Yelp has become the ubiquitous bane of restaurateurs and chefs. With 84 million unique visitors a month and a Yelp app accessed by 8.2 million unique mobile devices per month, according to Restaurant Hospitality, it is near impossible to evade the damnation of a negative Yelp review.

So what to do when you can’t beat ‘em? Blast ‘em, of course. Craft & Commerce, a gastropub located in San Diego, has chosen the more forward approach and taken to playing audio clips of their best worst Yelp reviews while patrons do their business in the bathroom. It’s a brilliant tactic that throws up a defiant middle finger to online critics, DGAFing at its best, if you will.

An example of a clip that may sound off while you defecate:

FRIES — Too chewy and hard. In my opinion, not ideal. If I came back, I’d substitute the fries for something else. You know, like replacing one American puppet dictator with another. You know, to eventually promote democracy or something like that….ATTIRE – To blend in, dress up with hipster tones and flaunt a New York accent. – Brian K.

Of course, the fact that Craft & Commerce hosts chef Jason McLeod, winner of two Michelin stars, and that the restaurant is known nationally for its craft cocktail and beer programs, gives them a bit of leverage in this situation. Regardless, their bold maneuver will no doubt provide a source of inspiration for folks in the restaurant industry trying to battle their own negative Yelp press.

via Restaurant Hospitality/ photo courtesy of Craft & Commerce

Charisma MadarangTwitterFacebook

Charisma has an undying love for gritty literature and drinks coffee like water. She also hails from Toronto, Canada and is a die-hard Maple Leafs fan, sigh.