People on Yelp: Why do you all suck?

[Piobaire]



I saw that when the owner posted it on reddit. The customer might be a lying asshole, but the owner isn't any better. His comments were childish and terrible, not only on that review, but a bunch of others. And who the hell posts surveillance videos in public? If I was a customer there, I'd be so uncomfortable.

If the owner had not posted the video there's little doubt he would have been challenged on his version of the story.

Yelp is making the industry more confrontational between customer and restaurant.

 

[Bhowie]

No, restaurant people are making the industry more confrontational with yelpers.

 

[Piobaire]

While everyone gets to decide how they are going to react to things I would say restaurant folks are getting confrontational over Yelp reviews they feel are unearned. I think it's really a kind of no-win situation for restaurants and you have to hope the majority of reviews are positive and show brain wave activity. I would ignore the egregious Yelps, if they were small in number, and let the majority speak. While I think some places certainly shoot their own foot I can understand the frustration from the reviews.

 

[ter1413]

I am in the camp that feels that restaurants should be able to respond to negative ratings IF they are bogus. Why should a customer be able to act the ass and get a pass?

Uber lets it's drivers rate customers. I read a recent story where a woman was trying to "hail" a Uber and didn't get any responses. She finally got a driver and she asked him why it took so long. He told her that she had a low rating. She was "surprised." Aren't they always?

Customers are always right, ok...but customers don;t always have to be asses and get away with it.

 

[Piobaire]

[VIDEO][/VIDEO]

 

[Bhowie]



While everyone gets to decide how they are going to react to things I would say restaurant folks are getting confrontational over Yelp reviews they feel are unearned. I think it's really a kind of no-win situation for restaurants and you have to hope the majority of reviews are positive and show brain wave activity. I would ignore the egregious Yelps, if they were small in number, and let the majority speak. While I think some places certainly shoot their own foot I can understand the frustration from the reviews.

Yelp has an averaging system. This should balance out as a whole. There have been to pretty publicized social media backlashes in Boston. ( http://www.businessinsider.com/ben-edelman-apologizes-to-sichuan-garden-chinese-restaurant-2014-12 & http://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyl...s-instagram/zlJERk0qsVA5JLfh1T30oM/story.html ) I will not spend my money in these establishments. I personally know people that were directly involved or work at both of these places. It is the service industry some people suck. Grow the **** up. Deal with guests who aren't the greatest in the world. Do you really think you are going to teach the entitled assholes of the world a collective lesson on how to be a decent patron?

I understand the frustration you can feel with entitled patrons. I've dealt with entitled buyers before. The irony also isn't lost on me that some of the people cheering on these guys are ****** and unprofessional buyers. There is a code when a guest patronizes your establishment. There is a since of trust you should have with them. I think this is a breach of that general feeling. I also think it fosters an us vs them mentality.

 

[Piobaire]



I also think it fosters an us vs them mentality.

Yelp is making the industry more confrontational between customer and restaurant.

 

[Bounder]

The problem with Yelp -- or, rather, one of the problems with Yelp -- isn't the occasional negative rating, it's all the positive ones. Yelp ratings are a lot like transaction ratings on ebay where anything less than "AAAAAAA+++++++ seller! Great transaction! Prompt Delivery!" is considered a mortal insult.

Logically, the average Yelp rating ought to be 3 stars. I'd bet the average is actually about 4.5. People are far more likely to rate a place favorably simply because they have been to it and are, therefore, invested. If the Yelp reviewers were even slightly objective, the occasional 1 star rating wouldn't be a such a big deal because the reviews would be normally distributed around the mean. But as it is, if a place has 490 four and five star reviews all saying, "Yay! The Mac & Cheese was to die for!" and 10 one and two star reviews, which ones are you going to actually read?

 

[Piobaire]



The problem with Yelp -- or, rather, one of the problems with Yelp -- isn't the occasional negative rating, it's all the positive ones. Yelp ratings are a lot like transaction ratings on ebay where anything less than "AAAAAAA+++++++ seller! Great transaction! Prompt Delivery!" is considered a mortal insult.

