A restaurant is often only as good as its reviews. Whether we read an article recommending that new Italian place downtown or one of our friends won't shut up about it, most likely, we will still check out its online rating and read what other people think of it before deciding to go there.

However, the democratization of criticism isn't always a good thing. And the subreddit r/YelpDrama features plenty of reasons why.

A popular category among its posts is ridiculous restaurant reviews that prove the customer isn't always right. We're talking trashing a joint that wasn't even open when you "ordered" your food, or a one star because they wouldn't allow you to order water and eat the meals you brought there yourself.

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#1 The Food At This Shop Sucked!

#2 I Don’t Know Who You Got Your Food From Tonight, But It Wasn’t Us

Another problem is with platforms like Yelp and TripAdvisor is the fact that they're full of fake reviews.

Plus, people are much more likely to leave a review when they've had a bad experience, distorting the overall restaurant's rating.

That can bring disastrous consequences, especially for smaller businesses that have just opened up – one 2020 study found that an early bad review can turn customers away in the long term, and that reviewing platforms actually have an in-built bias towards popular restaurants.

#3 A Not So Spicy Life!

#4 Business Owner Claps Back On Yelp User For Leaving A Negative Comment On His Restaurant

#5 You Wouldn’t Bring Mcdonalds Into An Olive Garden?

As Giorgia Cannarella pointed out in Vice, the only other alternative, it seems, is reading food articles and blogs, hoping to land on an honest critique.

However, if you're familiar with the complex world of culinary criticism, you’ll know these things can also be hit or miss. Sometimes a new spot will get stellar reviews only to disappoint once you get there.

#6 My Food = More Important Than Your Life

#7 “Influencer” Goes Out To Dinner

#8 “The Customer Is Always Right!!”

Different people value different aspects of a restaurant – the decor, the ambiance, the price, the surprise factor, but, according to Slovenian food and travel blogger Kaja Sajovic, there’s actually more to the story.

"We all know that food journalists don't get paid enough to cover the cost of a restaurant dinner, so press trips have become a necessity to do our job," Sajovic said. "And this creates a lot of ethical dilemmas. Can you really give a bad review of a restaurant you've been invited to, with flights and hotels covered? I think it's difficult, and maybe even a little bit unfair."

#9 User Writes 1 Star Review For Competing Restaurant

#10 He’s Just Enjoying His Meal, Karen

#11 ”[why?], I Didn’t Want This Food, Why Would You Make Me Eat It??”

#12 3 Stars, Got Caught Shoplifting

Of course, Sajovic is mostly talking about freelancers and bloggers. Journalists who get a steady salary and their expenses are always covered can be a lot freer when writing their reviews, but they are certainly the exception rather than the rule in the industry.

Food writer Paola Miglio, editor of Peruvian website El Trinche, said she's always made a point to be uncompromising with her opinions.

"If I don't like something, I say so. And I write it down, even when I’ve been invited [to the restaurant]," Miglio said. "In my three years as a food critic at a newspaper, I have only been bullied a handful of times by a restaurant owner or chef on social media. I've never felt the pressure to praise anything or anyone."

#13 Chicken Tenders Heal His Broken Heart (And Home)

#14 I Applaud The Dj

#15 One Star Because The Server Wouldn't Reveal Her Address

#16 Thank You, Kathie

"There are few chefs who respond well and in-kind to criticism," food journalist Gabriele Zanatta, who writes for the Italian web magazine Identità Golose, explained.

Zanatta thinks that’s because cooks have historically been mostly hidden figures. It was only with France’s nouvelle cuisine movement of the 60s, which revolutionised international cooking, that chefs have become famous and “even achieved celebrity status over the last two decades,” Zanatta explained. "No wonder they’re intolerant to criticism! They had never been on such a pedestal."

#17 “It’s Not Their Fault”...gives Them 1 Star

#18 She Was Mad Her Tartare Was Undercooked

#19 Guy Got Booted After Throwing A Fit Because He Was Asked To Turn His Phone Volume Down. He Was Streaming A Football Game In A Nice Restaurant Full Blast. But The Server Was The Inconsiderate One. His Partner Looked So Embarrassed

#20 Someone Reviewed My Workplace

However, Zanatta also believes this chef-centric approach to food writing is slowly dying out. "We’re now paying more attention not only to the food but to all the other aspects that make a restaurant a restaurant," he said. In his experience, chefs nowadays are more willing to listen, provided that the criticism they’re receiving is not just a pretext for a food critic to flaunt their knowledge.

#21 Trendy Asian Burrito Restaurant Near Me

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Zero Stars: 21 Delusional Customers Leaving Ridiculous Restaurant Reviews