Chef and hotel owner criticises TripAdvisor after ‘blatant lie’ posted in review
Galton Blackiston. Picture: Courtesy of Morston Hall - Credit: Courtesy of Morston Hall
An award-winning Norfolk chef claims TripAdvisor is 'unfair and fallible' after he was criticised on the platform by one reviewer for doing something he thought was right.
Galton Blackiston has blasted TripAdvisor for being "unfair and fallible". PICTURE: Jamie Honeywood - Credit: Archant
Galton Blackiston, chef owner of Morston Hall Hotel in North Norfolk, has hit back at the American travel and restaurant website company, which shows hotel and restaurant reviews.
He said: "My issue was that this customer, who came in for afternoon tea and said they were dairy intolerant, then criticised us at Morston Hall for not giving them butter on their bread and cheese in their sandwich. In my opinion they are dairy products and we were doing the right thing.
"The other big thing is that TripAdvisor is a facility that I did not ask to be put on, and we cannot get off it. It's unfair and fallible. Anyone can give a false review on it."
The celebrity TV star, who also runs No 1 Cromer restaurants, said that business was also previously criticised on TripAdvisor.
He added: "Someone criticised us for not being open when we were obviously closed, and gave us a one out of five rating, which was not right."
The Norfolk-born chef posted his disparaging comments on his Twitter account.
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He added: "Nearly every reply on Twitter has been positive. But I'm not looking for pats on the back.
"It's nothing against any person but against TripAdvisor as a platform. I would not normally say much about it, but this was a blatant lie posted about my business. It pricked my ears up.
"As an owner and chef you are now finding more dairy or gluten intolerance among customers, and it plays such a huge part in the a kitchen. You have to be so on the ball and we don't take any chances."
A TripAdvisor spokesman said: "We firmly believe in the travel community's right to write about their genuine experiences - positive or negative - even if the business disagrees with that reviewer's opinion.
"We do however think it is fair to give establishments a voice as well, this is why we have the management response tool, a free service which ultimately gives the business owner the last word for each and every review on the site.
"The volume of reviews on TripAdvisor ensures that the impact of any one review is minimal. The current average rating for Morston Hall is 4.5 out of 5 which conveys an overwhelmingly positive impression of the restaurant."
