Yelp
Yelp.com YELP removed my negative review of a local restaurant... Four times! Internet

Do not believe the reviews you read at Yelp.com. I posted the factual review below after eating at the Woodbury Station Cafe last week. Apparently Yelp hid it under "Filtered Reviews" where nobody will see it. Go ahead, find it if you can. Seeing that, the friend who ate with me that day posted the same review more under his own name but each time it was moved to "Filtered" where nobody will see it. I went to consumer complaints intending to post a general warning there, only to find 55 others saying the same thing about Yelp reviews.

Yelp's explanation about filtering reviews says they do it when they believe a review is posted by the business to make itself look good or by a competitor for the opposite reason. This is neither. I am simply a customer who ate there and got good service but mediocre food. If that's not why people post on Yelp and go to Yelp to read reviews then I simply don't understand the reason for Yelp's existence... Except maybe as a shill for businesses, businesses that probably support them.

Here's my review again. I wrote it carefully to make it as factual as possible. If Yelp intends to dump it again, the least they could do is email me about it first stating their reasons. Note: I posted this entire note as a new review but it immediately went to "Filtered" so apparently both my friend and I are now blackballed by Yelp.

"A friend and I stopped in for breakfast at about 10 AM yesterday. We were promptly seated outside in a brick porch area enclosed by clear plastic. The idea is nice but noise from truck traffic and a seriously rocking table made us wish we were inside the quaint dining room instead.

Both of us chose the Ashcat breakfast, described on the menu as "2 Buckwheat or regular pancakes with real maple syrup, 2 eggs to order plus fruit medley - choice of meat." BTW, don't go by the Woodbury Station Cafe's online menu. It's incomplete and the prices have been raised by 25% since it was posted.

Buckwheat pancakes are usually darker than regular pancakes but mine were burnt nearly black, my scrambled eggs were overcooked (actually browned) and the single, small piece of scrapple had been deep fried until it was hard and dry.

My friend's regular pancakes were good but his eggs were like mine and his sausage was two McDonalds sausage patties. I'm serious, they looked and tasted exactly like the ones McDonalds serves in breakfast sandwiches! Microwaved pre-cooked sausage anyone?

For both of us the "fruit medley" was several small pieces of orange, a small wedge of strawberry, one grape and a single blueberry, all served in the kind of disposable plastic cup included with cough medicines. Worse, they must have been sitting out for quite a while because orange and strawberry pieces were dried out and unappetizing.

The best part of our experience was our server, who was pleasant, prompt and attentive. However, on our way out we saw a man we assumed to be the owner chewing her out loudly and publicly for some infraction so I wouldn't be surprised if she seeks employment elsewhere.in any case, that's the sort of thing usually done in private, not in front of customers.

With two cups of coffee, our breakfast bill came to $26.10. Adding a well earned $7 tip brought it to $33.10.

We won't be back. If this normal for the Woodbury Station Cafe and you want to experience it, better get there while it's still open."

As I said, don't believe the reviews you read on Yelp. I didn't think the above review was unfair, just factual, but apparently it was judged too negative to be seen by Yelp readers.

Company: Yelp
Country: USA
Site: yelp.com

  <     >