As mentioned in this Ask George article, Yelp is both loved and loathed by restaurant owners. They live in constant fear of negative reviews and are often at odds as to how best handle them.
John Johnson, who’s owned the Broadway Oyster Bar for close to 20 years, is the rare owner who attempts to reply to all Yelp reviews, be they positive or negative.
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“When it’s good, I thank them, and try to personalize the response,” he says. “When we mess up, I admit it, apologize, and try to make it up to them. When I disagree, I do so in a civil manner, but I try to get the restaurant’s point across at the same time.”
In the following instance, he dissected a Yelper’s rant like a trial attorney, point by point, invoking logic and common sense.
Johnson said that since the Oyster Bar is always busy and because of its high rating (4.5 stars on Yelp), he’s “lucky to be in a position where I can push back at least some of the time. Other restaurant owners feel they can’t address a review truthfully, fearing an even greater backlash, and not wanting to fan the flames. My intent is always to be civilized about it and not resort to name calling, as sometimes happens, but simply state my case. Restaurant owners shouldn’t have to apologize to every customer just because every one of their wants and needs couldn’t be met, because they can’t.”
Here’s what occurred, according to Yelper Mary S, of St. Louis:
In a conversation with SLM, Johnson explained the situation differently:
“A party of 14 arrived on a busy Saturday night and said they had a reservation, except we don’t take reservations. They reconvened as a party of nine, when they were told of the challenge of seating such a large number. The host said there would be an 8-top coming open soon, and that if they didn’t mind being a little tight, that they could put another chair at that table (something that restaurants are reluctant to do). The party sat down, at which point the remaining five people showed up immediately, carrying in chairs from the outside, and tried to position them around the table—14 were now at an 8-top.
“They were in the aisle, had backed into the tables around them, trapping them in, and regardless of that, we knew that we couldn’t serve them that way anyway, and told them that,” Johnson said, “which is when one of them got upset and starting dropping F-bombs, very loudly, to our manager, for everybody to hear.”
Another table was offered for the party of five, but that did not go over well. The manager held his ground, and the party left, “and that would have been the end of it and should have been the end of it,” Johnson said, “but then they wrote a Yelp review, which wasn’t even a review, since they didn’t eat or drink anything. That’s when I decided I needed to say something.”
Here is his complete response:
The reaction from the public was quick, voluminous, and largely in support of Johnson. SLM counted 36 Yelp “reviews” from prior customers (and potential customers), many of whom had penciled in the Oyster Bar as a must-visit as a matter of principle. Johnson cited several people who were making a trip just to shake his hand. (Many of the attaboy reviews have since been taken down by Yelp).
It doesn’t happen often, but this is rare example of a one-star Yelp review actually benefiting a restaurant.
Mary S. responded to Johnson’s comment (below), who chose not to re-engage.
