# Just got scolded from the chef for a YELP review! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 5, 2013, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-scolded-from-the-chef-for-a-yelp-review/652093 "2013-03-05T15:33:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![eenerms](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cdc98d/32.png) [@eenerms](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eenerms)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-scolded-from-the-chef-for-a-yelp-review/652093/1 "2013-03-05T15:33:17Z")
Yikes! He told me NEVER come back because the problems I had with the service and food was my fault…okay then. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-scolded-from-the-chef-for-a-yelp-review/652093/2 "2013-03-05T15:36:16Z")
Details? Like if you ordered the steak extra-well done, maybe the chef could have a point. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-scolded-from-the-chef-for-a-yelp-review/652093/3 "2013-03-05T15:38:47Z")
Or complained about the inconsistency of their _soupe du jour_. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-scolded-from-the-chef-for-a-yelp-review/652093/4 "2013-03-05T15:42:30Z")
I am shocked that a chef did not respond to criticism with gratitude. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ea5d25/32.png) [@Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Scrappy_Hero_Pup)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-scolded-from-the-chef-for-a-yelp-review/652093/5 "2013-03-05T15:49:16Z")
How is he going to recognize you? ---
**Author:** ![eenerms](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cdc98d/32.png) [@eenerms](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eenerms)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-scolded-from-the-chef-for-a-yelp-review/652093/6 "2013-03-05T15:51:14Z")
It was our 25 th wedding anniversary, made reservations at a well established local restaurant. It has a great reputation, and I thought the food/service would be great. It was mediocre at best. No flavor in the mash spuds and the halibut had scorched herbs on it. The fish was cooked right but the herbs made it bitter. Our server was loud and inattentive . The chef said that was my problem because the table NEXT to us had some seniors citizens who were hard hearing…😕 then he told me never to come back. Ok then. ---
**Author:** ![eenerms](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cdc98d/32.png) [@eenerms](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eenerms)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-scolded-from-the-chef-for-a-yelp-review/652093/7 "2013-03-05T15:53:12Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I am shocked that a chef did not respond to criticism with gratitude. I wasn’t excepting the scold is all. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-scolded-from-the-chef-for-a-yelp-review/652093/8 "2013-03-05T15:55:04Z")
Only one thing you can do now. Post the same review on Urban Spoon, and every other restaurant review site you can find. ---
**Author:** ![dogbutler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dogbutler/32/428_2.png) [@dogbutler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dogbutler)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-scolded-from-the-chef-for-a-yelp-review/652093/9 "2013-03-05T15:57:18Z")
Lucky you didn’t say anything about the dirty knife. ---
**Author:** ![Nancarrow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c37758/32.png) [@Nancarrow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nancarrow)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-scolded-from-the-chef-for-a-yelp-review/652093/10 "2013-03-05T16:01:37Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > Or complained about the inconsistency of their _soupe du jour_. Or the plasticy flavour of their root vegetables. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-scolded-from-the-chef-for-a-yelp-review/652093/11 "2013-03-05T16:21:45Z")
> [@eenerms](#): > > It was our 25 th wedding anniversary, made reservations at a well established local restaurant. It has a great reputation, and I thought the food/service would be great. It was mediocre at best. No flavor in the mash spuds and the halibut had scorched herbs on it. The fish was cooked right but the herbs made it bitter. Our server was loud and inattentive . The chef said that was my problem because the table NEXT to us had some seniors citizens who were hard hearing..😕 then he told me never to come back. Ok then. You sound high-maintenance. The chef was correct. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-scolded-from-the-chef-for-a-yelp-review/652093/12 "2013-03-05T16:31:20Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > You sound high-maintenance. The chef was correct. Unless they made a scene at the restaurant and refused to pay their dinner bill the chef was absolutely wrong. The right thing to do would be to post a reply to the negative review and apologize for the poor dining experience and ask them to return another night so that he could personally take care of them. Then put poison in the complimentary desert at the end of the meal. ---
