As Boston University junior Stephen Maouyo waits at Petit Robert Bistro in Kenmore Square for his steak frites, he sits at the window table awarded to him only after a snubbed to the booth seat the cheerful hostess initially offered.
Minutes later, his entree arrives. He slices it open ‘-‘- a slightly pinker hue than desired.
‘I’ll certainly mention on Yelp the great appetizer,’ Maouyo says between sips of Chimay. ‘But the fact that the steak came slightly rare is going to cost them a decent rating. Our waiter also took some time to refill my water.’
In today’s digital world, Maouyo is not limited to leaving a short tip to express his sentiment. Instead, he can take revenge like many amateur critics who regularly post on the website Yelp.com.
With 4.5 million opinions for over 16.5 million visitors, Yelp might make food criticism more egalitarian, however, there are certain aspects the professional promises readers, such as credibility and editing, that are lost.’ ‘
MC Slim JB is a contributor to the Boston Phoenix and to Yelp. As a veteran of the restaurant industry, with a ‘lifelong obsession with finding food and drink,’ MC Slim JB, first discovered on ChowHound.com ‘-‘- a peer-reviewed forum site similar to Yelp –‘-‘- claims to have a better grasp of what the restaurant is trying to achieve over the average consumer.
‘ ‘I tend to focus on what’s good about a place. If it’s really terrible, I will delay or kill the review; bad places tend to either improve or disappear,’ he said in an email. ‘I think amateurs tend to overestimate how valuable the excoriating slam reviews is to other readers,’ he said.’
Matthew Kemp, manager of Petit Robert Bistro said that although he likes the idea of Yelp he still favors professional journalists.
‘ ‘I see that [professional food critics] have a moral code and experience. They try to find out what the restaurant is trying to offer. It’s all about whether that is achieved or not,’ Kemp said. ‘These critics have gone to the restaurant multiple times, under different circumstances and see how the restaurant really works.’
In a New York Times feature on French chefs, French journalist Michael Johnson raved about Petit Robert Bistro. Kellie Speed, a writer with over 20 years of food criticism experience, reviewed Petit Robert, writing ‘There are few places that can transport you to Europe with generous portions, gracious service and reasonably-priced entrees.’ The Boston Globe gave the bistro an overall review of three stars, an excellent rating.
Anya Furman, a 24-year old graduate student and Yelper, does not read restaurant reviews; she immediately opts for a click to Yelp. Furman also reviewed Petit Robert Bistro, writing, ‘This is a mediocre restaurant at best. The chicken I had tasted like Shaw’s rotisserie chicken. Avoid.’
MC Slim JB is still wary of the average Yelper.
‘I have to build up a level of trust in an individual reviewer over time before I start listening to their advice. ‘I don’t need advice from someone whose favorite restaurant might be the Cheesecake Factory.’
It is difficult to ignore the ever-augmenting pool of reviews on Yelp. Although online review forums are peppered with biased reports and extremely subjective writing, it is important to take these amateur reviews ‘-‘- the potential future of food writing ‘-‘- with a grain of salt.
This is an account occasionally used by the Daily Free Press editors to post archived posts from previous iterations of the site or otherwise for special circumstance publications. See authorship info on the byline at the top of the page.
