Yelp Smack Down: Is There a Wrong Way To Respond to Online Reviews?

The Internet is gleefully enjoying a smack down a New York bar owner gave an unimpressed customer on Yelp.

The owner of The Iron Horse NYC, located in the city’s Financial District, has struck back at Megan B. — the user who took to Yelp to vent her frustrations, leaving a one-star review after having an unfavorable experience at the dive bar.

“Wouldn’t recommend this to eat or for a quiet drink,” Megan wrote. “I met some friends here at 3 p.m. in the afternoon and the music was so loud we couldn’t hear each other. The service was terrible just to get a drink at the bar. The food was also terrible.”

Bad service aside, who goes to a dive bar for a great dining experience and a quiet drink?

While the original Yelp review and response appear to have been removed, the owners’ (Zbigniew S.) polite, yet withering response is still available on its Facebook page.

Zbigniew seems to understand that a negative review can hurt any business. So, he quickly responded to Megan’s negative review saying: “I read other reviews you posted on Yelp for places you have also visited. It seems you like quiet coffee shops and fancy food, none of which we have ever advertised to provide. Please note our description on Yelp even says: ambiance – divey; noise level – loud.”

To be fair, the Yelper complained about bad food and poor service too. But again, dive bars aren’t exactly well known for their upscale dining experience or their service. Rather, they are known for being affordable and rowdy. A dive bar is the kind place where you can spill a drink and no one will look twice.

Zbigniew tells Megan that she needs to ‘realign her expectations’ and sums up his views saying: “I give you 1 star as you are terrible at finding bars and restaurants that suit your tastes. I’ll give you more stars if you come back and have a drink with me.”

You’ve got to admire how the management slipped drink and food prices into their rant.

“Where else in the area can you get a a beer for $2,” the owner asks. “Where else can you get a nearly half-pound freshly made burger including a draft beer for only $10?”

But one has to wonder, is this really the best way to respond to online reviews that are negative?

Speaking of negative reviews, here are a few great ideas on how you can keep bad reviews from hurting your business.

Smack Down Image via Shutterstock

This article, "Yelp Smack Down: Is There a Wrong Way To Respond to Online Reviews?" was first published on Small Business Trends