Chef Extraordinaire
Joined
Jul 14, 2008
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Location
Park Drive Bar/Grill Los Angeles
I just got done posting a 2-star review on Yelp of a place we visited last night. And I used to like this place a lot.
Any of you post restaurant reviews on Yelp or any other review sites?

I've posted both positive and negative reviews (mostly on Yelp) on restaurants I've visited. I've also posted reviews on other types of businesses as well, not just restaurants.
Just curious if any of you do this sort of thing from time to time...?
 
No I haven't. I am of the old school, "If you can't say something nice, then say nothing." The two restaurants I frequent have had five star reviews for years. So they don't really need mine.
 
No I haven't. I am of the old school, "If you can't say something nice, then say nothing."
I subscribe to this too, for the most part, but particularly if it's regarding an individual, whether I know the person or not (except politicians).
Businesses are different. I've posted more positive reviews on these sites than negative reviews. And usually my negative reviews are constructive criticisms.

I own a small business (not food related) and I study all my not so stellar reviews and try to improve on them. I'm sure restaurant owners also find some of their negative reviews very helpful and find room for improvement.
 
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I've posted a few positive reviews but if I ever had an important complaint I'd certainly post that too and not be quiet about it. Owners need to be aware of what's said about their business so they can fix it, or they'll soon be out of business.
 
I tend toward positive reviews for businesses I'd like people to know about..
But.... I will point out negatives if something seems way off in a business I go to..

Ross
 
I've posted a few positive reviews but if I ever had an important complaint I'd certainly post that too and not be quiet about it. Owners need to be aware of what's said about their business so they can fix it, or they'll soon be out of business.
And in my experience, they *want* to know so they can fix any problems.

I post reviews occasionally, usually positive but I have posted about problems a few times.
 
with all the lawsuits going on, where businesses are suing people who posted negative reviews it is scary.
 
with all the lawsuits going on, where businesses are suing people who posted negative reviews it is scary.
I believe that there is a great difference between a negative review and a hateful review..

Those being sued, most likely, are in the latter category.. I'd hope so anyway..

Ross
 
I sometimes post a review, especially if I really like a place. However, I am aware that Yelp is full of fake reviews, both positive reviews by friends of a business owner, or negative reviews by enemies and trolls. That's why I rarely post reviews, or trust anything I read on Yelp.

CD
 
I've actually challenged a few negative reviews against my business and had some of them removed.

That's good to hear RF.
There's a great Irish Pub with terrific food in this town. The owner is a great guy and although he's the age of my kids, he's been taught well in the old school attitude and really knows how to personally treat his customers. I was reading some of the reviews on his place and he makes it a point to thank each of them for a good review. There were a couple of bad ones, and he asked for another chance and 'let's sit down together for a beer on me." I was down right impressed. By the way, he's recently been elected to the city council, and I only hope politics doesn't ruin him and he'll teach them something.
Keep in mind, this is "small town USA" :)
 
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You know, I go crazy over internet reviews..People get to say whatever they want and what they don't stop and realize is that many places are businesses with hard working people who want to make an honest living, and employ locals with families to support..they take it so personally and become vindictive in their reviews..I've had a few and most of the times they aren't accurate. Let's face it, we are all human and there are many reasons why some customers may have fallen through the cracks on any given day..Does everybody go to their jobs and do 100% every day? I doubt it..but, for some reason, restaurants get the pleasure of being critiqued openly on a whim...

We're still doing well on most sites, thankfully..but it is a helpless feeling when anybody can go on and say whatever they want
 
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I post reviews on Yelp when something is towards an extreme, be it positive or negative.

And only if I've experienced a similar situation at that location more than once (anyone can have a bad day, or a really good day to be fair).
 
You know, I go crazy over internet reviews..People get to say whatever they want and what they don't stop and realize is that many places are businesses with hard working people who want to make an honest living, and employ locals with families to support..they take it so personally and become vindictive in their reviews..I've had a few and most of the times they aren't accurate. Let's face it, we are all human and there are many reasons why some customers may have fallen through the cracks on any given day..Does everybody go to their jobs and do 100% every day? I doubt it..but, for some reason, restaurants get the pleasure of being critiqued openly on a whim...

