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Movie director Dave Green (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) and actor friend Joe Cobden (Fargo, X Men: Apocalypse) are big fans of Los Angeles Times restaurant critic Jonathan Gold. They’re also obsessed with Yelp reviews, particularly those of the site’s “Elite Squad” of elevated amateur critics.
So, they decided to put their talents to use with hilarious consequences. Noticing a barely used 12 second video review function on Yelp, the duo began using it to troll the site, bombarding it with goofy parodies of Yelp-style reviews under the username Toothpix, all filmed in and around Los Angeles.
Baroo. #toothpix. @baroo_la ? @juliakramer for hosting last week
A video posted by TOOTH PIX (@toothpix) on Sep 15, 2016 at 10:11am PDT
pollo a la brasa. ? ?: @jwrutland #toothpix
A video posted by TOOTH PIX (@toothpix) on Sep 5, 2016 at 9:54am PDT
They’ve also set up an Instagram to host the short videos. Who do they follow? Just Jonathan Gold of course. Each video focuses on a different LA restaurant – Trois Mec for example.
trois mec. #toothpix @troismecla
A video posted by TOOTH PIX (@toothpix) on Aug 11, 2016 at 12:39pm PDT
Many restaurant owners wince at the mere mention of Yelp of course, feeling it gives too strong a voice to vindictive or freeloading diners. This restaurant owner for instance likes to give Yelp reviewers a taste of their own medicine, while there’s also a crowdfunding campaign underway for a less than complimentary documentary about Yelp’s business practices.
Watch a video of chefs reading their worst Yelp reviews below.
Via Bon Appétit
Yelp reviewers to get their own TV show
