Nevertheless, they both agreed that the value of a restaurant review has a greater impact on a business, especially during the pandemic. Gwynn shared that the nature of his work has kept him busy and he has less downtime these days. Going on Yelp hasn’t been part of her rhythm as much, but she still intends to write reviews she’s had on backlog. Ziyan C., who was pregnant during the first half of the pandemic, welcomed her second child in July.
#Yelp reviewer professional
Since the pandemic, both Yelp Elites have continued to create posts, but with less regularity, as they’ve had to focus more on their personal and professional lives. They were photographed at Linea Caffe in San Francisco, on March 11, 2020. have had the Yelp Elite status for at least a decade.
“I think one of the ways that you can experience cultures is through food and take that away, you kind of lose that connection to a culture,” Gwynn said. When he found out Pica Pica was closing for good, he made sure to visit it as many times as he could before its final service. Neither of them could have imagined the impact COVID-19 would have had on the restaurant industry and both saw a number of their favorite eateries succumb to permanent closures.įor Gwynn, three businesses came to mind: Specialty's Cafe & Bakery, Velvet Cantina, and Venezuelan restaurant, Pica Pica. Mandatory shelter in place orders hit about a week after our meeting and, since then, things have changed for these Yelp reviewers. A quick glance will usually determine where he’ll be dining that evening.ĪLSO: Castro restaurant Miyabi Sushi closes after 33 years Gwynn added that he’s heavily relied on Yelp when he’s traveled and, in the past, he’s even gone back to older posts he’s written on cities he’s previously visited. “This is really a list of everything I've eaten and all the places I've been to. “I'm very much a list maker when it comes to organizing things,” Ziyan C. For them, Yelping has been a way to build personal catalogs of the places they've visited. and Gwynn like having the elite badge next to their profile names, they admit they don’t feel pressured to create a monumental sum of reviews in order to keep their status. The perks have been intriguing, no doubt, but it’s not the incentive that has kept these two Yelp Elites on the platform all these years. Sometimes there's a goody bag on your way out.” “They'll have events throughout the year, and it can range from a restaurant hosting us for happy hour to an evening on the Hornblower cruise,” Gwynn added. “I got tickets to like Cirque du Soleil ,” Ziyan C. shared, but sometimes those events have been unrelated to food completely. In the past, Yelp has hosted events for its elite crowd that might include a multi-course meal at a four-star restaurant, Ziyan C. They include sunglasses, sweatbands, and shot glasses.
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and Ken Gwynn display some of the free swag they have received from attending Yelp Elite events. Before my eyes, I assess the assortment of knickknacks that include bright red sunglasses, Yelp sweatbands, a shot glass, and even a lip moisturizer dubbed, “Yelpstick.” and Gwynn, who are both Yelp Elite - this is the group of people who are steadfast critics and need to be approved for the title - bear the gifts they’ve received throughout the years during Yelp parties. When I noticed Yelp, it seemed much more interesting and you were getting authentic reviews.”Īt the café, Ziyan C. I'm definitely very opinionated about food. “I remember at the time, right before Yelp, the only thing that was similar to it was Citysearch.
“I think I first noticed Yelp all those years ago and thought it was an excellent service,” Gwynn said.
He’s since amassed 1,775 reviews.ĪLSO: 'It's a moral obligation': Inside three SF dive bars on the brink
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Ken G., whose full name is Ken Gwynn, is the director of operations for a commercial mortgage banking firm in San Francisco, and began to write reviews in 2008. She’s currently written 2,236 reviews and has posted more than 10,000 photos on the platform. Ziyan C., who works at the educational nonprofit QuestBridge, first took a deep dive into the world of Yelp reviews in 2010. I really like to give friends restaurant recommendations,” said Ziyan C., who preferred to keep her Yelp moniker for this story. “It's been a side hobby but also a really good way to track restaurants and dishes I’ve liked.