London’s best restaurant

On Tripadvisor, the garden arbor of a reporter for the Vice magazine became London’s best restaurant. Oobah Butler, the name of the reporter, had planned it for a long time ago. The ingredients: a website, a logo, and exclusivity (no address, tables by appointment only). Butler uploaded softly drawn photos of his dishes, which he called “contemplation,” “desire,” and “love.” In fact, these consisted of shaving cream, colored toilet blocks and rinsing sponges. Ordered 5-star reviews from his friends made “The Shed at Dulwich” go up in the TripAdvisor rankings. After a few weeks, Butler’s gazebo was among the best 10,000 restaurants in the city, after three months at number 156. After six months, the arbor of the last (18 149) had climbed to first place – although a restaurant had never existed before and never had served a dish. “If I can turn my garden into London’s best restaurant, then almost anything is possible,” said Butler.

Worst restaurant on Yelp

Davide Cerretini, the owner of the Italian restaurant “Botto Bistro” in Richmond, California, took the opposite route. He wanted to be the restaurant with the worst rating on Yelp. Cerretini spent about $ 250 a month advertising on the portal until he realized it did not do much. When he booked no more ads, 5-star ratings had disappeared, 1-star ratings would have increased, he recalled later. He felt bullied and wondered: What happens if I just reverse the power of the portal? He gave every guest who valued his restaurant a single star up to 50% off a pizza. More than 3000 1-star ratings came together like this. The idea arose: The Bistro became the worst restaurant on Yelp – and a viral hit. Cerretini said, “It takes great chefs, great talent, and a great experience to get a Michelin star, but getting a 1-star rating on Yelp requires a lot more.“