Found a restaurant on Google Maps with solid reviews, so I figured I’d see what the fuss was about.
Portions were massive and prices were low, but the food was just meh, and the service sucked the first time I went. The waiters looked like they hated their jobs.
I was hungover and in a bad mood that day, so I ended up writing a long and detailed review that mostly focused on what I didn’t like about the place.
Fast forward to today, I decided to give the place another shot. Surprisingly, everything was better this time. The service was good.
There was this guy walking around, recording videos of the place, and he kept stopping by my table to check if everything was okay or if I needed anything.
The way he kept staring at me and the attention he was giving me felt a bit off. I couldn’t help but feel like he knew exactly who I was for some reason. He seemed like the owner, and I eventually realized he was.
I finished my meal and asked for the check. The owner came over himself and handed me a piece of paper with a QR code. He looked at me straight in the eyes and said, “If you leave us a positive review, we’ll give you 50% off this time”
I was shocked he recognized me just from my Google Reviews profile photo, especially since I left that review months ago.
I felt super uncomfortable and just said “sure”. After that, I quickly deleted my old review and left a quick, positive one instead.
I had to wait a few minutes for the guy to come back, I flagged him down and just said “done”.
The funny part is, he didn’t even check if I actually left a review, he CLEARLY knew who I was. Couple of minutes later he came back with my check, and it had 50% off just like he said.
I felt extremely uncomfortable and dipped. Needless to say I won’t go back to that place ever again.
TL;DR: left a bad review on Google maps for a restaurant, went back to the restaurant several months later, the owner spotted me and offered me 50% off my check to leave them a review, hinting that he knew who I was.
Comments
Nice, 50% discount. Worth it.
Sounds like he took the review to heart and wanted to make you sure you were satisfied. They gave you 50% and you said it was better the second night. They valued having you there. No reason to stop going if you actually enjoyed it
Not a fu.
You left a review and the owner either listened to your original or wanted to make sure your next time didn’t suck.
The number of times I left an honest review that wasn’t glowing and been offered a discount to give them a second chance was surprising to me. I mean, even my “bad” reviews were pretty benign.
go back.
Yeah this sounds like a fantastic restaurant owner to be honest. Sometimes people let standards slip and don’t know how to fix them. Sounds like a good job on both parts.
Sounds like the guy made an earnest attempt to rectify your poor experience. As a small business owner, he knows that those reviews can significantly impact the success of his restaurant. What is your issue with that?
Honestly I’d go back and thank him for that. He sounds more like he was being hospitable than hostile. I feel like even the best restaurants have off nights.
Bro is afraid of consequences
I’d be a regular after that and rectify my prior review.
Or it was a promo he was offering people
I did that once op a Dairy Queen they didn’t want to honor a coupon the gm recognized me and gave me shit the next time I went in
Nah now you have to go back and pay full price with a good tip at least 3 more times. This dude did you a solid and I think it would be a great thing to show him that you feel good about going there.
Owner sprinkled crack in his food
You have to understand that a bad review can be devastating for restaurant sales. It sounds like you left a bad review because you were having a bad day not because there was any reason to actually leave a bad review. So it’s good that you made your wrong right, even if it was for 50% off.
God I wish more businesses were like this, being responsive to customers.
As a small local business owner, bad reviews sting…a lot. We generally get great reviews (4.7 stars on Google), but bad ones really make their mark. There are still some from years ago that I think about often. Customers don’t realize how much we try to give people the best experience, so yeah…they hurt.
Also, it’s incredible what percentage of bad reviews could have been fixed by simply talking to someone and tell them you had a problem. Most of the issues are fixable. But, some people just really want to feel powerful and leave a bad review.
I would’ve told him to keep the 50% and left the good review anyway. They obviously earned it.
Every retail business can have a bad day or evening, and unfortunately those instances are the ones that get the most reviews.
I mean, I get why he did it but for me it was a bit sketchy. he could have been “I know you did not have the best experience last time, and those sort of reviews kinda hurt us small businesses. I hope this time was better that makes you change the original rating”
offering the discount sounds like bribery to me.
Life hack
OP, you left a public review with your face and name, and you were uncomfortable and surprised when the owner recognized you? Dawg, it’s not like they’re stalking you, they probably just recognized your face after READING THE REVIEW YOU LEFT 😂. Title should be TIFU by not having any common sense
Well.. you probably helped the place in the end.
Not a tifu, your review helped him better his restaurant and he felt bad enough to comp half your meal. Plus he managed to get the bad review changed into a good one. It’s a win for both of you.
