Once upon a time, restaurant reviews were left to newspaper critics, who made a living dining at restaurants and picking apart everything from the bread service to the wine list.
Now, of course, nearly every human on earth has a place in the review arena thanks to social media and platforms like OpenTable and Yelp.
Anything can sometimes be used as a weapon, bringing its repercussions along for the ride. And one British expat living in Thailand decided to use Google reviews as a form of revenge — with the results backfiring on him.
According to the Phuket News, a 21-year-old man named “Alexander” started writing negative reviews on Google in retaliation after the owner of an Italian restaurant refused to let him use the restaurant as a shortcut to get to the Phuket apartment he’d been renting.
“Alexander” is accused of asking friends to bombard Google with one-star reviews of the restaurant, causing its rating to sink from 4.8 stars to 3.1.
The restaurant owner reported the revenge reviews to Phuket authorities, which resulted in Thailand’s Central Investigation Bureau arresting “Alexander” on May 9.
The moral of the story? While revenge may be a dish best served cold, don’t use social media to get back at someone through a burger.
Dress Like Dolly for a Doughnut
Seems like Dolly Parton is more than just the sweetest singer on the planet. In recent years, Parton has endorsed a line of Duncan Hines cake mixes and frostings, published a cookbook with her sister Rachael, has come out with a mac & cheese, and is a doggie fashion designer.
Now, Dolly is releasing a collection of new Krispy Kreme doughnuts. These Dolly-approved flavors include a Peachy Keen cobbler doughnut, a Banana Puddin’ Pie doughnut, a Chocolate Creme Pie doughnut, and the Dolly Dazzler, flocked in glitter sprinkles and festooned with a Dolly butterfly.
And, if you’re a Dolly fan, break out your big blonde wig and do up your nails! Show up dressed as Dolly at a Krispy Kreme shop tomorrow, May 18 and you’ll get a free glazed doughnut. Don’t have your wig back from Truvy’s Beauty Salon (that’s a Steel Magnolias reference)? You can wear Dolly merch or sing your favorite Dolly song for your doughnut. Anyone up for a heartfelt rendition of “I will always love doughnuts”?
The Grandma McFlurry is Coming to New York City
At first, you might think that McDonald’s Grandma McFlurry is a simple marketing ploy to cater to those seeking a bit of nostalgia. The limited-time treat, which launches May 21, is a basic vanilla McFlurry, blended with syrup and chopped butterscotch candy pieces (a tribute to the hard candies grandmothers love keeping in their purses, perhaps).
If the launch stopped there, it would just be another meaningless campaign. McDonald’s, however, is adding a meaningful component to the ice cream treat.
Today and tomorrow, the fast food giant will roll out the Grandma’s McFlurry Mobile, delivering free treats to local senior centers and assisted living homes to, “create more moments of connection between grandparents – a generation that often deals with loneliness – and their families,” according to the company.
McDonald’s will also donate to Little Brothers – Friends of the Elderly, a national organization whose mission is to support older adults experiencing isolation and loneliness.
That small gesture elevates the Grandma McFlurry from a fluff campaign to something meaningful that we all can get behind.
