I recently wrote a sort-of negative Yelp review about a restaurant, and the owner sent a private message to me asking what they could do to make the experience better. It got me thinking about negative Yelp reviews.

Part of me thinks they're good. Reviews guide so much of our behavior these days, so truth and honesty is important. If a burger sucks, people should know. And it might be a wakeup call for the owners.

Part of me thinks they're bad. Why go out of your way to put down some small business owner who's just trying their best to make it in a tough industry? And all negative reviews do is empower vindictive, petty customers.

I don't know. I've always thought my honest review of a place is kind of like a public service. But if it's at the expense of a good hard-working business owner, then maybe I'll stop.