# Restaurant Reviews on Yelp?



## roadfix (Jan 29, 2018)

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...?


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## Addie (Jan 29, 2018)

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.


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## roadfix (Jan 29, 2018)

Addie said:


> 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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## Kayelle (Jan 29, 2018)

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.


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## Just Cooking (Jan 29, 2018)

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


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## GotGarlic (Jan 29, 2018)

Kayelle said:


> 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.


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## roadfix (Jan 29, 2018)

Some customers are reluctant to voice complaints.   They find it easier to just post them online.


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## CharlieD (Jan 29, 2018)

with all the lawsuits going on, where businesses are suing people who posted negative reviews it is scary.


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## Just Cooking (Jan 29, 2018)

CharlieD said:


> 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


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## caseydog (Jan 29, 2018)

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


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## roadfix (Jan 29, 2018)

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


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## Kayelle (Jan 29, 2018)

roadfix said:


> 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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## Rocklobster (Jan 29, 2018)

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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## buckytom (Jan 29, 2018)

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).


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## caseydog (Jan 29, 2018)

Rocklobster said:


> 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


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## Cooking Goddess (Jan 29, 2018)

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. 




Addie said:


> 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? 

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...


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## Cooking Goddess (Jan 29, 2018)

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.


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## caseydog (Jan 29, 2018)

Cooking Goddess said:


> 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.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



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


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## Cooking Goddess (Jan 30, 2018)

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.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Jan 30, 2018)

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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## Steve Kroll (Jan 30, 2018)

There are a few problems I find with online reviews.

First is the fallacy that the customer is always right. I'll give you an example. A friend of mine teaches wine education classes, and one night had a group of five young ladies come in who, unbeknownst to him, were throwing a bachelorette party for one of the girls in their group. Now there are usually 25-30 people in a class, and they typically pay $20-50 each to attend a 2-hour session. So there were other customers in attendance. In addition, the class was already in progress when this group showed up 10 minutes late.

The girls (I'll call them "girls" because they were all under 25), aside from being loud and disruptive, were clearly already a few sheets to the wind when they arrived. Because of this, my friend refused to serve them wine and politely asked them to leave, explaining that he legally isn't allowed to serve people who appear intoxicated. He also added that he would gladly refund what they had paid for the class. They left without incident, he continued the class, and thought that was the end of it.

Within two days he had several one-star reviews show up on Yelp. It seems the ringleader of the bunch had gone and asked a number of her friends to trash his business by writing unfavorable reviews, even though many of the complainers had never even set foot there. Apparently Yelp's automated content review caught and removed quite a few fake posts, but didn't catch all of them. He was able to get the remaining bad reviews removed, but it took almost a week and a lot of his own time to do so.

Another problem is that few people understand there are different levels that fall between one and five stars. If you look at reviews on Amazon, you see many 5-star reviews, some 1-star reviews, but not much that falls in between. I once had an online seller send me an email questioning my 4-star review and asking that I change it to 5-stars. I told him that I thought the product was only worth 4 stars; it was a good product, but had one design flaw I didn't particularly care for. I thought I was being generous with 4 stars. After his email, I did update my rating. I lowered it to 3 stars, noting his not-so-nice email pressing me to rate it higher. Never heard from him after that.


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## Andy M. (Jan 30, 2018)

Not so much an online review but...

When I was bought a new car in 2011, the salesman was taking me through the owner's manual and the car's features before he gave me the keys.  At the end of the session, he explained to me that Honda would send me a review form to rate the salesman and the entire purchase process.  He further explained I should give him a five star rating because anything less was considered a negative review by Honda!  

Then the sales manager came over and thanked me for the purchase and reiterated the importance of my giving them a five star rating.  I politely thanked them and left.

I did not give them a five star review.  I think it was 4 stars.

A week or so after I brought the car home I got a phone call from the salesperson who was very upset that I gave him a 4 star rating.  He went on for a minute or two before I ended the conversation.

I later complained to the dealership about this behavior.  Some time later, I noticed the salesman was gone.


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## dragnlaw (Jan 30, 2018)

Andy, sounds like the Manager should have joined the Salesman!


