# Does Menupages.ie delete most negative reviews?



## kramer2006 (24 Jul 2007)

Noticed that some AAM posters have mentioned [broken link removed] as a source of unbiased review. Thought I'd post a link to a discussion on the Fork 'n' Cork website.

[broken link removed]

The gist is: most negative reviews are deleted (presumably so they don't affect advertising revenue) and positive reviews are rewarded with points thereby encouraging people with too much time on their hands to write glowing reviews for mediocre/crap restaurants.

What a joke ...

For the thrifty among you (presumably most of you), you can now get a free meal over on Menupages!!


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## bacchus (24 Jul 2007)

*Re: Menupages.ie*

Interesting read... but how do you know that the guys who wrote in Fork 'n' Cork do not have some sort of interest in bringing down menupages.ie ?

Have you read the reviews about "The Rubicon" in menupages... Pretty bad, isn't it? and not deleted (yet?).....


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## ajapale (24 Jul 2007)

*Re: Menupages.ie: some negative commentary from www.forkncork.com*

Are menupages.ie and forkncork.com rivals? Or is this a Dublin Vs Cork sort of thing?

moved from Miscellaneous Non-financial Questions to Holidays,Travel,Transport,Hotels & Airlines (this is where the other discussions on food reviews can be found)


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## coolaboola (25 Jul 2007)

*Re: Menupages.ie: some negative commentary from www.forkncork.com*

Well I've posted some stinker reviews on Menupages and to the best of my knowledge they're still there (mind you, only posted most of them a few days ago!)    

I would agree with the F'n'C poster re 5 stars for Eddie Rockets... reviewers are definitely using different benchmarks ... Having said that, I gave Winding Stair one stair because of appalling comfort and service (food's still great but eating out is the whole deal - food, comfort and service)


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## catherined61 (26 Jul 2007)

*Re: Menupages.ie*



bacchus said:


> Interesting read... but how do you know that the guys who wrote in Fork 'n' Cork do not have some sort of interest in bringing down menupages.ie ?
> 
> Have you read the reviews about "The Rubicon" in menupages... Pretty bad, isn't it? and not deleted (yet?).....


 
The last time I ate in Rubicon, I thought it was dreadful .............


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## ClubMan (26 Jul 2007)

*Re: Menupages.ie: some negative commentary from www.forkncork.com*



catherined61 said:


> The last time I ate in Rubicon, I thought it was dreadful .............


So you were cross in the _Rubicon_ then?


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## catherined61 (26 Jul 2007)

*Re: Menupages.ie: some negative commentary from www.forkncork.com*



ClubMan said:


> So you were cross in the _Rubicon_ then?


 

Had to google to get that one !


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## annfield (27 Jul 2007)

*Re: Menupages.ie: some negative commentary from www.forkncork.com*

there are some scathing reviews of diep le shaker that re still there, mine too, truly awful place


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## aircobra19 (27 Jul 2007)

*Re: Menupages.ie: some negative commentary from www.forkncork.com*

..everything with a pinch of salt....


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## Flax (22 Oct 2008)

*Re: Menupages.ie: some negative commentary from www.forkncork.com*

Sorry to dig up an old thread, but I thought it seemed relevant after reading this thread on boards.ie: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055397739

It seems like negative reviews are removed after all (but only if the restaurants request the reviews are removed?)


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## ernie w (24 Dec 2008)

*Re: Old thread dug up : Menupages.ie: some negative commentary from www.forkncork.com*

I happened across this thread by chance.

As the 'proprietor' or whatever the term is, of  http://www.forkncork.com 
I feel obliged to respond.

1. forkncork has absolutely nothing to do with the city of Cork or the county. It is 'fork' for food and 'cork' for drink, primary focus of the site.

2. The people who contribute to the forum pages of forkncork are a motley bunch of serious foodies, chefs, restaurateurs, sommeliers, wine merchants, food producers, food and drink journalists and the odd passer-by. I know of only one who would have an interest in dissing menupages, primarily because he and his family publish a long-established guide. At one point he sought to establish menupages's credibility by submitting 30-odd 'reviews' of restaurants he had never been to. To his amazement they published the lot.

Personally, I have nothing against menupages. Indeed, as a listing of Dublin restaurants, it's pretty comprehensive and I often consult it before deciding where to go and review for my column in The Evening Herald, on the basis of "Wouldn't mind reviewing a West Dublin suburban Chinese or Indian this week, wonder what's around?".
As a food guide, however, it is unreliable. Anyone who follows it slavishly could end up with some very average meals. Moreover, menupages' credibility is questionable if it accepts reviews as outlined in (2) above. This would be compounded by its purported withdrawal of negative reviews. However, the main problem I have (and no disrespect to anyone on this forum) is that most of the people who post reviews are under-qualified when it comes to assessing food quality. Many of those who post seem to favour chicken breast, steak and little else. Then you get posts like - "there was too much fish on the menu for my boyfriend's liking" (they were, if memory serves me right, in a sushi bar).
But, as I've said, as a handy listing of the Dublin dining scene - restaurants, warts and all, menupages does okay.


