Nowadays, social media can make or break a business.
Before visiting an F&B establishment, people usually take to Google Reviews to ensure they’re not wasting their time.
A Middle Road eatery claimed that a competitor used fake reviewers to bring it down.
Here’s what you need to know.
Competitor Allegedly Used Fake Reviews
On 29 March, WaWa Lala Bee Hoon posted a lengthy post on Facebook depicting its plight.
The eatery accused an unnamed competitor of using fake reviews to bring it down after one of its staff posted a TikTok video.
The eatery wrote, “It is a truly disheartening sight to witness our establishment being targeted by anonymous individuals with Western names, who have taken it upon themselves to flood our Google profile with an overwhelming number of negative reviews.”
According to the eatery, the attack occurred after a staff member, Yan, visited a Vietnamese restaurant on his day off on 13 March.
Yan shared his views on the Vietnamese restaurant’s food on his personal TikTok account.
Allegedly, the restaurant owner was displeased and proceeded to harass Yan, texting his Facebook friends and offering $300 in exchange for his personal information.
This eventually escalated into a TikTok video, where the restaurant owner offered $1000 and made derogatory remarks about Yan’s sexuality.
The restaurant owner apparently threatened legal action and left a one-star review on WaWa’s Google profile.
Eatery Supports Yan
The eatery emphasised that it “fully supports Yan and his right to express his personal opinions outside of work”.
The eatery also took measures to set the record straight.
However, the eatery’s Google profile was met with 60 one-star reviews in only two days.
It noted that the reviews were probably fake, especially since some included dishes it didn’t serve.
Including screenshots of possibly fake Google reviews, the eatery noted the strange influx of five-star reviews on the Vietnamese restaurant’s Google profile.
In addition, the five-star reviews were from accounts with only one review, with one account by the name of “Littlejohn” reviewing both eateries.
The eatery even made a side-by-side comparison of the reviews on both Google profiles.
It all sounds a little sus.
The eatery said, “These reviews are disingenuous and predictable, and we call on individuals to uphold the values of fairness and honesty in all online reviews.”
“Such actions only serve to undermine the integrity of the online review system and do a grave disservice to both consumers and businesses alike.”
Netizen Response
Netizens empathised with WaWa’s situation.
Some netizens pointed out how suspicious it is to have an influx of one-star reviews in merely two days.
A netizen wrote that they reported all the fake reviews.
Others urged the eatery to report the situation to Google.
Another netizen called the Vietnamese restaurant a “bully”.
WaWa Lala Bee Hoon’s Google Reviews
The eatery, located at Fortune Centre, currently has 4.6 stars on Google reviews.
The eatery has 402 reviews on its Google profile.
At the time of writing, the fake reviews have been removed, with recent one-star reviews dating back to a year ago.
The saga has also earned the eatery some positive publicity.
Since the eatery posted on Facebook, there have been new five-star reviews.
For Singapore F&B establishments, it is common knowledge that a Google review is probably fake if the reviewer has only one review or has a Western name.
Thus, these new five-star reviews seem pretty legit.
Most do not have Western names and have a few reviews on their profiles.
While WaWa didn’t name the Vietnamese restaurant, netizens have done some sleuthing and found the restaurant’s identity.
The Vietnamese restaurant has since seen an influx of negative reviews.
One reviewer wrote, “Saw the news. Spamming fake reviews with bots. Shameful.”
Most of the new one-star reviews on the Vietnamese restaurant’s page are netizens calling it out for the fake reviews.
Notably, the Vietnamese restaurant’s Google profile did have a surge of five-star reviews from profiles with only one review last week.
Furthermore, the names of these reviewers all sound Western.
While no allegations have been confirmed, it looks like WaWa is the ultimate winner of this saga.