In London recognized as the best non-existent restaurant

Such a result, the British have achieved in six months

Vice journalist Ian Butler (Oobah Butler) with the help of fictional reviews in TripAdvisor stuck his non-existent restaurant, The Shed at Dulwich in the top ranking of the service.

In April 2017, the journalist decided to conduct an experiment and show how to use a specific set of steps you can make people believe in the existence of the restaurant, which actually is not, and TripAdvisor – to place it in the top ranking institutions.

He invented a restaurant called The Shed at Dulwich (Dulwich Barn) and registered it in TripAdvisor. In the application, the journalist pointed out that the restaurant is open only upon reservation.

Also UBA Butler added to her photos of the dishes that supposedly can try in The Shed at Dulwich: all of the photos were real, but in order for them to remove the man used cotton pads, sponges, foam of the day shaving and the like.

Immediately after registration, a non-existent restaurant was on 18149 th place in the ranking of TripAdvisor. Friends of the journalist began to write positive reviews about it and by the summer The Shed at Dulwich climbed 1456 place. Anyone wishing to book a table in the restaurant had a response that it’s fully booked for several weeks ahead. In August, the restaurant was already on 156th place.

To address UBI started to come sample products from vendors who would like to work with a restaurant, and offers from PR agencies. And November 1, for a nonexistent restaurant was the best restaurant in London on the rating of TripAdvisor. For the whole experiment the journalist took about six months.

After this experiment, he asked TripAdvisor about the reliability of their ratings. The company told him that to create fake restaurants may wish only journalists to test the system.

“For everyone else this makes no sense, so this problem does not exist for us”, – said in the company.

Before concluding the experiment, the journalist decided one night to really organize a restaurant in his back yard. He invited the acquaintance of the cook, bought food and had a DJ. However, visitors were not too happy and the rating of The Shed at Dulwich began to fall.

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