Comments on: I Don’t Believe In Yelp!

By: e*star

e*star — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 19:35:14 +0000

@yinyang: Thanks so much for coming by again! It’s been such a long while. I totally agree with you on Yelp! yet again. I’ve gotten a couple tips from Chowhound, which were somewhat helpful but then again, the food blogs trump all.

(cowers head for poor cooking skills) tee hee.

By: yinyang

yinyang — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 18:31:40 +0000

Hi hi, it’s been awhile since I read your blog since you switched over. I now have you on my google reader. I do enjoy your reading your experiences!

I had a similar experience with yelp as well. Initially I found it fascinating but realized how sub-par the reviewers were. Sometimes I think, who are they to judge when they can’t even cook themselves. How would they know good from bad food if they can’t even tell me what’s missing to make it better? Also, alot of non LA folks have higher expectations bc they think it’s an “LA” restaurant. OR they are shocked by the “LA attitude.” Come on, folks, you’re in the “city.” I also dislike folks that ONLY try trendy expensive places and refrain from hole in the walls. What the heck, isn’t that what makes LA so distinct - all of the hole in the walls?! Heh.

I do like chowhound, although the search option could be better. It pulls up outdated items and it’s hard to navigate!

I agree with you - food blogs are the best way to go. You can see why/which restraunts the blogger likes and even get a taste to their cooking style. I tend to trust a blogger that can cook, which is my own personal bias Although, if they have great taste, a sensible food budget and poor cooking skills, I won’t hold it against them either! Sorry, for the long comment. I love fooding! Have a good one!

By: franksabunch

franksabunch — Sun, 18 May 2008 05:36:59 +0000

Hey CUZ! I have a yelp account and find that many of the elite people are just idiots who review just to have their numbers up. Real reviews that are helpful are few and far between. It’s all relative, as well. Many people rate the sushi places in my town as excellent when in reality they would be horrendous compared to places in SF or LA!

Hope all is well with you!!!! (I sent you an add request on yelp, tho you don’t use it anymore, haha)

By: e*star

e*star — Sat, 17 May 2008 22:06:06 +0000

@twolims: Haha, that’s insane. Pretty telling, huh? It’s as if they’ve actually run out of things to review!

@albolin: Actually, I have yet to check out Chowhound on a regular basis. That would be a good way to narrow down the reviews, actually.

By: albolin

albolin — Fri, 16 May 2008 20:51:05 +0000

i’m a fan of chowhound, not yelp. yelp needs to find a way to segment the members. or have a feature like amazon where they can recommend other places based on other people with similar tastes.

By: twolims

twolims — Fri, 16 May 2008 19:51:40 +0000

I find yelp to be one of the most non-helpful websites. I have yet to create an account. What really annoys me are people who write reviews for grocery stores, Walmarts, Costcos, Targets, McDonalds??? No joke!

By: e*star

e*star — Fri, 16 May 2008 19:44:42 +0000

@codemunky: I wonder how a test for cheapskates would figure. “How much do you tip? a) 25%, b)20%, c)15%, d)10%, e) What’s “tip?”

@soulst0p: Now I’m thinking, maybe we just expect too much from people on the internet.

@Robbie: “Snarky” would be an accurate way to describe it. I would like to be a fly on the wall at one of these gatherings … for about a minute, and not a minute more.

By: Robbie

Robbie — Fri, 16 May 2008 15:39:43 +0000

I find yelp to be way too snarky, the posts try way too hard to have an edge and everyone comes off as if they’re trying to be the popular kid…and I’ve been to some Yelp sponsored parties in NYC and they are far from it! I’ve never seen so many geeky people act like they’re the shit just for being at a lame web 2.0 sponsored event. I like the concept but somewhere along the line a very ugly user base took it to a sour direction.

By: soulst0p

soulst0p — Thu, 15 May 2008 22:42:11 +0000

very very true. Yelp is too much of a social thing, where people THINK they’re in the know, but most aren’t. Yelp is only useful for places that aren’t actually popular or known. And with most cases, you have to take reader reviews with a grain of salt.

And that whole Elite thing? Some of those people really shouldn’t be…

By: codemunky

codemunky — Thu, 15 May 2008 19:56:46 +0000

Yelp exists for amateurs to post their tips and reviews. And they don’t discriminate against cheapskates.

I was invited to a party by a friend, which I later found out that it was a Yelp gathering, which for some funny reason, the venue where it was held at got some mixed reviews. It was humorous looking at the awkwardness when “yelpers” interacted with one another.