Whoa, oh wow, do I wish there was a Chicago version of Yelp. I would love to write a scathing review of the schmucks at Japonais. Wait, there is! Ha - you're going down you snooty swine!
Where Everyone Is a Critic | Chicago Tribune Yelp.com enables ordinary customers to tout or trash. For owners of restaurants and shops, it's no longer business as usual.Sorry, the hot dog vendor said, no more veggie dogs. Then, as a disappointed Monica Lee ordered fries instead, his gaze drifted south and settled on her chest.
Awkward pause.
“I'm scared of you guys,” he said finally, pointing to Lee's olive-green lapel pin for Yelp.com, a website on which Bay Area hipsters post reviews of hot dog stands, five-star restaurants, corner bars and neighborhood hardware stores.
A few good words on Yelp can make cash registers ring. Enough dings — like, say, no veggie dogs or a rude waitress — can put a dent in business. Although the Internet is blamed for debasing public discourse with anonymous and poorly punctuated tirades, the amateur reviews posted on Yelp may be helping restore gentility and customer service to businesses all over town.
“It's something of a remedy for the anonymity of the city,” said UCLA professor David Halle, director of the university's LeRoy Neiman Center for the Study of American Society and Culture.
Cities are full of people who frequent particular places, such as restaurants, health clubs and museums, Halle said, but they rarely interact with one another. Websites such as Yelp enable them to build common-interest communities.
I'm actually too lazy at the moment to describe our entire experience at Japonais yesterday, suffice it to say, we walked out after only having soup (and half a beer). As a study in contrast, we ate lunch today outside at Meiji, and the service and food were impeccable. I could eat a bowl of Sakura Chawan-mushi every week.
Tags: restaurant, /West_Loop
