Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Yelp Backlash



Here's a new twist. In the past few months there has been somewhat of a backlash against online sites such as Chowhound and Yelp where anyone with a mouth and a keyboard, basically, can fancy themselves a restaurant critic. Some chefs and restaurateurs have even bashed these sites in interviews and even I, the champion of free speech and civil liberties for everyone, have to admit that some postings on these sites really scrape the bottom of the barrel. Some people wouldn't know fine cuisine if they stepped in it and others have stepped in things better than what they've given glowing reviews for.

So, when we saw this sign hanging in the window of Kickass Cupcakes we had to give it a hearty applause. I guess they don't call them kickass for nothing. Right on man!!

8 comments:

  1. But, honestly, they make lousy cupcakes. One doesn't have to be much of a gourmand to evaluate a cupcake. We vastly prefer Lyndell's. Actually, we prefer almost anyone's over theirs.

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  2. While I totally agree that yelp can be ridiculously and hilariously untrustworthy, there are some places that deserve the ire of the crowd. Kickass cupcakes being one.

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  3. Your rant about sites like Yelp and Chowhound...how is your blog any different?

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  4. While I am absolutely no fan of Yelp, if people on Yelp do hate Kickass Cupcakes, I have to say this is one area of agreement between us. If the KAC folks would spend less time ego-surfing and more time creating cupcakes that don't taste bland and stale, they would be more worthy of the name.

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  5. This was in no way an endorsement of cupcake product. In fact, we've reviewed several cupcake bakeries in former posts and Kickass came up last. Of course everyone is entitled to their opinion. Just take them for what they are worth and thanks for all the comments.

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  6. fully functional tastebudsMay 20, 2009 at 11:17 PM

    Ditto to above comments. I take everything I read on yelp and any review - professional or not - with a grain of salt. Opinions are also just that, opinions. My 2 cents on KAC - tried them twice, and they were only ok, at 2x the price. Not worth it for me.

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  7. Someone brought Kickass Cupcakes to our house for a party one day, and I tried one and I couldn't even get halfway through the thing! I'd rather eat a Hostess Cupcake than one of theirs! Gotta agree with the masses on this one, unfortunately.

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  8. You make it sounds like Chowhound and Yelp are equivalent. I feel like this is a lot like saying "news magazines such as the Economist and the National Enquirer." OK, maybe not quite to that extent, but they're not the same.

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