Let Them Eat Foie

Dan Moody Uncovers Foie Protestors’ Sneaky Yelping

A foie s'more
A foie s’more Photo: Accidental Hedonist via Flickr

Pop-up chef Dan Moody is going mano a mano with SoCal’s foie gras protestors, pointing out several sneaky tactics employed to make their point. In a clear and well-stated blog post this week, the chef revealed that the forces who rallied on Monday against Josiah Citrin’s Melisse for its series of foie-centered menus have also attacked the restaurant on Yelp, giving it negative and misleading Yelp reviews that ultimately show the restaurant’s ratings dipping from a five-star rating to something approaching three. The chef points out that the practice, which he traces to an idea sparked on Facebook, totally goes against Yelp’s terms of service and accuses the protestors of fraud and defamation.

With screen shots of activists’ Facebook and Yelp comments, along with an earlier email sent by a program coordinator with The Animal Protection and Rescue League that spells out her mission to give restaurants shunning foie gras encouraging Yelp ratings, the chef makes a strong case to read between the lines when it comes to the reviews of restaurants intent of serving foie while we’ve still got it. [Moody> via Eater]

Dan Moody Uncovers Foie Protestors’ Sneaky Yelping