'Yelp Sucks' – Why Andrew Zimmern Hates The Restaurant Reviewing System

Chef and critic Andrew Zimmern is best known for his candid commentary and reviews on all things food – and while he's known for being adventurous, there are not-so-bizarre things that he refuses to eat. This time, however, he's coming straight for the reigning empire of user-generated restaurant reviews itself: Yelp. And it's not the first time he's taken shots at the app.

On Instagram, Zimmern expressed his scathing views on the $1.52-billion-worth website and app, which to date has accrued over 330 million user-generated reviews; he accused it of "crowdsourcing the mundane" and exclaimed, "Yelp sucks. It just does," in the near-minute-long video that he shared with his 1.2 million followers. Among his critiques were the lack of quality guardrails and the cheapening of the "craft, culture, and obsession" of proper food criticism. "[W]ith no context, no expertise, and no real understanding of what goes into a restaurant, you get noise. Not insight," he stated in the caption. "Skip the star ratings. Talk to chefs. Talk to locals. Trust your gut. That's how you find the good stuff." To be fair, this mirrors Anthony Bourdain's advice on finding great restaurants in any city: Talk to locals to learn what's really the best, not just what's a tourist trap or a viral internet trend with no real substance.

Ever since Yelp's launch in 2004, it has rapidly turned into an industry powerhouse, riding the wave of the 2010s smartphone-driven social media boom. Indeed, its app alone still receives over 13,000 daily downloads. Its success and easy interface — in which users can leave reviews of any existing establishment — had a profound impact on the restaurant industry. While diners might have previously relied on word-of-mouth advice or on the reviews of seasoned food critics published in prestige guides like Michelin, Yelp allowed anyone to fashion themselves into a makeshift critic, making or breaking the fate of any restaurant. Indeed, stats show that 97% of consumers rely on online reviews when browsing for businesses, with Yelp being the third most popular (per BrightLocal).

Zimmern – who has plenty of excellent tips for home cooks and made a name for himself exploring unique culinary spots around the world, especially in his hit Travel Channel series "Bizarre Foods" – has made no secret of his longstanding dislike of Yelp. Back in 2012, he had already denounced the app, describing it as a forum for those with no background (and thus no knowledge) of food. His critique, however, is not merely limited to the popular website. Zimmern has taken issue with the food criticism system more generally, formerly slamming the king of all restaurant reviews — the Michelin Guide — "they ignore such a large volume of the world's culinary scene," he said in an interview with Crispy (via the WayBack Machine). "What's extremely hurtful is the way ethnicity, ethnocentrism, and sexism [play] out in those spaces."

If the over 3,400 likes and flurry of supportive comments on his more recent Instagram takedown of Yelp are anything to go by, it seems he isn't alone in his dislike of online reviewing sites, at least. Many seem more broadly fatigued by social media's ever-growing overreach in our daily lives.