There is nothing wrong with being an influencer. But, as is with any social, cultural, corporate or any other type of group or clique, there’s always that one person who ruins it all for the rest of them. Sad to say, it’s also the one who is extra vocal about it. Or not, but often gets exposed in a very vocal way. Whatever the case, it’s a pain.
But it seems some influencers no longer stick to the “free food in exchange for exposure” formula. This one has one-upped her own game and resorted to extortion and blackmail.
A bar owner stumbled upon a 3-star review criticizing her establishment, which was followed by a private message from the critic suggesting a payment and requesting a top-notch dinner to help change their mind.
The bar owner was having none of it.
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While there's nothing inherently wrong with influencing, it is often done wrong, and this one woman took it to the next level
Image credits: WabbitWanderer (not the actual image)
Tilly Jane's is a premier sports bar located in Hood River, Oregon. Quite recently, it was reviewed by a “local guide”, or as some might call it, an influencer. That word alone might send chills down some people’s spines, but her review does even more so because of a little twist in how she handled it.
In particular, it is a 3-star review by a lady named Sofia. More detailed than most other reviews you might see on Google. Points out some pros, points out some cons, namely that the service was great, kudos to Julian, the onion rings were incredible, great french fries, the corn dogs not so much, nor was the chicken sandwich. Face value, pretty ordinary as reviews go.
Head chef and bar owner Laurel Virginia shared how one such "influencer" attempted to practically extort money from her bar business
Image credits: Laurel Virginia
This influencer left a seemingly ordinary review for Laurel's bar called Tilly Jane's
Image credits: Laurel Virginia
But, Sofia didn’t stop there. Apparently, she also sent a direct message to the establishment. Head chef and owner of the bar, Laurel Virginia, shared the message with the internet, exposing her scheme. Bored Panda got in touch with Laurel for an interview on the whole issue.
Apparently, Sofia wants to give Laurel’s bar another chance. After all, she’s sentimental about the place and she’s all for family-owned business, flexing her viewership along the way. So, she suggested Laurel pays her $500 and offers a (supposedly) free meal consisting of whatever Laurel thinks her best dish is for a group of 4 people. She would then be willing to update the review.
The review gave the bar 3 stars, praising the service and the onions while bashing on some of the other items on the menu and the atmosphere
Image credits: Tilly Jane's
Image credits: Laurel Virginia
“This woman seemed like she was out for blood. We are well-known for being a sports bar—after all, we have 13 televisions which air sports as well as sports flags,” elaborated Laurel about her initial reaction to the review. “Granted I wish I had more memorabilia on the walls, but my walls are pretty much made of windows. We are located in a renovated Shari’s, a breakfast chain in the [Pacific North West]. I brushed it off as ‘We can’t please everyone’.”
Following the message, Laurel says she has contacted her local authorities, who ran it to the District Attorney to see if this was a case of extortion. Laurel does admit, however, that it would be a long and arduous legal battle, one that she is not in a position to tackle. “After all, I am the head chef and owner—the one thing I lack is extra time for nonsense.”
She did respond to Sofia’s review some months later, thanking her for the review and pointing out how her follow-up offer of $500 and feeding her family of four for an updated review is the definition of blackmail.
The kicker here, though, is that the "local guide" suggested to pay her and offer a supposedly free meal for her family to change the rating
Image credits: Laurel Virginia
In particular, she suggested a $500 fee and feeding a group of 4 with Tilly Jane's best meals in exchange for an update on the review
Image credits: Laurel Virginia
Image credits: Laurel Virginia
As of this article, it’s been roughly two weeks since Laurel’s response, and she hasn’t replied to Sofia’s private message. “The post seemed to be sufficient enough, with the small town, word got around and I’m sure she felt the shame from it. Never heard from her again, no apology or explanation. So maybe she has no shame at all. Who knows,” added Laurel.
We also asked Laurel if this is a common occurrence in the area. And as far as she knows, it’s not. Hood River is a relatively small tourist town. Though famous for its Fruit Loop, hiking spots and water sports, “influencers” aren’t a common occurrence.
But, Laurel did point out that she saw Sofia leaving similar reviews with other businesses in town. Some were eventually updated with a better review. You can only think that they probably caved and gave in to the extortion. “Which is unfortunate,” said Laurel.
Laurel was having none of it and responded to the woman by pointing out her offer is blackmail and reporting her to the appropriate authorities
Image credits: Tilly Jane's (not the actual image)
A little bit of context: Laurel bought the bar in March of 2021—back when the pandemic was still at large. The bar had a 2-star rating at that point. Within 9 months of sheer dedication to overhaul everything, Laurel has managed to get the rating bumped up to a stolid 3.9 as of now.
Reviews are inevitable, and everyone’s got opinions, but you can imagine just how deep it cuts when someone tries to benefit from it by means of destruction.
“When people like this woman sit behind a screen and filet small businesses as she did to me, it can really cause a negative impact. Especially in a tourist town. Her review sat at #1 on Google for 3 months. Essentially the entire summer, which is 'busy season',” said Laurel. “Tourists look at Google reviews, most of the time that #1 review is the only thing they look at. They make their decision from that one review.”
Folks online were also not very keen on the "influencer"
Folks online were critical of the “critic” on Google reviews. Some were against influencers altogether, explaining how their opinions are often straight up biased because you can buy them with incentives like this. Others didn’t like her sense of entitlement, and pointed out how the viewership argument means absolutely nothing. It also left some wondering if she even left a tip at all, despite claiming that the service was great.
We did ask Laurel if she agrees with the review. She had this to say: “When I reviewed the post originally and saw the post of the potato salad, it was in fact over dressed. That was the last batch of potato salad that was made by anyone other than myself. Truly, I’ve taken on all the prep in order to maintain consistency; so issues like this don’t arise again. Once I find reliable staff, I hope that I will be able to delegate prep to my crew. The restaurant industry is a struggle right now.”
She continued: “I do believe she deliberately left that review in order to extort me. I know for a fact that my chicken sandwich is absolute fire. It’s one of the most popular sandwiches I have. House made dredge on a chicken breast and deep fried, served on a brioche bun with garlic aioli, iceberg lettuce and a house made pickled slaw.”
Laurel concluded that she works extremely hard to make it all work. Between the 12 to 14-hour days and being a mother of two, sacrifices have to be made. So, reviews from complete strangers, attempting to dismantle a small business, hit even harder. But, Laurel shared that her motto is “just keep swimming,” keeping it positive.
If you do ever find yourself in Hood River, Oregon and want to experience a chicken sandwich that “has potential” in a place that feels like “entering the Twilight zone”, according to that one woman on Google, be sure to visit Tilly Jane’s. Until then, why not give us a serving of your thoughts about this review and this influencer, or reviews and influencers in general, in the comment section below!