Dear Boston area restaurant owners (all of you),
I started this blog/website because I wanted a forum for my own voice and for others who share the love of burgers. I was not happy with the other formats (chowhound, yelp, etc.) because I felt that people were either way too nice or way too mean, just for the sake of being mean or just for the sake of kissing up to a chef/restaurant. I don’t think I’m mean, for the record, I think I’m honest, and I think I have legitimate reasons and experience to back that up. I never, ever, write a review or go to a new restaurant wanting it to be bad, or wanting to hate it, I may have expectations, but I promise you I’m always neutral going in and never looking to be an asshole. What comes out after that is all me, no gimmick, no ulterior motive, I’m not trying to be as obnoxious or as hate-filled as possible, I’m not trying to be the “angry burger guy.” This is who I am, as it’s been pointed out by those who know me, I may be a bit more on the negative side in actuality, I don’t have an alternate online persona, I’m not clever enough to create something so fictional. So if you want to call me out for being an asshole, so be it, then you’ll probably think I’m an asshole in real life too. I also think it’s an enormous waste of time to call me out because of a negative review, would you call out the Globe if they wrote a bad review? Do you call out every bad reviewer on Yelp? Maybe more time should be spent on perfecting the food, and less time on embarrassing yourself by fighting with every online reviewer who doesn’t think your restaurant is the best in the city. Furthermore, I’m not even a critic, I know it and all my readers do too, this is my personal quest to find the best burger in Boston, so my standards are higher than most, I want the best and wont settle for less than that. It’s also right there on my home page, I am not a professional writer, I never claimed to be and I never will, I’m not getting paid here, it’s all in good fun and is meant to be taken lightly. I’m sorry if you think I’m trying to ruin your business, I assure you I am not, I should be entitled to forming my own opinions on my own website without worrying about hurting the feelings of anyone. I realize people’s lives and businesses are at stake, it is not my intention to be rude or destroy a business, but if you’re going to go through the trouble of opening a restaurant, maybe you should make sure you’re as best prepared as you can be before you open, versus “figuring it out as you go.” In summary, maybe my standards are higher, and maybe it is just burgers after all, but I’m glad we live in a part of the county where people feel so strongly about their food choices, this is my voice, read along if you like, but don’t blast me because I don’t like your food.
Sincerely,
Richard A. Chudy
