Just a couple of days ago, we were giddy because chef Graham Elliot finally unveiled a rendering of his highly anticipated Grahamwich, which is set to open in River North.
No actual opening date has been disclosed yet, but mysteriously the restaurant somehow has two "reviews" already on the Yelp site:
From Michael J.: My wife and I were downtown and had recently read a review of Graham Elliot Bowles new endever [sic], a sandwich shop. The Chicago magazine made it seem like an enteresting [sic] spot and Chef Bowles is a happening food personality, the only problem is the joint isn't open yet. It was a pleasant walk ruined...
From Nellie R.: I live in Austin, TX and I probably won't get to go to Graham Elliot's sandwich shop for quite some time but I am absolutely sure that open, closed or 1600 miles away, it's going to be worth waiting for.
Chicago Magazine said "Sounds beyond cool" which would seem to evidence the fact that they have not actually been there either. Perhaps my predecessor should have called in advance? Or maybe yelp shouldn't allow restaurants to be rated until they're actually turning a dime?
While it's vaguely obnoxious, in the interest of balancing things out and illustrating the irony here, I thought I'd give Mr. Bowles 5 stars due to the current lack of common sense in rating or allowing consumers to rate a place before you've actually had a meal or experienced any service there. I am basing this review on the fact that I love pork belly... which is almost as silly as basing a review on a "pleasant walk ruined."
How is this even possible and why would the editor behind Yelp even approve such "reviews" for an establishment that not only is not open, but still under construction?! Someone over there at the Yelp headquarters needs to rethink the editorial policies if they want us to take them serious.
You can read both "reviews" here.
What do you think about Yelp's policy to allow reviews for unopened restaurants?!
4 comments:
a) No one "approves" the reviews.
b) You can flag the review as inappropriate. 3 flags and the reviews automatically removed. This goes for both 5* and 1* reviews.
This is the way of the Yelp, it ain't going away. They don't deem it broken, and they're still the top game in town.
The system is working well. The initial review has already been removed. Of course, there are now 10 5-star reviews written today, but I assume they will also disappear.
Glad to hear that it's gone, but would it have if it had not been for the media coverage?!
I'm sure this problem has gone under the radar many times for those who are less in the media spotlight.
I think the only reason there's any commotion around this is because it was a somewhat negative review. What if the Yelp review had been about anticipating Graham Elliot's new sandwich shop because his other restaurant is so good? Yeah, I'd bet there'd be no squeal from Elliot and his posse then. Elliot likes publicity and the badder, the better, it seems.
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