Jersey Diner Turns Awful Yelp Review Into Marketing Gold

HOBOKEN, NJ — When most restaurant owners get one of their meals labeled “the worst breakfast ever” on a scathing Yelp review, they try to do everything in their power to assure that as few people as possible see it.

But that’s not how things fly in Joisey.

When an irate patron of the Spa Diner in Hoboken, NJ, posted his unflattering bit of prose about the restaurant’s Taylor ham, eggs, sausage, bacon and pancakes, the owners had another idea in mind… marketing.

Soon after the unsatisfied customer’s Yelp review appeared online, the restaurant - which is operated by an Essex County man and his father - posted a message of its own on a sandwich board outside its Hudson Street building: “Try the worst breakfast one man on Yelp ever had.”

The local “dirty spoon” restaurant underwent a change in management in May of 2015 when new owner and Millburn resident Sean McGarr took over, leaving some local foodies wondering about the eatery’s future.

Soon after McGarr took over the restaurant, a diner posted his ubiquitous review on Yelp, identifying the Spa Diner as the home of the "worst breakfast" that he ever ate. There was just one problem, McGarr told Patch... he got the wrong restaurant.

According to McGarr, the patron actually meant to post the review about another area diner but got confused. McGarr realized the mistake when he reached out to the reviewer and hashed things out, but the experience got the restaurant owner thinking.

"Anyone can post anything they want [on Yelp] whether they're right or wrong," McGarr said. "So I decided to poke fun actually at Yelp by posting that sign outside."

So far, the restaurant has received more than 100,000 views on its social media pages as a result of the marketing tactic, McGarr told Patch.

YELPING THE HOME OF THE 'WORST EVER BREAKFAST'

The reviews on Yelp in the wake of the “worst ever” review are largely love or hate, calling the eatery everything from a “slice of local home-grown history” to “an absolute disgrace.”

However, a November 2015 review from “Hector S.” seems to encapsulate the general feeling of most of the Yelp internet culinary pundits.

“Basically came in here because of the sign outside about the guy who complained about the diner on Yelp. All I wanted was a burger and fries. Food was good, the fries were REAL FRIES, service was good and the price was good. I'll be back.”

There are a handful of places for people who grew up in Hoboken to say, 'that's how it was when I grew up,' and we are proud to say that the Spa Diner is one of them," McGarr told Patch.

See the full Yelp listing and reviews here.

Among the reviews:

• "Wonderful food, great prices, and terrific friendly service any time of the day. The current Greek owner took it over from the previous Greek owner in 1976. Don't miss this slice of local home-grown history."

• "Went at night for a quick bite on the way home from the city. The omelette was pretty good, but otherwise not a great experience. Nobody working there cared what was going on, they were mostly hanging out in the back talking. The cook even managed to burn my side of Taylor Ham, which really takes an effort to do. Good place to go, if you have absolutely no other option."
• "This hole in the wall greasy spoon could be so much better. Located next to bar row, a stone's throw from the Hoboken train station, it's puzzling that it's just not that good... The server was kind of rude and this place isn't that cheap. I mean $6-$7 for a disgusting wrap no fries is pretty pricey. Regardless, I'm sure Spa has saved many a hungry people at one time or another, but its more of a last reserve for me."
• "An excellent reminder of what true NJ diner culture was, is, and will be. My dad use to have breakfast here in the 50's. #awesomeness"

Photo: Eric Kiefer

Send feedback to eric.kiefer@patch.com