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## roadfix (Jan 30, 2018)

Andy M. said:


> I later complained to the dealership about this behavior.  Some time later, I noticed the salesman was gone.



Now if that dealership was in Japan, he most likely committed seppuku.


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## Andy M. (Jan 30, 2018)

The funny part of that is that I would probably have given them a five star rating if they had not told me what to do on the survey.


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## dragnlaw (Jan 30, 2018)

Exactly!  I have had salespeople say they would like me to and * if* I give a review they hope I will be favourable and I don't mind a comment - but if they badger or be pushy about it I will tell them to their faces just how I feel about people who beg for stardom!  

on a second note - some mention it because in quite a few cases people don't even know that reviews could be or were given - so I give them the benefit of the doubt.  It is just possible they are trying to make people aware.  (hmmm, hoping)


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## jennyema (Jan 30, 2018)

I don't trust Yelp so I don't use it or post there


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## roadfix (Jan 30, 2018)

The reviews that I really ignore are "reviews" that companies post of their products on their websites.     They're basically reviewing their own products.


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## dragnlaw (Jan 30, 2018)

Well, actually, come to think of it...  I've never even been to Yelp much less read or contributed to it but will assume it's the same as all the rest of the garbage out there for people with nothing better to do...


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## GotGarlic (Jan 30, 2018)

dragnlaw said:


> Well, actually, come to think of it...  I've never even been to Yelp much less read or contributed to it but will assume it's the same as all the rest of the garbage out there for people with nothing better to do...


It's really handy for finding a place to eat, etc., when you're on the road. We stopped at a restaurant in Ohio on our way to Michigan that I found on Yelp. It had good reviews with pictures of the food and the restaurant. It was a little out of our way, but it was delicious and had a great outdoor seating area. It worked out very well and I wrote a nice review for them.


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## dragnlaw (Jan 31, 2018)

Lately Google keeps popping up on my phone asking me to review a place I'd just been to.  I'm guessing it is sort of the same thing?  

I should probably turn off the Google Maps tracker but I keep it on so they can find my body should I disappear into one of our country ditches.


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## Rocklobster (Jan 31, 2018)

I should post a link to my deli and explain a few things from the owners' perspective...I use trip advisor a lot when deciding on places to eat...I get how helpful it is..but, you have to be able to filter out a lot of reviews to try and get a real feel as to how the place is..


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## buckytom (Jan 31, 2018)

Just like a bell curve, I throw out the top and bottom reviews, then read the 2, 3, and 4 star (out of 5) reviews to see what the pros and cons are. Works for Amazon reviews, Yelp, Trip Advisor, CNet, Consumer Reports, AVSForums, and so many more.


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## Just Cooking (Jan 31, 2018)

buckytom said:


> Just like a bell curve, I throw out the top and bottom reviews, then read the 2, 3, and 4 star (out of 5) reviews to see what the pros and cons are. Works for Amazon reviews, Yelp, Trip Advisor, CNet, Consumer Reports, AVSForums, and so many more.


+1... good way to look at reviews... 

Ross


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## roadfix (Jan 31, 2018)

buckytom said:


> Just like a bell curve, I throw out the top and bottom reviews, then read the 2, 3, and 4 star (out of 5) reviews to see what the pros and cons are. Works for Amazon reviews, Yelp, Trip Advisor, CNet, Consumer Reports, AVSForums, and so many more.


I do that too.....works with the Olympics too.


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## roadfix (Jan 31, 2018)

Incidentally, I told my friends that went to dinner with me that evening about my 2-star review.   They're telling me that they can't find my review.    
Hmm...   I see my review on the restaurant site when I'm logged on to Yelp but I don't see it when I'm logged off.  Weird.   Perhaps they're "reviewing" my review before going public with it ??
This restaurant has around 1300 reviews, averages over 4 stars, but there are also a bunch of 1-star reviews as well, to put things in perspective.


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## CharlieD (Jan 31, 2018)

Just Cooking said:


> 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 don't think so. I've seen the article about this woman being sued by business, because she posted negative review about pizza delivery. her post on FB did no seem out of line at all. And now she is in trouble. Cort sited with business.


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