http://www.yelp.com/biz/black-sheep-pizza-college-station?hrid=zbRtvgJfJKVMTIt1JZ309g

It seems that a local Yelp reviewer who is known for being the first to review businesses is upset that his claim to the Yelp Throne has been usurped.

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It is absolutely wonderful to have Alex P. working hard for us in finding new restaurants and reviewing them 1st for his sheer pleasure. He's the one that had to get up early today and drive way out here to Wellborn proper and eat something he doesn't generally care for, all for the FTR (first to review).

This location is actually in Wellborn. Thanks to Alex and his never ending research my wife and I picked it for lunch. It actually opened last Friday.

The menu to me looks like someone copied Gumby's Pizza, a small national chain off Dominik in College Station.


...

Hiroko and I send all of our best wishes to the newest restaurant in Wellborn, and thank you Alex for having to get up early and drive way out here just for an FTR. Cute. My wife and I enjoyed the road trip.

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It seems to me that someone who cares so much about reviewing businesses first is criticizing another reviewer for caring about reviewing businesses first. Odd!


It also appears that there are local reviewers that believe his early reviews are ill-gotten. It seems Yelp has agreed.

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Paolos Italian

Category: Italian
5.0 star rating
8/24/2014 First to Review
It has come to my attention that someone has somehow provided false information to Yelp and had my FTR deleted claiming that it lacks a "First Hand Experience". Nothing could be anything short of the truth yet Yelp has trouble telling what first hand experiences are, in fact they don't even know whom their users are.

Yelp used to use a slogan "Real People, Real Reviews".
buzzinmedia.files.wordpr…

That was a registered trademark in fact. They quit using it when they went public on the stock market as this claim was not true. Yelp does not confirm any account as being a real user. All they do is accept a working E-Mail account so this claim was false in fact. In fact their share holders are suing them for fraud;

blog.sfgate.com/techchro…

The reason my review was deleted was due to a "Lack of a first hand customer experience". Nothing could be further than the truth.

I researched other local reviews and found problems in our community, such as this:

Blackwater Draw;
yelp.com/biz/blackwater-…
They have a fake FTR up from an account known as Jim with no photo and no authentication claiming he ate samples at a "tailgate". Now if eating at a tailgate before a restaurant is open qualifies as a FTR (First to Review), certainly eating at an actual open restaurant from their menu most certainly does.

My truthful experience with Paolo's started when my wife and I were invited to try their menu and comment on it. We offered truthful commentary and hope that our opinions helped forge the public menu.

Yelp guidelines regarding an "actual firsthand experience" are required to be "defended" by the very guidelines themselves. I have done that with ample proof including photos of what we ate.

If someone thinks they will get this FTR by deception and manipulation of Yelp, go ahead and try.

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Dear DG,

That doesn't look like a "fight" to me. I looks more like one person ranting and raving in a rather unstable fashion.

But maybe I'm missing something.

This should be good. The "Taco Monster" takes his Yelping pretty seriously...

That is a good point, Tradishun.

More like a Yelp tantrum.

Am I missing something that it is supposedly a real feather in the cap to have an FTR on Yelp? Who the hell cares? If that's the pinnacle of your existence, you have failed in life.

It's been established that Greg D. will often go to great lengths to scoop the FTR, like raving about Joy Luck Fusion's non-existent cheap banh mi sandwiches (and stealing it from their website, no less). I have a feeling that the Northgate Juice Joint review was faked...Willie's Ice House was.

Well, I remarked last night that the "FTR" for Paolo's was posted before it actually opened. That makes no sense to me. I expect a review to be about a restaurant and how it is functioning (food quality and preparation, service, ambience, including music, noise, etc.). Even if one has eaten samples of the dishes-with or without photos- that does NOT seem to present a legitimate reprensentation of how well it operates when we mere peasants are allowed in to spend our hard-earned cash on the product presented to the public. Other reviews of this ilk should be dismissed and disregarded. What a strain it must be to do these FTRs and what a waste as the opening few days of a restaurant often have so little to do with its qualities on a longrr term basis. Many improve markedly over time and many slide down in quality, service and caring. Few open at their peak and stay there. So early reviews, while interesting, rarely are truly useful over the life of an establishment.

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If that's the pinnacle of your existence, you have failed in life.

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This!

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"all for the FTR (first to review)."

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The fact that this even exists and has it's own acronym and that someone craves it just means they are a truly pathetic human being.

FTR? How about WGAS?

Find something else to do with your life because, as has been noted already...you are failing at it.

[edit] I see that the "Taco Monster" has a review up for the Wellborn Post Office. Am now waiting anxiously for his FTR of that cloud that just passed overhead.

[This message has been edited by GiveEmHellBill (edited 8/26/2014 1:59p).]

why is FTR important


seems like I would care more about LTR. more pertinent

http://forums.texags.com/main/forum.reply.asp?topic_id=2512384&forum_id=35

I stumbled across GregD's review while looking for Paolo's menu on Yelp on Monday afternoon. I thought it odd that he had a review up because I knew Monday night was their first night to be open. I didn't read the review so I have to assume it was based on the tastings that Chef Tai held a few weeks before the opening.

