Why I love and fear user reviews

OK. Story in brief. Scene 1: A bad-boy-turned-good-waiter rushes out of the Florida restaurant where we works to help a woman who is being car-jacked. He foils and subdues the alleged "perp" and is declared a hero. After an hour spent with the police and the media he returns to work and is sacked because the owner didn't like the attention caused by the "scuffle"

Fade out. Cut to: a Fort Lauderdale resident looking for a Thai Restaurant in the area. A Google Search comes up with an entry for 84 Thai Food on urbanspoon. Hmmm. Local, rated 3.5 - 4 stars by the Sun Sentinel. Sounds good. Let's take a look at the user comments...

Comments on 84 Thai Food on urbanspoon.

* "The Owner is Suspicious" by Rooting4theHero (1 comment posted)
September 12, 2007 - Who wouldn't want this good publicity? It is very suspicious and he should be checked out. In the meantime, I hope our hero gets offered a better job from a good hearted community member. He deserves more than 84 can give him!
* "The most careless & stupid decision to make in a business" by Horizon Public Relations (1 comment posted)
September 12, 2007 - To the Manager who fired the employee:
1. "Stop adding to the fire by making lies that you fired him because he wasn t a good employee. Ironic that it just happened when he left his shift to help someone in need"
2. You should apologize to your employee. Install him back with PAY as soon as possible.
3. You should issue an apology to the community as well (The community deserves the apology since we are your customers and you disgraced us with your decision).
4. Stop your idiotic excuses and start working on DAMAGE CONTROL before they BOYCOTT your ass. I am in the PR business and I know better.
To the owner:(if the manager of the restaurant isn t the owner):
1. You should seriously think about finding that manager of yours another position in the dish washing dept. He is no good for customer/business relations. Your business got damaged for a long time. Again, I m in the PR business and I tried calling your restaurant but no answer. I m trying to do you a favor.
2. You should apologize to your employee first, install him ASAP with PAY for the loss days/hours you caused/. Issue an apology statement to the community, the customers as well since they were disgraced as well.
This is how a business operates in America. Kap Koon Cup.
P.S> I lived in Thailand for 1.5 years. It is really disgraceful hearing that.
* "Manager should be fired" by spelbound (1 comment posted)
September 12, 2007 - If I was the owner of this restaurant, I would have fired the manager immediately. Can you imagine how much more business would have come your way, if the restaurant acted in a positive manner. Instead, the STUPID manager, decided it was better to sabotage the biz. Man, this was such a good opportunity. Idiot!
Alex
* "Unbelievable" by Willow (1 comment posted)
September 12, 2007 - I would never patronize an establishment that treated their employees in such a callous fashion. This action, in and of itself, puts this restaurant in an insurmountably unfavorable light, completely aside from whatever other excellence they may have achieved in the kitchen. Shameful.
* "BOYCOTT THE OWNER!!" by lyris2303 (1 comment posted)
September 12, 2007 - Can't believe the lack of sensitivity of this man. One member of his staff decides to help a lady in trouble and as a "reward" this idiot fires him! To make matters worse, he tries to overcorrect this idiotic act by offering the waiter his job back! Too late, buster!
Hope this hurts his pocket and voice spreads all over South Florida for people to pass on this 84 Thai Food place.
* "AGREE! DON'T EAT HERE!!!" by Debbie (1 comment posted)
September 12, 2007 - I am at a loss for words after reading the article about the true hero who went out of his way to help someone he didn't know and then to be fired!!! FIRE THE MANAGER for being such an idiot! I would hate to be the owner of this restaurant. The owners should step up and do the right thing! 1st fire the manager, 2nd beg and hire back the hero!!!
* "84 Thai food obviously doesn't care for the public!" by outraged (1 comment posted)
September 12, 2007 - I read the same article and am outraged as well. I hope the manager realizes that all the good publicity he could have gotten from this incident has turned around and bitten him in the a**. This waiter is a hero and is truly concerned about the public he serves, unlike the restaurant owner/manager! I hope there is a citywide boycott of this restaurant!
* "DONT EAT HERE!!!! THE OWNER IS A FOOL" by bob (1 comment posted)
September 12, 2007 - DONT EAT HERE!!!! THE OWNER IS A FOOL... Read on.. FORT LAUDERDALE - As the lunch rush started Monday, waiter Juan Canales stopped a carjacker from taking a woman's Honda CRV out of the parking lot where he worked. Hours later he lost his job.Canales, who worked at 84 Thai Food for three weeks, returned to work after spending an hour talking to police and the media. Once the lunch shift ended, his boss fired him. "The owner got belligerent" about all the attention his scuffle with the carjacker generated, Canales said. The owner, listed in corporate records as Sathaporn Yosagraiof Fort Lauderdale, could not be reached for comment despite two calls to the restaurant and one to his home.