Eater Chicago launched its second-annual Eater Awards Monday, and boy did it get ugly this time around in the comments section.
Things were pretty routine in categories like Restaurant of the Year and Chef of the Year, but when the poll for Bartender of the Year went live, the comments were so nasty and personal that Eater editor Ari Bendersky had to shut them down in less than 24 hours.
The issue, according to many of the commenters who work in the industry, was that they felt that some of Chicago's best bartenders had been snubbed. Of note were Paul McGee (The Whistler), Josh Pearson (Sepia), Matty Eggleston (Perennial Virant) and Ben Schiller (Boka Restaurant Group)—who actually won last year's contest.
There was also strong opposition against a few of the bartenders who made the list, but hey, it's Eater's poll so they can pick whomever they want.