I rolled my eyes at the whole "cancel culture isn't real" crowd until I saw it happen to a local chef

There was this guy in Denver who ran a small ramen spot called Noodle House. He posted some dumb political joke on his personal page and within 48 hours his Yelp was flooded with 1 star reviews and his supplier dropped him. I thought he'd bounce back but his place closed after 3 months. I still don't agree with the joke he made but seeing a real business disappear that fast made me think maybe the mob does have more power than I gave it credit for. Has anyone else watched a small biz get wiped out over one bad post?

3 comments

3 Comments

anna_ross191mo ago

Yeah man, I saw something similar happen to a local bakery near me in Phoenix. They had a small following and one afternoon the owner posted something kinda dumb about a local sports team rivalry, not even political, and people went after her. Within a week, her Google reviews tanked and she lost a catering contract she'd been counting on. She managed to keep going by posting a genuine apology and staying off social media for a month, but it was close. I think what worked for her was just being real and not trying to defend herself or fight back, just admitted she messed up and focused on the food. Sometimes the mob doesn't care about the context, they just see a target and hit.

emmaallen1mo ago

Wow, did she ever try reaching out to the people who posted bad reviews?

paige861mo ago

Sometimes the mob doesn't care about the context, they just see a target and hit" - that part hits hard. It's scary how fast it can happen over something that's not even that serious. I've seen it happen to friends too, where one dumb post gets ratio'd and suddenly your whole reputation is in the toilet. The thing is, people online love to pile on because it makes them feel part of something, even if it's just yelling at someone over a hot take. It's like once the mob decides you're the bad guy, nothing you say matters until you just shut up and lay low. The Phoenix bakery owner sounds smart for going quiet and apologizing real fast instead of trying to explain herself. I think that's the only way to survive it, just admit fault and hope they move on to someone else.