Yelp’s ‘Consumer Alert’ Warns of Pay-for-Play Reviews | Eater

"A 200-plus-location burger franchise was slapped with a Yelp-wide “Consumer Alert” after Yelp obtained a corporate form letter offering one complimentary combo meal to influencers in exchange for Instagram posts and five-star Yelp reviews. Yelp linked to the evidence, used the case to illustrate its crackdown on paid reviews and “review rings,” and added pop-up and suspicious-activity warnings across the chain’s pages. The business is also facing franchise-sales scrutiny: Senator Dianne Feinstein urged the FTC to investigate alleged misleading tactics used to recruit franchisees, and both Maryland and Washington have revoked its franchise registration. Together, the incentivized-review allegations and regulatory actions have produced high-profile consumer-safety warnings and notable reputational risk for the brand and its individual locations." - Caleb Pershan