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-scolded-from-the-chef-for-a-yelp-review/652093/13 "2013-03-05T16:33:17Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > Unless they made a scene at the restaurant and refused to pay their dinner bill the chef was absolutely wrong. > > The right thing to do would be to post a reply to the negative review and apologize for the poor dining experience and ask them to return another night so that he could personally take care of them. Then put poison in the complimentary desert at the end of the meal. Yeah, this. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-scolded-from-the-chef-for-a-yelp-review/652093/14 "2013-03-05T16:37:03Z")
> [@dogbutler](#): > > Lucky you didn’t say anything about the dirty knife. [😃](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwZaqZaRe78) ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-scolded-from-the-chef-for-a-yelp-review/652093/15 "2013-03-05T16:41:34Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > You sound high-maintenance. The chef was correct. Burnt herbs and poor service? No way. Maybe that’s to be expected at a diner, but not at a decent restaurant, and it’s classless for a chef to blame everything on the customer. ---
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-scolded-from-the-chef-for-a-yelp-review/652093/16 "2013-03-05T16:43:08Z")
> [@eenerms](#): > > It was our 25 th wedding anniversary, made reservations at a well established local restaurant. It has a great reputation, and I thought the food/service would be great. It was mediocre at best. No flavor in the mash spuds and the halibut had scorched herbs on it. The fish was cooked right but the herbs made it bitter. Our server was loud and inattentive . The chef said that was my problem because the table NEXT to us had some seniors citizens who were hard hearing..😕 then he told me never to come back. Ok then. Well, it doesn’t sound like you’d want to go back for one. But I’m still hazy as to when he told you never to come back? Did he respond on the Yelp review or in person? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-scolded-from-the-chef-for-a-yelp-review/652093/17 "2013-03-05T16:43:47Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > The right thing to do would be to post a reply to the negative review and apologize for the poor dining experience and ask them to return another night so that he could personally take care of them. Then put poison in the complimentary desert at the end of the meal. That would be the smart thing to do (except for the poison, that might lead to more bad reviews). I imagine in this case the chef was just expressing his own frustration with bad reviews online that could come from anywhere, including his competitors or trolls. He may not connected the review to the OP, or heard some made up story from a server, but I think he’s probably suffering as most restaurant owners are now and just blew a fuse. ---
**Author:** ![eenerms](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cdc98d/32.png) [@eenerms](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eenerms)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-scolded-from-the-chef-for-a-yelp-review/652093/18 "2013-03-05T16:52:13Z")
> [@stpauler](#): > > Well, it doesn’t sound like you’d want to go back for one. But I’m still hazy as to when he told you never to come back? Did he respond on the Yelp review or in person? He responded on YELP and remembered me from that evening, because I told the manager when we left, also the chef owner’s wife was in the area when I complained. ---
**Author:** ![BottledBlondJeanie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/0ea827/32.png) [@BottledBlondJeanie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BottledBlondJeanie)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-scolded-from-the-chef-for-a-yelp-review/652093/19 "2013-03-05T16:56:20Z")
He may have just blown a fuse and a job. \*\* Crafter Man\*\* are you serious? It was their 25th anniversary dinner, I suspect we’re not taking Texas Roadhouse or PF Changs. Burnt herbs would likely ruin even the best food, and good service is to be expected at most places, but certainly at a ‘special occasion’ place that the OP mentioned. That said, OP, did you talk to anyone at the restaurant about your complaints before posting? It could have been an off night, a key employee could have quit/been fired/ not shown up. The herbs were likely an underling’s responsibility. I would want the restaurant to know and give them a chance to explain or make things right. But you were perfectly within your rights to post a review. The chef was way out of line (goofy kitchen pun intended). ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-scolded-from-the-chef-for-a-yelp-review/652093/20 "2013-03-05T16:56:25Z")
You should respond back to his response and say something like, “Well, at least I didn’t complain about all the cockroaches running around your kitchen.” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-scolded-from-the-chef-for-a-yelp-review/652093.md?page=2)