After Trump stunt, Yelp blocks reviews of McDonald’s in Pennsylvania
✅145 reviews were posted about the Lower Southampton McDonald's
✅Donald Trump stopped there on Sunday
✅The restaurant had been closed to the general public
LOWER SOUTHAMPTON, Pa. — Reviews of the McDonald's that closed on Sunday so that Donald Trump could act out a publicity event have been temporarily blocked by Yelp.
The Republican presidential nominee went to the restaurant on Street Road in the Feasterville section of Lower Southampton, met with employees and served food out the drive-through window. According to a letter in the window from franchise owner Derek Giacomantonio, the restaurant was closed until 4 p.m.
No 'real' customers
Despite the "customers" all pre-selected and from area Republican organizations, 145 reviews were posted by Monday afternoon, according to Yelp spokesman Kylie Banks.
"Yelp requires that all reviews be based on genuine, firsthand consumer experiences with a business. On Monday, October 21, after receiving an influx of reviews, our moderators placed an Unusual Activity Alert on the business page and temporarily disabled the ability to post reviews," Banks told PA Living News.
The company's consumer alerts program kicks in when a business that has been featured in news coverage receives an "unusual" number of reviews. Both positive and negative reviews can inflate or deflate a business's rating. Once things cool down, Yelp will clean up the page leaving only first-hand reviews.
The millionaire real estate tycoon scheduled the publicity stunt at McDonald's after repeatedly expressing doubt that Vice President Kamala Harris had ever worked for the fast-food restaurant while she was in college.
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Donald Trump Visits McDonald's in Feasterville 10/20/24
Gallery Credit: Dan Alexadner