We're still doing well on most sites, thankfully..but it is a helpless feeling when anybody can go on and say whatever they want

Keep in mind, the internet if full of trolls. Trolls are people who get enjoyment from saying really nasty things, usually to provoke a response. It is entirely possible that they have never entered a place of business, but trash it online, just for "fun."

That's why I read reviews with a lot of skepticism.

CD
 
Isn't that a shame, casey? So many do-nothings sitting around in their Moms' basements in their underwear or jammies, looking to stir up trouble online, while taking sick delight in stirring the pot. I miss our society when it was kinder and more understanding instead of quick-draw reactive. :(


No I haven't. I am of the old school, "If you can't say something nice, then say nothing."...
So...if your kid had been pitching stones at a neighbor's window, but the neighbor would have nothing good to say to you about it, the neighbor should be quiet? :rolleyes:

IF a business is lacking in an area (service, quality of food, etc), how on earth are they supposed to correct their issues if no one complains to them about it? It might be more tactful to approach the owner or manager of the business rather than blast things all over an internet site, but problems can not be corrected unless someone in charge has been made aware of the situation.

I suppose one might say "but (s)he's the manager! How can (s)he NOT know?" So many businesses are understaffed that it would take a manager to split themselves in two to be able to cover every aspect of what is what in a business these days...
 
In answer to your original question, roadfix, I've posted reviews on Yelp. Most of the time they have been positive, especially if we really did love the place and its food. I have, on occasion, posted negative comments, but always of a constructive kind. Certainly not a "you guys suck, I'm never coming back" kind, then slam the door behind me. People seem to be eager to low-rate a place and make it seem like they ate dog slop when the only real problem was that the server didn't refill their water glass as quickly as they would like - but the food was fabulous, the service otherwise was great, and the value was right there. Nope, that glass of water should bring a rating down to one star. :glare:
 
Isn't that a shame, casey? So many do-nothings sitting around in their Moms' basements in their underwear or jammies, looking to stir up trouble online, while taking sick delight in stirring the pot. I miss our society when it was kinder and more understanding instead of quick-draw reactive. :(



So...if your kid had been pitching stones at a neighbor's window, but the neighbor would have nothing good to say to you about it, the neighbor should be quiet? :rolleyes:

IF a business is lacking in an area (service, quality of food, etc), how on earth are they supposed to correct their issues if no one complains to them about it? It might be more tactful to approach the owner or manager of the business rather than blast things all over an internet site, but problems can not be corrected unless someone in charge has been made aware of the situation.

I suppose one might say "but (s)he's the manager! How can (s)he NOT know?" So many businesses are understaffed that it would take a manager to split themselves in two to be able to cover every aspect of what is what in a business these days...

I think it is a balancing act.

When I worked for car magazines, our policy was that if we got a car to review, and we didn't like it, we turned it back in to the manufacturer, and told them we were not going to do an article on it, and why. We just didn't want to waste limited pages on a car we didn't like.

On the other hand, a few months ago I got royally screwed on a hotel room an hour from St. Louis, Missouri, and when I took it up with management, I got an attitude of "we don't care." The hotel chain sent me a review request email, and I jumped all over that -- with photos. It is still on the web for people to see if they are thinking about booking a room in that hotel.

Did it make a difference? Probably not.

CD
 
Shame about the room. I've told this story: Eons ago we ate at an Olive Garden. Issues out the wazoo. Spoke with the manager, who said to give him a month to get the place in shape and come back again. Gave us a $50 gift card so we could come back on his dime. It took a couple of months, but we did return to the scene of the crime. He managed to get a 100% turn-around on everything that we had noticed was wrong. Too bad you didn't end up with something for your troubles.
 
I don't even look at reviews BEFORE I go to a new place, I let them stand on their own. If I have a bad experience or a good/great experience I tell the manager/owner face to face. Great experiences are then reviewed on Yelp.
 
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