A restaurateur who posts withering criticisms of customers who leave negative online reviews has admitted he sometimes goes too far.
Martin Corless, owner and chef at Skelmanthorpe tapas restaurant Volare, said he took criticisms personally and found them upsetting.
He recently branded TripAdvisor reviewer Genna Thorpe “ignorant” after she left a lukewarm three-star review complaining she and her husband still felt hungry after sharing five tapas dishes.
Mr Corless hit back, calling her a “cowardly sit-at-home version (of) Gordon Ramsey (sic)” who “just wanted two minutes of fame.”
Beneath a two-star review, he told another reviewer: “I think you have been incredibly vile to us.”
Of the 170 reviews, the vast majority have rated Volare ‘excellent’ or ‘very good’, with only a handful of negative comments.
Mr Corless told the Examiner that the negative reviews left him fuming.
“It makes me angry,” he said. “After a really nice weekend, there’s always someone. We put our heart and soul in and then get this – it’s heartbreaking. I want everyone to be happy.”
He admitted that some of his comments on TripAdvisor were “a bit too much sometimes” and that he “pushed the boundaries.”
Mr Corless, who has run the Volare with wife Nicola for 20 years, said he would prefer people to make complaints to him in person, so they could
He said he was sorry some of the things he had posted, adding: "It's just my heart - I just love Volare."
His wife said her husband was “speaking from the heart” and defending his livelihood when he responded to critical reviews.
“He is standing up for what he believes is right. He gets the last word and he’s a really nice man.”
She called her husband “brilliant and talented” and added: “We have a vast, regular clientele who appreciate what we do. Martin is in the kitchen making magical, delicious, homemade dishes that he’s perfected over the years. Why shouldn’t he counter-attack any lies he comes across?
“Why should he let someone who clearly doesn’t know a lot, spread untrue comments on a site that we want to be promoted on?”
Mrs Corless pointed out the “fabulous comments” about Volare on TripAdvisor, saying “they are the ones telling the truth.”
She said from now on her husband will probably stick to “boring old replies.”
On Facebook, Examiner readers had differing opinions.
Katie Raby said: “Good for you Nicola! You should stick up for your business and no, the customer is NOT always right.”
Rachel Newburn said: “I looked on TripAdvisor and I’m sorry, your husband needs to learn some customer service skills and manners. Any review that is less than excellent he insults the writer and is rude.”
