You know what they say: if you can't handle the heat, get out of the kitchen and...take it online? Alden & Harlow chef and owner Michael Scelfo found himself in the middle of a culinary controversy when he posted a photo to Instagram of two customers who riled up his staff and then threatened to post a negative review of the Cambridge restaurant on Yelp.
Here's how Scelfo described the situation:
Columnist Devra First of the Boston Globe chided Scelfo for not taking the high road, saying it opened up the uncomfortable possibility that the customers could face harassment at other restaurants. But food journalist Corby Kummer , who joined Boston Public Radio to discuss the subject, wasn't completely convinced.
"Having talked to enough chefs over the past few years about how they feel about being insulted on Yelp, they feel helpless. They feel mad as hell and they don't want to take it anymore," he said.
Kummer pointed out that, while other online services like Uber and Lyft offer a two-way review process—where both the service provider and the customer is rated—it can be difficult for chefs to counter bad reviews of their establishments online. Yelp offers some protections for chef, Kummer said, but he's never talked to one who was able to successfully take advantage of them.
Mostly, he wants to hear some more accounts of what happened before making a judgement call.
"I think we need to hear the staff's side of the story," he continued. "They obviously were being treated really badly by these customers. If they weren't, Scelfo wouldn't have been so angry," he said.
To hear more from Corby Kummer—on the charming rudeness of French waiters, a new edible coffee cup, and more—tune in to his full interview on Boston Public Radio above.
