In September 2014, Davide Cerretini placed a sign outside Botto Bistro, his Italian restaurant in a Richmond, California strip mall: "Give us a one star review on Yelp and get 25% off any pizza! Hate us on Yelp." The discount was later increased to 50%.
Why he did it
Cerretini claimed Yelp called him approximately 20 times per week to buy advertising. After he paid $270 for a six-month ad package and then stopped paying, his positive reviews disappeared while negative ones were pushed to the top.
"I came from Italy, and know exactly what mafia extortion looks like."
— Davide Cerretini
"We are sick and tired of the most hated company in the internet review world."
— Davide Cerretini
The result
The next morning, an avalanche of journalists, fellow restaurant owners, and supporters arrived. That Friday, Botto Bistro did more business than it typically did in an entire month. The restaurant accumulated 2,300+ one-star reviews (95% of total reviews), becoming the worst-rated restaurant on Yelp — and business increased 30-40%.
The story was covered by Time, USA Today, CNN, and ABC News. Yelp sent a cease-and-desist letter claiming the discount violated its Terms of Service. Cerretini posted the emails publicly on social media.
The aftermath
In March 2020, Cerretini sold Botto Bistro at a profit. He wrote: "We would like to thank Yelp for being so stupid and arrogant that they tried to extort the Italians… allowed us to have fun, increase our business and our popularity, troll them for the last 6 years, sell our place at a profit, and forge a new career."
What this case reveals
Cerretini proved something radical: when you strip the power away from the rating, the rating becomes meaningless. His protest worked because he exposed the absurdity of a system where a number matters more than reality. The question is: why should any business owner's livelihood depend on a number they can't control?