SFist: 3 Questions For The Founders Of Yelp

Jerry Lewis & Lambchops

Thu, 21 Jun 2007 16:22:07 -0800

hey Chris, stop pissing off the police force, eh Buddy? We actually NEED them in this city to protect us from the drugaboos and scumbags and alcoholics you champion.

KR

Wed, 20 Jun 2007 00:45:42 -0800

interesting interview. i speak with restaurant owners on a regular basis in my work. when discussing how their business is doing, san francisco-based restaurant owners invariable either boast or complain about their yelp reviews and ratings. the impact of yelp in san francisco on merchants is powerful. makes sense since yelp is sf-based. restaurant owners on the peninsula and south bay are either less knowledgeable or vocal about their yelp status. the yelp impact on customer service is important. previously, good customer service translated into repeat business and word-of-mouth business. now, good customer service and quality becomes a powerful and FREE testimonial advertisement targeted to a revelant and huge audience. the rewards and penalties for customer service performance is greatly magnified. as a result, all consumers win as the bar is raised as competition for having the best customer service ratings is coveted by merchants. as the one ad says, when banks (or in this case merchants) compete you win. yelp has created a very visable competition.

KR

Wed, 20 Jun 2007 00:31:58 -0800

testing

Persona non Bergman

Tue, 19 Jun 2007 16:07:13 -0800

(groan) When are guys gonna start dressing up again and lose those emo haircuts and so-hip-it hurts tees? I have a wild idea for going against the grain-- shave, get a short 'do, and put on a sweater.. dress up, feel good. Radical!

Anonymous

Tue, 19 Jun 2007 11:39:56 -0800

Yelp really needs to put the kibosh on one particular phenomenon that's harming the site: "Yelp as a Blog". There are way too many reviews that double as the reviewer's personal forum to tell irrelevant personal stories, go off on stupid tangents, or otherwise try to show off how cool they are. For example, it seems like half the reviews about the new Westfield center are these weird rants about how the raters personally feel about mall culture in general. I really do like Yelp and admire what these guys have done. I'd admire 'em even more if Yelp enforced a simple rule: it's Not About You, it's About What You're Reviewing.

cement brunette

Tue, 19 Jun 2007 11:10:28 -0800

Two words...hubba hubba.