Boise Restaurants Are About To Be At The Mercy Of TikTok

Food has to be some of the best local content we consume - pun intended. From new openings to food challenges, there's always something to talk about in the Treasure Valley food scene.

Reviews Hold The Key For Boise Restaurants

For restaurant owners, Yelp or Google reviews can make or break a restaurant's reputation. The headache around it all is that almost anyone can put up a review without consequence.

Sure, the restaurant owner can reply to the complaint or less-than-stellar review, but at the end of the day - the person reading the review is the one who decides what to believe.

ALSO READ: Popular Downtown Boise Restaurant Lends Helping Hand To California Fire Victims

For all we know, Yelpers or Google users are leaving bad reviews out of spite or for nitpicky reasons most of us wouldn't mind. On the other hand, the restaurant owner can be the one in the wrong and say the person writing the review is exaggerating.

How To Tell If A Restaurant Review Is Legitimate Or Not

Unfortunately, outside of inference and context, there's no surefire way to know if someone on Yelp or Google is telling the truth. What many people often do is look at patterns or a poster's review history.

If several people complain about the same thing, could it be because they're onto something? Maybe, but then again - we've all heard of "review bombing" where multiple people (or one person reviewing from multiple accounts) leave bad reviews to make it seem legit.

You could also check the review history of one account and see if they regularly complain about everything... but what if it's their first review?

Another Source Of Reviews (Or Headaches) Is Coming For Boise Restaurants

Recently, TikTok introduced a new feature that allows users to rate restaurants with a star rating, similar to Yelp.

However, if you leave anything less than a 5-star review, you'll be asked to explain why.

ALSO READ: 5 Boise Food Spots We Would Love To See Franchised

It's easy to see how this can be an excellent tool for restaurant owners to gain exposure from TikTok influencers... but as with anything, it can also backfire.

What if TikTokers began using the new feature to gain clout as opposed to leaving fair and constructive criticism? What if followers support an influencer so much they double down and leave a bad review just because?

Is TikTok about to take over Yelp as the primary way to review a restaurant? We invite you to share your thoughts with us HERE.