tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999598104152571748.post2993024064582904519..comments2024-01-09T21:58:06.873-08:00Comments on Frantic Foodie: What the Heck are You Yelping About?Keren Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09074834866167755634noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999598104152571748.post-9373656653881811612008-12-04T18:10:00.000-08:002008-12-04T18:10:00.000-08:00You are right in your observation that"Every littl...You are right in your observation that<I>"Every little Pisher can find a place to exercise power."</I> and more so on the web. I for one would not "trust" on just anybody's word, I would find out for myself if the reviews have a firm basis or not. Great post!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999598104152571748.post-46475090785279743282008-11-08T11:01:00.000-08:002008-11-08T11:01:00.000-08:00thanks for the comment. I really think that people...thanks for the comment. I really think that people have to be aware of the whole yelp phenomenon and know not to take these reviews too seriously. I was very excited to find your website and found the articles very interesting.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2999598104152571748.post-76246663241619990902008-11-07T17:42:00.000-08:002008-11-07T17:42:00.000-08:00(Full disclosure: I run Coffee.net and we compete ...(Full disclosure: I run Coffee.net and we compete indirectly with Yelp.)<BR/><BR/>Thanks for the NYT link and the post. You're absolutely spot on about the issue of demographics and pricing. A lot of Yelpers don't understand the slim margins at which restaurants operate and don't factor context into price, like you stated. T&I costs can easily go upwards of $1 million for a swanky new restaurant, which needs to be paid for somehow. It's flat unfair to compare a $17 burger there to say, a $4 burger at Red Mill on price alone.<BR/><BR/>Along with your observation about Poppy and the complete disregard of the standard one-month grace period, Yelp doesn't separate service from food. Someone finds a hair in the water and bombs the restaurant with a 1-star, regardless of the food. Sometimes, the extremism is just too black and white. <BR/><BR/>One week ago, I was talking to the owner of new Japanese restaurant on the Eastside, who was shocked at one of his Yelp reviews. A Yelper wrote that a server dropped a batch of tempura on the floor, picked it up and tossed it back into the fryer. Walking me into the kitchen (I have a food handlers card, FYI), there was absolutely no way the patron could have even seen the fryer, let alone what the server would do in the kitchen. At that point, you have to wonder what the motivation is for that Yelper to distort or even fabricate their experience. <BR/><BR/>The owner was distraught because he's been in the business over 20 years and prided himself on customer service. With the economy dragging restaurant revenues as much as 40%, he was quite lucid on the ramifications of this one negative review on his new business.<BR/><BR/>On our own blog, I wrote a few months ago a similar post on Yelp. This was regarding a Yelp elite member who gave a 1-star to a high-end restaurant because they had a one-hour waiting list. She didn't even end up eating at the restaurant, but bombed them anyways. To me, that begins to approach the disturbing border of not just being unfair, but vicious. <BR/><BR/>To Yelp's credit, they have a great technology and they're a victim of their own success. I freely admit that we look to them as inspiration on how to improve our own site (feedback always appreciated). <BR/><BR/>In the "You", "i" and "My" web mentality today, Yelp has empowered their users, but not everyone is ready to handle it responsibly.asfsahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05260208856923261600noreply@blogger.com