Bad Restaurant Review - WWYD?

[foodcritic]

NC for this on the off chance someone works out who we are and decides to do someone similar...

We have a small independent restaurant, been established over 10 years, lots of lovely regular customers, and always grateful for new customers. Many of these come due to our good reviews on various sites such as TripAdvisor, Google, etc. Also we do a fair bit (probably weekly) on local community Facebook pages which also attracts new people and reminds existing customers of what we are doing by way of Chef Specials etc.

Last week a Google review went on with 2 stars - and a comment along the lines of 'sad to see xxxxx on the menu'. (xxxx being a dish that some people find unacceptable, others specifically come to our restaurant to eat as it's difficult to find in supermarkets or other restaurants)

There is a name so I know exactly who has written this, and she's a local person who has never eaten at our restaurant. She has on occasion also used a crying emoji when she sees posts for certain dishes on Facebook that i have posted. (Suspect she's not a meat eater)

So - I have responded to the review with a similarly short comment, basically saying how disappointing someone has given a review based not on eating in the restaurant and experiencing our food/service, but based on a specific menu item.

Reviews are so important to small businesses, we can't afford massive advertising campaigns, and although this one hasn't really put a dent in our overall rating it's so frustrating. But I'm now wondering if I shouldn't have responded as I've made us look as petty as her. What would you have done?

I agree that it'd be better to take it down.

We went out for a meal whilst on holiday last week. It wasn't an independent restaurant, but part of a chain (Hungry Horse).

We'd booked for three adults (as 12y DD would eat the adult meal and is taller than me). Yet we were placed on a tiny table, against a pillar. There was clearly no room for plates and drinks, so DH complained and we were moved. The staff said they thought they could get away with putting a table of three on a drinks table for two.

The food itself was poor. My fish was burnt, as were the burgers.

I was going to post a review, but noticed the owner/manager, was very, very aggressive to customers who left bad reviews, if I'd seen that before we'd gone, we would have avoided.

I think reviews should be deleted anyway when someone has freely admitted they have never been to the place. I want to hear from actual customers. A random virtue signalling vegan's ill-informed opinion of a restaurant they have never visited is of no relevance whatsoever to anyone.

So they got a local business closed down for serving meat but they'll happily eat at all the other restaurants serving different meat ? Bloody hypocrites. I'd be quite interested to find out what squirrel tastes like.

@Shade17

I know exactly what’s involved.

In the process of making foie gras? And you still enjoy eating it? Blimey.

@Shade17

how can you eat it then? Genuine question

You know that veal crates have been banned in the UK since the early 90s?

It's not right to review a restaurant that you've not eaten at. She is totally welcome to comment about the menu but Areview isn't the place for it

Glad to see you’ve decided to remove your post.
It really did come across as petty and that alone would put me off a place.

As an aside
I don’t know the ins and outs of reviews as I only ever comment when I’ve used a service
But
The review says ‘ sad to see veal is on the menu’. So she’s not claiming she ate there just making people aware that you have it on the menu for others that may be interested.
Some people may be interested either way.

It's a legal term preventing correspondence or statements that are made to try to settle a dispute from being used as evidence if it goes to court. It's got nothing to do with accepting that some people don't approve of veal.

Good to see you've taken the comment down.

@Pluvia

it is not ignorance
I am allowed to be morally opposed to things like veal abs foie gras
get over it

Then why worry about it? Everyone will just ignore it.

@Itakecreaminmycoffee

so what you’re trying to say is that if you eat beef or chicken or pork then you cannot be opposed to things like veal or foie gras??!

bullshit

there is so much unnecessary suffering involved with veal and foie gras. No one NEEDS to eat those things. There are tons of alternatives to eat. Some people are just utterly selfish

Your reply is defensive and immature. Very unprofessional. Dismissive tone, snarky, and just unnecessary all round. She is allowed to voice an opinion. She hasn’t even run your business down- just voiced that she’s sad about one particular dish offered. If I were reading that, I’d actively avoid seeking out your restaurant. You’ve made the establishment look unprofessional. Personally, I’d take it down and refrain from replying to reviews in future. Advertise your menus on platforms that do not rely on likes and comments if you don’t want any negative feedback on your offerings.

She is allowed to voice an opinion

Not as a review of somewhere. You are supposed to speak from experience. Google reviews are not the place for a debate about whether restaurants should serve certain types of meat.

I think your response is petty tbh. It would put me off going, even if other reviews are good.

It’s not ridiculous of this person to leave the rating, if its something like fois gras then people are perfectly entitled to make their feelings known, people who care can boycott you and people who don’t care don’t (assuming it’s not shark fin soup).

They can make their feelings known, but they shouldn't leave a review if they haven't eaten in the restaurant. That's misleading.

That said, I do think the response was petty and she should delete it and report the 'review' as not being genuine.

I’ve been to a producer and actually seen it being made, gavage and all. The French don’t seem to be as squeamish about these things as the British.

I think some posters here are responsible for the unintentionally hilarious, tedious, long winded irrelevant views on TripAdvisor. Because it's their opinion and it's a free country, innit?

Maybe have a look at how much unnecessary suffering is involved in dairy production. Ask yourself where most of those veal calves come from.

And that's without even starting on pork or chicken. About a billion chickens are killed per year in the UK for food consumption and if you buy your chicken in the supermarket, you're buying chicken that had a horrible life.

It absolutely is hypocritical to complain about veal or foie gras if you eat meat of any kind, and I'd even say if you eat dairy (which I do, btw, so I include myself in that too).

I'd never eat an octopus though. Not since I saw that Netflix film 😢

We've a local restauranteur famed for his replies to idiots. He's entertaining.

I've seen complaints because walk ins couldn't get a table because it was fully booked. I've seen complaints because there were stairs to a first floor restaurant. Complaints about bottomless brunch where the manager refused to refill a glass because the party were absolutely plastered.

I’m glad you commented on this.

Does the original poster mean she only eats meat from animals with a low IQ.

LuckySantangelo35

Well if you look again the post I quoted was someone claiming they wouldn’t eat at a restaurant that serves octopus as they are “amazing, intelligent” animals.

I sincerely hope that person never holidays in the med as they’ll find the only option open to them is a Burger King!

And yes I generally do find it hypocritical to say “oh il eat pig but I won’t eat deer” - for “ethical” reasons - you have no idea how any animal has been treated before it’s been killed or how it has been slaughtered. I wouldn’t eat foie gras as I don’t like the thought of how it has made it to my plate however I wouldn’t boycott a restaurant because of it - I’d just think “not for me”.

@Shade17

so you honestly think it’s worth subjecting an animal to gavage just so that you can have the pleasure of eating it’s liver??

Pigs btw are extremely intelligent - I think more so than octopi.