An enraged customer has taken to Yelp! to disparage the brand-new Allston Diner, claiming among other things that the restaurant posted fake five-star reviews and that the staff is incompetent. Instead of letting the Yelper rant and then slink into obscurity, the Allston Diner responded (never a good idea), and things quickly cascaded downhill.
Angry “Mike M.” called his meal at the diner “the worst dining experience of my life,” going on to accuse the restaurant of plying Yelp with phony positive reviews. “Mark B.” from the Allston Diner took the bait, actually welcoming insults in a public forum and asking Mike M. to expand.
Of course, Mike M. willingly responded, accusing the staff of “bumping” into one another and arguing in front of customers; failing to bring food in a timely manner; and serving stuff that looked like it was prepared by a “10-year-old.” Even the menus themselves managed to get Mike M.’s dander up: They look like something printed on a home printer! he scowled.
Enter Mark B. once more. He seemed to know all about Mike M. already, probably hearing about him from his disgruntled staff. Because, you see, Mark B. was able to fire back in explicit detail, accusing angry Mike M. of being wacko. “Apparently as evidenced by staff present and fellow customers your behavior was beyond the acceptable tolerance of normalcy,” he (diplomatically) replied. So basically everyone was talking about crazy Mike M. after he abandoned his shabby menu and Home Ec-style breakfast and went home.
It gets better: “Our kitchen staff is committed to accomodate [sic] specific menu requests; however your request for ‘corn beef out of a can’ is simply one that is impossible to fulfill.” No truer words have been spoken! Does such a thing even exist? Isn’t it called SPAM?
Anyway, poor Mark B. We feel for him. One rogue Yelper can destroy a new restaurant’s reputation, and really, anyone who wants to eat “corn beef out of a can” deserves scorn to begin with. Hopefully he’ll realize that engaging with miffed Yelpers is a thankless task indeed and perhaps consider printing his corn-beef-free menus on nicer paper.
Allston Diner Yelp Drama [Allston Rat City]
