Review Site Trolls Are Targeting Restaurants That Ask for Proof of Vaccination (Food & Wine, June 14, 2021)

If you’ve recently visited Mother’s Ruin, a bar in Manhattan, and want to leave a review on Yelp, you’re out of luck right now. Any visitor to the bar’s Yelp page will see a pop-up advising them that they’ll need to “check back at a later date” in order to post their star rating. “This business recently received increased public attention, which often means people come to this page to post their views on the news,” the message from Yelp reads. “While we don’t take a stand one way or the other when it comes to this incident, we’ve temporarily disabled the posting of content to this page as we work to investigate the content you see here reflects actual consumer experiences rather than the recent event.”

The recent event that has caused everyone to pay attention to Mother’s Ruin-and for Internet randos to post their fictitious “experiences” there-was a sign that was placed outside the bar. The unassuming-looking signage read “Vaccinated Only” above an arrow pointing into the joint, and an arrow pointing toward outdoor seating for “Unvaccinated” customers.

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