W restaurant. Give them the credit they deserve.
“I didn’t have a great experience, and the next time I went in, the owner did everything he could to address the issues and make sure my experience was much better. Then he offered me a big discount for my first experience not being up to expectations. I’ll never go back.”
What a goof OP is.
This sounds like a good restaurant owner, respect.
I don’t understand the part that makes you not want to go back. The owner seems like a nice dude.
I think the real lesson here is not to leave a review on a restaurant when you are in a bad mood bc it seems to haunt you and make you uncomfortable.
Maybe he recognized you. Maybe he didn’t. Either way he is trying to keep his restaurant going and did you a solid.
If you enjoyed it, go back! If you can’t own what you said, don’t say it. Seems the establishment takes this stuff seriously and you may have just made a new friend!
Honestly you should become a regular here. This guy knows how to run a business
That’s how businesses should work actually.
Go back. You probably helped him with an issue he had.
Strike up a conversation with him. Thank him again for the discount the previous time. Who knows. He may become a friend!
Sounds like a win to me. You were unhappy with the service, gave it a second try which fulfilled your expectations, and the owner didn’t seem to come off as mad at your presence. And the only “price” to pay was to update the review you left with your new experience.
He cares a lot. Admirable honestly…
Lol you seems the type of person that can’t be pleased and always looks for the negative. The owner tried to fix it based on your review and give you 50% off and yet here we are, you still unhappy.
Sounds like an attentive business owner to me. And based on your wording of the original experience/review I have the feeling you were a little more harsh than necessary the first time around. Dude probably just really wanted to make a better impression this time. To you, this was just a night out and a meal. But this is his livelihood. Good customer reviews make all the difference.
I dont think you have any reason to feel outed, embarrassed or any of that sort. Seems like you had left an honest (albeit painful and salty) review that was justifiable and the owner made changes accordingly and had made vast improvements to the establishment. Sounds like it was a growing experience for them. I would actually bring some friends there to eat together. That’d be my sign of telling the owner that I appreciated the upgrade
So the consequences of your actions came back to bite you?
What’s the issue here? Sounds like they fixed their service, you went back and had a good experience and because of that deleted your old review, left a new one, and also got 50% off your bill. Don’t see the issue.
Oh man, I can see why this would be awkward – but I think the owner was just trying to make things right! A real bad owner would have chewed you out or something. I think this guy was really hoping to fix things? You should write up a nicer review if you have time. And if things really were better with this visit, you should go again and support the place! 🙂
A lot of people are saying you should go back, the guy tried to make it right, and all of that. That’s possible. But it’s also possible he runs a crappy place and just put in the effort because he recognized you. That would be bad! There’s a reason restaurant reviewers for major publications go under cover.
you can always say hey i wrote this review but now i genuinely feel that this was a huge improvement to the culinary culture of societ, i thank you for the high end service and fine dining experience. then do a deep japanese bow. my name is MUMG420 and i am an elite restaurant reviewer. i’ve traveled the world eating at some of the finest culinary institutions and i can say that this is just not any experience but an elite experience!
now you’ll be a regular. skipping the line and getting the vip table in the back. ordering from the secret menu. waiters will bring you free desserts at the end of your meal and keep your water full and cold.
Reviews are super important to small businesses, and especially for restaurants it can make or break them. Rather than just be angry and kick you out or something, they gave effort to make the second impression a good one. Go back
Sounds like the owner really cares. It’s not like he comment on your review and was an asshole. He really did try to be better the second time around. Also him offering 50% discount, I view as him thinking like a business man. Discounts (for the most part) motivate humans. What I can’t tell from your story is did you feel threatened or unsafe at any time during that interaction with him. If yes, then if I were you, I’d never go back to that restaurant. But if not then I don’t see a reason for blacklisting it. Running a restaurant is not an easy job. And every review counts!
The owner went above and beyond to fix your first Negative experience. That’s definitely worth going back.
I would be a regular at that place, you are valued there
I bet he put the super delicious poison in your food once he recognized you.
Wait, you’re not going back because the owner saw critique, took it seriously, improved, and gave you a discount for the bad experience?
What the heck could this place have done to keep your business? Pay for the babysitter?
They’ve earned repeat business.
No way in hell, would I eat at that restaurant again? You don’t know what they would put in your food as payback.
Filming me eat? Get to fuck already!
(But also op no more drunk reviews )
No soup for you!!
I’ve always wished restaurants could review customers