Bill Make the front page of Pacific Business News! - Honolulu restaurant owners, chefs give Yelp mixed reviews

Some say social media platform isn’t fair; others try to influence the process


Story by Stephanie Silverstein Reporter-Pacific Business News  Email  | Twitter

Nowadays, customers are giving less on-the-spot feedback to restaurant managers about the quality of food or service during a dining experience.

Yelp, which has been around for nearly a decade, and other social media websites have grown in popularity to the point where restaurant patrons are now more likely to share their opinions online with a wider audience and, potentially, have a bigger impact.

And, given that social media prevents the need for a face-to-face encounter, some of the comments and reviews are more critical and potentially more damaging than one patron telling one shift manager, chef or owner about ...

I use Yelp as a tool to motivate my staff says Bill Tobin co-owner of Tikis Grill  Bar We thought that we could better influence the process by being involved Others disagree

Enlarge  -Photo by Tina Yuen

‘I use Yelp as a tool to motivate my staff,’ says Bill Tobin, co-owner of Tiki’s Grill & Bar. ‘We thought that we could better influence the process by being involved.’ Others disagree..........


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Stephanie Silverstein covers tourism, retail and money for Pacific Business News.