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## Simeon (25 Dec 2008)

Treated as a list of addresses for eating houses it is fine. Gives you a brief run down ........ so you know the general trend. Then you go and experience. Peoples tastes are different. Also their expectations. Like the Expedia site ...... I have stayed in hotels overseas where some gave glowing reviews and some said very bad. So it's a subjective, er, subject. One couple I know of always dine out alone. The reason? They have a habit of sending back something every time. For me, the people you are dining with can influence your rating of the meal. On the few occasions when things were slightly amiss, we regaled stories of strange/unusual experiences over the years and (after having a word with the boss) put it down to experience. If the vino is up to standard, it is also advised to get stuck in as the discussion takes on a life of it's own.


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## wheels (25 Dec 2008)

*Re: Old thread dug up : Menupages.ie: some negative commentary from www.forkncork.com*



ernie w said:


> However, the main problem I have (and no disrespect to anyone on this forum) is that most of the people who post reviews are under-qualified when it comes to assessing food quality. Many of those who post seem to favour chicken breast, steak and little else. Then you get posts like - "there was too much fish on the menu for my boyfriend's liking" (they were, if memory serves me right, in a sushi bar).



What a very pompus attitude, that's the exact reason why I would rarely pay much attention to the so called professional reviewers. When it comes to wine, yes, when it comes to food, I like most others know what I like. 

While I understand there's sometimes the extreme of people expecting a restaurant to cater just for them, it's not unreasonable to assume most people can agree on bad food, bad service and bad venue. The example you used above is preposterous, and I doubt anyone would be swayed by a review about a sushi bar serving too much fish.


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## ernie w (2 Jan 2009)

Sorry, but it's hardly pompous "I don't know much about... but  _I know what I like" _is hardly a basis for reviewing anything, wine, food, or whatever. 

Call me old school, dammit I am, but I believe that any reviewer, amateur or pro, should have a fund of knowledge to call on before he/she goes into print/web or whatever. You'd expect this from a book, film or theatre critic surely? So what's different with food? 

Of course, the big thing that's brought restaurant criticism into disrepute is the employment by certain publications of know-nothing eejits who have nothing to offer except their unqualified opinion. When it comes to food, it seems, anyone and everyone is an expert.

By encouraging this tendency - and don't forget menupages.ie purports to be a restaurant guide, not just a forum or discussion board - you are straying into dangerous territory. I can't remember the literary term (undistributed middle, or something?) but you are likely to get non sequiturs like  "I like eating. I like Jane Austen. Ergo, Mansfied Park is a chip butty" or, as is more usual "I like hen tit, I like trifle. Both were on the menu so XXXX is a bloody good restaurant". Okay, so I'm exaggerating. But I still believe that diners of the ilk who only like, say, breast of chicken and steak, are not qualified to judge restaurants. "Pompous"? I don't think so.

Recently I went to a restaurant on foot of reading some very favourable reviews in meupages. The whole experience was, by any standards, a disaster. As a "so-called" (if you like) professional reviewer, who has, in a previous life, both been a restaurateur and cooked for a living I was able to suss out the cheats, shortcuts and examples of dodgy practices, shoddy service and bad hygiene that I'm certain most diners would have missed. 
You are right about one thing: the example I quoted (the sushi bar)  is "preposterous". I rest my case.

Anyhow, what makes wine writers so exalted in your opinion? There's more bull**** talked about wine than any topic under the sun.


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## Megan24 (6 Feb 2009)

While a few months on from this thread, I'd like to update on this topic. I recently joined MenuPages to submit 2 reviews of restaurants I'd visited the weekend prior. One was a positive review about Siam Thai, and the second was a scathing review of Roly Sauls. The Siam Thai review was published within the advised 24 hours, but the Roly Saul Review has disappeared. 

I did not use any profanity nor name any staff personally. My review was strictly limited to the poor food, poor service, overpriced and disappointing menu etc. I have emailed to ask why the review was not published but have received no response. 2 days after submitting my review, a new positive review of Roly Saul's has been published adding to the "star rating" of the restaurant. How very surprising!

I am very annoyed, as my initially husband chose this restaurant for my Birthday meal as a result of reading the previous incredibly positive MenuPages reviews. Had he read similar reviews to mine there's no way he would have chosen it. I find it appalling that a site masquerades itself as a "review" site but in fact they only publish the positve ones. It's so typical of this country to try to prop up bad restaurants by hiding the truth about the many bad ones there actually are.


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## Cahir (6 Feb 2009)

I've submitted good and bad reviews and all but one have been published.  The one they won't publish is for The Farm restaurant on Dawson Street.  It has the worst food and worst service ever.


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## Caveat (6 Feb 2009)

I've seen plenty of bad reviews - no terrible ones, but certainly reviews that would not encourage you to eat at the particular restaurant.


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## Flax (6 Feb 2009)

From the boards.ie thread it seems -

a. if the restaurant is a "premium" member, no negative reviews will be published about that restaurant
b. a negative review will be removed if the restaurant (premium or non-premium member) asks for it to be removed.

All in all, this makes the site unreliable for what it is supposed to do. However I do use them for ideas on where to eat.

Note from the boards.ie thread you can see menupages registered and made a few posts, but when they were caught out for lying, stopped posting!


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