I too attended one of the tastings and it's unfair and disingenuous to review a restaurant from those tastings. The whole point on the tastings was to provide feedback to Chef Tai. The dishes were served family style as multiple courses so the portions were small. Chef Tai was working out the menu/ingredients/portions so what we had could be different from the final result. I mean jeez, he was still trying out tomatoes from different regions! The prices were being worked out too. Did I mention that the tastings were held at Veritas?

Anyway, wow, all that just to be the first to review?


[This message has been edited by CN (edited 8/26/2014 2:49p).]

[This message has been edited by CN (edited 8/26/2014 4:19p).]

Sounds like these gastronomic gladiators need to just meet up somewhere and have a slap fight.

It looks to me like there's only one "gladiator"...and he's already having a slap fight with reality.

We should report all the obvious fake ones he did and get them removed. That would really make him happy.

Do you want to go through 2000+ reviews?

This is hilarious to me. Why does he care so much when he's clearly not a very good snob in the first place. He's got some wack reviews.

You know how there are still *******s that yell "FIRST!" any time something is posted with a comment section.

That dude is still doing it. Way, way after it stopped being funny.

This guy obviously has a very empty life if he gets his fulfillment from being the first to review a place.

I don't care if he wants to be the first to review places, whatever floats your boat. I do think it's a little sad that he's so pissy that he WASN'T the first to review Black Sheep. It's also pretty crappy that he's been caught 'reviewing' places before they are even open.

Maybe he's angling to be a local restaurant expert in B/CS and is reviewing early and often to give himself credibility?

I wonder if he's ever been introduced to someone and says something like "Hi, I'm Greg...that's right, the same Greg that is the premier food critic of the Brazos Valley. I'm sure you've heard of me"


What a poon.

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I wonder if he's ever been introduced to someone and says something like "Hi, I'm Greg...that's right, the same Greg that is the premier food critic of the Brazos Valley. I'm sure you've heard of me"

I hope this is how he introduces himself to everyone

What a poon.

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Does this really count as a review?

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Without wishing to appear as a braggish self promoting Jack-Ass, the millions I made on Nasdaq came due to my own strife and creativity and nothing passed off to ungrateful, non-deserving and/or inferior, not by grand designed liquified stock of hand-me-downs sharing a nauseous self righteous gene deemed self worthy of preaching about.

A true fact in life is that when you can afford it, you can and will refine your palate and once you do, there is no turning back.

Friends have been asking me lately as I complete a 100% tour of every single eatery in Bryan and College Station, why I have not reviewed the famous Christopher's, whom shares in the prestige of being one of President Bush's favorites? Like Republic Steak down the street to even Mabel's Lobster Claw in Kennebunkport, Maine, which I have reviewed.

yelp.com/biz/mabels-lobs…

It was a long time ago. Perhaps 2008 and I didn't even use Yelp back then. My experience was quite memorable. I was told that we (myself in particular) were not "dressed" as desired and they seated us in a cold boring place. Old white walls with the paint chipping off. As if they were trying to hide us. I was wearing short pants due to the fact and perhaps surprising to the Blue-Bloods of New England, it just so happens to be hot as **** in this part of Texas. That's why 41 spends summers in Maine.

Food was savagely overpriced and I felt ripped off and insulted. Never returned.

Perhaps my opinion will change as this weekend my wife and I do have reservations for Brunch. I will arrive in similar attire as the first visit, shorts and a T-Shirt as this weekend is predicted to be hotter than just to the left of Satan's ass hole once again.

We have used OpenTable for reservations and they have been confirmed. Stay tuned for details. As years have gone by, I'm fully expecting a better than the last time experience. Looking forward to it actually. And you can look forward to a classic giant comprehensive Greg D. review that hopefully you should be able to love and hate at the same time.

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Made millions? I thought he was a sandwich maker at Jimmy Johns? At least I thought I read that here, could be wrong.

Seriously, there needs to be a "Too much/composed entirely of irrelevant information" flag on Yelp for this guy.

Everything I've ever legitimately flagged him on has gotten removed.

He's an insufferable wiener.

Someone make a block Greg D.'s Yelp reviews extension for my browser?

This idiot even has a review for places on campus and the Marine Corps office in the Bank of America building. Dude needs a life.

Man that post about Christopher's makes me want to punch him. What the hell did he wear to the Republic? Don't wanna dress up? Don't go. He of all people should know there's plenty of other places to eat.

Holy sh t, what a loser! He is nothing more than a loser stoner.

I had never heard of this guy prior to MyBCS. Can't say that we've ever used his reviews to determine where to eat and where to stay away from.

I made millions from NASDAQ too....just don't ask me to prove it.

He was involved in a Battle Royale over on the General Board. It didn't go very well for him.

What's his name on TA?