Scott Van Duzer's Big Apple Pizza Gets Negative Yelp Reviews After Owner Bear-Hugs Obama

[LynneSin]

Scott Van Duzer's Big Apple Pizza Gets Negative Yelp Reviews After Owner Bear-Hugs Obama

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/10/scott-van-duzer-big-apple-pizza-yelp-bear-hug_n_1871329.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular

Now there's yet another way to lower your business’s rating on Yelp: bear-hug the president.

Scott Van Duzer, a Republican and the owner of Big Apple Pizza in Fort Pierce, Fla., became an Internet sensation Sunday when he bear-hugged President Obama during a campaign visit. But while Obama supporters claimed the episode as a heartwarming example of the president’s willingness to cross party lines for small business, others were less impressed with the viral episode, and even took a shot at Van Duzer’s business because of it.

Several negative reviews have popped up on Big Apple Pizza’s Yelp profile, featuring low, 1-star ratings and comments about the bear hug:

Well.. I'd eat there but after seeing the owner grab our leftist President I felt compelled to disrespect his establishment as much as the President disrespects our constitution. Shame on you Scott Van Duzer for thumbing your nose at all the small business owners this President has disrespected for the last four years. I guess you DIDN'T BUILD IT!
Another reviewer let his 1-star rating do most of the talking, adding only, “Owner states he is a Republican that supports Obama.”

I think the Yelp people should delete all those out-of-state reviews. I mean if you haven't eaten there you shouldn't judge the place. Shame on them for bullying a restaurant owner.

[Thrill]

1. Well DUers

Get up there and do positive reviews

[flamingdem]

2. Gawker has an article as well

"People are saying a lot of bad things and boycotting my restaurant," Van Duzer said. "There's no middle line anymore, and that's exactly what's wrong with our country right now."

Many Republicans took to Yelp to slam Van Duzer — who is himself a Republican — for having the gall to respect Obama. "Talk about committing business suicide," wrote one irate Arizonan Yelper wrote on the Big Apple Pizza & Pasta page. "After picking up Obama, your books are gonna be in the red pretty soon. Not too smart."

As Gather Politics contributor Reno Berkeley notes, most of the single-star reviews have since been removed from Yelp — replaced by a deluge of five-star reviews from supporters responding to the backlash.

Speaking with CNN's Wolf Blitzer this afternoon, Van Duzer, whose charity work in the blood donation arena was lauded by the president, explained what motivated him to extended Obama such an uplifting embrace.

[SoapBox]

3. Tons of posts about this in the Politics 2012 Forum...

People have been ordering pizzas...and then when we found out that the business was SWAMPED this evening, he requested
donations to his foundation.

http://thevanduzerfoundation.org/

At DU see,

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1251&pid=92364

and

http://www.democraticunderground.com/125192503

More at Daily KOS,

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/09/10/1130051/-UNDER-ATTACK-SUPPORT-BIG-APPLE-PIZZA-ORDER-A-PIE

I did a donation to his foundation.

Amazing how the DUers have turned out and we'll show those Baggers and Haters.