Restaurant Manager’s Extreme Reaction to 3-Star Yelp Review Backfires, Big Time | Eater
"Located in Sterling, Virginia, this small pizzeria drew attention after a delivery customer complained that her burger was “dry & unseasoned” and the zeppoles “barely had any powdered sugar on them,” initially leaving a three-star review. Hours later a manager allegedly tracked down the customer’s home and knocked at 10 p.m., prompting her to call police, who documented the incident and offered to patrol the area. The confrontation led the customer to lower the rating to one star and publish an account of the encounter, which in turn triggered a flood of negative Yelp reviews. The owner’s public responses were criticized as tone-deaf—arguing a second delivery was meant to correct a mistake and that the business was new and eager to impress—and commenters also raised concerns about an apparent change of the owner’s avatar to a young Black woman. Yelp said it was investigating and severed its contract with delivery partner GrubHub. Overall, the place is portrayed as having spotty food reports for certain items and significant reputational damage due to an inappropriate managerial response to customer feedback." - Greg Morabito
