Le Clubbing: Not All Venues Meant For Yelpers

Prologue: about a month ago, we had a conversation with a restaurateur of a relatively new, mid-upscale restaurant who shrugged off the idiocy of Yelp with the following line (or some semblance of it; drinks were involved): "[My restaurant] just isn't for Yelpers. It's made for people who like food, not for people who want to critique taquerias and bars." To this day, we think it a very fair—if a little broad—assessment of the Yelp demographic versus the demographic sought by many restaurateurs.

With this in mind, we are having quite. the. time. reading the early Yelp reviews from Le Club, the new, swanky reservations-only throwback in Nob Hill. Let's just say that amenities like a parlor rooms and lobster pot pies are decidedly not Yelp-friendly. For added fun, visualize the following gems of lunacy from the Yelp Le Club universe with the voice of a petulant teenager:

Valerie B: "No music, really old crowd, the bartenders weren't helping the waitresses out so you couldn't get a drink. I don't care who showed up here on the opening week, it's stuffy & aloof & BORING!"

Amelia L: "Le Lame. What kind of drinking establishment doesn't play music?"

roneeta l: "I had reservations for opening night and the service was terrible. Le Club was more like Le Cougar. I would not recommend this place..."

And now, ladies and gents, a Yelp first: a reviewer that got free alcohol without also giving five stars:

Candice R: "this place is just not my cup of tea and people who know me, know that i drink a lot of tea. two stars for free booze that kept finding its way into my champagne glass. turns out, we'd accidentally crashed someone's party.... not authentic in the slightest - perhaps that's the issue. doesn't have any one interesting or sweet quality."

Oh, but not all the reviews are negative:

Sally K: "To say Le Club is my new obsession is an understatement. This is, by far, the hottest and most concrete new establishment to hit San Francisco is a very, very long time. TEN HUNDRED MILLION TRILLION STARS."

Upshot: we are even more fascinated with Le Club, and even more dismissive of 90% of mindless Yelp reviews. The other mindless 10%? Well, they make great entertainment.
· Le Club [Yelp]
· The Dish: Semi-Exclusive Le Club Opens Tomorrow [~ESF~]