Logically, the average Yelp rating ought to be 3 stars. I'd bet the average is actually about 4.5. People are far more likely to rate a place favorably simply because they have been to it and are, therefore, invested. If the Yelp reviewers were even slightly objective, the occasional 1 star rating wouldn't be a such a big deal because the reviews would be normally distributed around the mean. But as it is, if a place has 490 four and five star reviews all saying, "Yay! The Mac & Cheese was to die for!" and 10 one and two star reviews, which ones are you going to actually read?

I agree that in all liklihood Yelp reviews skew high. This post of mine shows another reason why...because people are non-discerning idiots.

I will admit to cruising my local Yelp from time to time. Seeing the posts here made me do it just now. Here is a five star review:

_____ is literally my favorite Italian food restaurant. I love the people, the atmosphere, the food, the drinks, everything!

We've been there twice. Once it was just my fiancé and I. The other time, we took his mom, my grandma, and my aunt.

So she's been there twice and it's "literally" her favorite in an overly effuse way...

 

[Bounder]

The problem with Yelp -- or, rather, one of the problems with Yelp -- isn't the occasional negative rating, it's all the positive ones. Yelp ratings are a lot like transaction ratings on ebay where anything less than "AAAAAAA+++++++ seller! Great transaction! Prompt Delivery!" is considered a mortal insult.

Logically, the average Yelp rating ought to be 3 stars. I'd bet the average is actually about 4.5. People are far more likely to rate a place favorably simply because they have been to it and are, therefore, invested. If the Yelp reviewers were even slightly objective, the occasional 1 star rating wouldn't be a such a big deal because the reviews would be normally distributed around the mean. But as it is, if a place has 490 four and five star reviews all saying, "Yay! The Mac & Cheese was to die for!" and 10 one and two star reviews, which ones are you going to actually read?

I agree that in all liklihood Yelp reviews skew high. This post of mine shows another reason why...because people are non-discerning idiots.

I will admit to cruising my local Yelp from time to time. Seeing the posts here made me do it just now. Here is a five star review:

_____ is literally my favorite Italian food restaurant. I love the people, the atmosphere, the food, the drinks, everything!

We've been there twice. Once it was just my fiancé and I. The other time, we took his mom, my grandma, and my aunt.

So she's been there twice and it's "literally" her favorite in an overly effuse way...

Yes. This is absolutely correct. The signal-to-noise ratio is incredibly low. Yelp is an expression of the modern fallacy that everyone should have a voice and everyone's opinion is equal. But some opinions are more equal than others. That's just the way it is.

If most of the reviewers were decent, they would give lower ratings along with thoughtful commentary. The example you give is a perfect example of someone loving something for no other reason than that they experienced it.

 

[jet]

Just read some reviews on Alimento and idiots rating it one star based on a ****** dineLA week.

 

[Piobaire]



Just read some reviews on Alimento and idiots rating it one star based on a ****** dineLA week.

Knowing some owners, GMs, and chefs, they all brace for the restaurant type week Yelps. It's basically bound to draw folks not used to dining out in and they react poorly. "No, I'm sorry you cannot substitute the foie gras for the coupon appetizer" which will lead to a bad Yelp.

 

[otc]

Leave a bad review during restaurant week if you want...but start it with "We went here for the restaurant week menu..."

If the restaurant can't handle offering decent service and food during restaurant week, they are free to not participate. If they can't provide kind service or have to cut so many corners that the food sucks, it might still reflect poorly on them overall, and at the very least, if you are someone who enjoys restaurant week, it will tell you which places to avoid.

 

[venividivicibj]

Leave a bad review during restaurant week if you want...but start it with "We went here for the restaurant week menu..."

If the restaurant can't handle offering decent service and food during restaurant week, they are free to not participate. If they can't provide kind service or have to cut so many corners that the food sucks, it might still reflect poorly on them overall, and at the very least, if you are someone who enjoys restaurant week, it will tell you which places to avoid.

People don't just complain about service. It is also about the food quality, without realizing that what they are eating is not typical of what is normally served. A dinner for $30 isnt the same as a $100 dinner? Shocking.

 

[Piobaire]

Also, as I said, apparently a material number of these cheapo folks want extra for free and get upset when they don't get it. My friend that owns a couple of upscale places says it's always someone they've never seen before too. So basically, not going to be a repeat customer, wants something for free, bad Yelp when they dont get it.