![]() They are all aware of Yelp reviews to varying extents, both positive and negative, that are written about their restaurants and the management teams deal with them primarily, sharing them with their staff when necessary. Several well-known Boston restaurants, with Yelp ratings spanning from 3.5 to 4.5 stars, some of which can be found on Boston Magazine’s 50 Best Boston Restaurants of 2014 list, have shared their sentiments on the matter. Since most people are inclined to write positive reviews, the negative ones have a tendency to stick out like sore thumbs, maintaining the ability to bring down the overall average star rating of an establishment. The majority of Yelp’s reviews are five and four star reviews, 42% and 25% respectively. Many times, people will put their trust in stranger’s opinions rather than just taking their friend’s word. The first thing most people do when they search for a new restaurant to eat at is check out the Yelp page, and it is hard to avoid as Yelp usually comes up first or second when a restaurant is searched on the Internet. ![]() They reported 135 million unique monthly visitors to their site at the end of 2014 as well as 71 million cumulative reviews on the site since they began. ![]() Yelp’s reach is growing, currently spanning across 29 countries. “We wanted to enable folks to make smart purchasing decisions, on anything from fish tacos to a chiropractor, and I think we’ve done a pretty good job.” Yelp was founded with one purpose in mind, “to connect people to great local businesses by allowing folks to read and write reviews of their consumer experiences,” according to Damien Smith, Marketing Director for Yelp Boston. Yelp has become the forerunner in this issue, as the threat to “Yelp” has become legitimate. The tension, posing review site against restaurant, is just not how it was meant to turn out. That being said, online reviewers are cut from many different cloths, each writing with different lenses and preferences.Īlthough reviewers are encouraged to speak candidly, the threat of using online review systems as a tool for malice does not align with the values of these companies. These systems, all unique in their approach, shared one collective goal-guide the customer in the right direction and truthfully inform them about what they are getting. Yelp and other online review systems such as TripAdvisor and OpenTable became popular after the new millennium with Yelp launching in 2004, TripAdvisor in 2000 and OpenTable in 1998. But what’s the real issue here? Is it the women? The chef? Or even the platform? In response to two women who sat themselves in the restaurant, sans reservation and commenced to exploit the staff, Chef-Owner Michael Scelfo captured an image of them and posted it on his Instagram with the hashtag “wedontnegotiatewithyelpers.” As the pair remained perched in their spot, threatening to “Yelp” about the situation, Chef Scelfo and his staff decided to kill them with kindness until they left, according to Eater’s account of the event. After the incident at Harvard Square’s Best of Boston restaurant, Alden & Harlow, burst into Boston’s food media this past February, the clash between restaurant and Yelper was ripe. Using the Internet to amplify ones voice is not a far-fetched concept for the Commonwealth. you wouldn’t know a good meal if it sat on your face.” This is the fictional Tweet that started a war between feisty Chef Carl Casper and pompous critic, Michel Ramsey, in last summer’s hit movie Chef. The network of reviewing is much more complex today, as the Internet has managed to become an integral part of the restaurant scene, as well as every second of many people’s days. ![]() The intention was, “to guide travelers and protect them from eating poisonous food from unsanitary places,” according to his biography by Louis Hatchett. The Customer is Always Right, Right? A Look at How Yelp Has Taken Hold of the Boston Restaurant Industryįormal restaurant reviews made their debut back in 1941 when Duncan Hines, known today for his boxed-cake mix, put out his first restaurant guidebook, Adventures in Good Eating.
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