A popular bakery has hit back at a one star reviewer who threatened to hold the owner at a $7,000 ransom over an overloaded pork bánh mì.
The customer, ‘Edmund’, left his scathing review after visiting Top Ryde Baker’s House, in Sydney‘s north-west, on Tuesday.
He wrote that he was ‘utterly, if not bitterly disappointed’ by the food.
‘As I arrived home, hoping to enjoy something I rarely have, I unwrapped the pork roll from its paper bag and was stunned by its size,’ he continued.
‘I was greeted by an enormous slab of pork that defies reality. A portion unheard of in the history of civilisation.
‘Hungry and tired, I took that first bite. Grease dripped endlessly from the roll’s interior, and every mouthful felt like a ticking sentence to obesity.’
Edmund claimed he had ‘endless stomach cramps and tears falling from my eyes’.
‘As a result of my experience, a $7,000 fine is now payable, or else be prepared to face my fury,’ he threatened.
The store manager at Top Ryde Baker’s House said the one star review would bring their overall rating down, even if ‘Edmund’ had been joking about the $7,000 fine
Top Ryde Baker’s House is generally praised for its pork bánh mì (pictured)
Kim, the store manager at Top Ryde Baker’s House, told Daily Mail Australia that Google needed to protect business owners by monitoring online reviews.
‘I didn’t know if he was trying to be funny, but it does affect the business and we should have more power over what goes up because it’s a one-sided story,’ she said.
‘Giving us one star brings our overall rating down. And we can give great service for years but when one thing goes wrong, they go online and give you one star.
‘I was surprised he asked us for $7,000.
‘It is a family-run business and we’ve been doing this for a long time, and some of social media is good but a lot of it is full of keyboard warriors.’
The bakery asked its customers how they were feeling in a callout on their Instagram page after Edmund complained of ‘endless stomach cramps’.
‘If you had a pork roll today, how are you feeling?’ they wrote.
‘Is anyone else feeling like Edmund today?’
Top Ryde Baker’s House at a quieter time. Sometimes the queues for rolls can be an hour long
Top Ryde Baker’s House has almost 12,000 followers on Instagram, with the vast majority of customers in support of the small business and its pork rolls.
‘So, he’s complaining you’ve been too generous, and it was just too good to stop, resulting in stomach cramps. Think he meant to give a five-star,’ one wrote.
‘One-star review for portion being too generous? Insanity,’ another said.
‘He could have written a proper bad review but chose to write it to highlight your strengths,’ a third said.
The bakery boasts 4.5 stars on Google, with its popularity proven by how long customers are willing to wait in line.
‘You have to be very patient as the wait is almost an hour, and this was at 10.30am on a Saturday morning,’ one reviewer said.
‘The crispy pork roast bánh mì was just amazing, filled with scrumptious roast pork.
‘The service is just amazing. No matter how busy they are, the staff are so friendly and helpful. Trust me, it is worth the wait.’
