Yelp is one of the more oft-debated restaurant review websites out there — if not the most. However, its reputation as a controversial platform hasn’t stopped nearly 20 food spots spread out across Pinellas, Hillsborough, Pasco and Polk counties from jumping on board with Yelp Tampa Bay’s inaugural Restaurant Week.
Starting Sunday, Yelp Restaurant Week gives area diners a 30 percent discount on any meal of their choice — excluding alcohol — at participating restaurants like Chop Chop Shop, Community Cafe, Saffron Indian Cuisine and Hawkers Asian Street Fare. This deal is different from what’s offered during other restaurant weeks around the country (even CL’s) that typically spotlight multicourse, prix-fixe menus.
Patrons looking to unlock the Yelp Restaurant Week discount must check in to the restaurant they’re visiting through the platform’s app, which they’ll need an account to do, then present the offer to their server or cashier.
If nothing else, at least Yelp is trying to improve transparency. Here’s one of the disclaimers directed toward local Yelpers on the official event page:
“If you visit a restaurant participating in Yelp Restaurant Week and decide to write a review about that visit, please disclose you received the discount as part of YRW in your review. It’s important to give readers the full scope of your experience. Thank you!”
The event runs through March 24.
This article appears in Mar 8-15, 2018.
