What are the Reputational Damage Control Measures in 'Ikyu.com Restaurants'?

Ikkyu.com Restaurant is the restaurant version of Ikkyu.com, a platform where you can book hotels and inns. From each restaurant’s page, you can check reviews from restaurant users. However, there are also posts that could potentially harm the restaurant’s reputation. If such malicious reviews are published, there is a risk that the number of restaurant users may decrease. In this article, we will explain specific examples of reputational damage on Ikkyu.com Restaurant and how to counteract them.

What is Ikyu.com Restaurant?

Ikyu.com Restaurant is a platform where you can search for various restaurants and plans. You can refine your search by specifying conditions such as date, nearest station, and cuisine genre. A distinctive feature of Ikyu.com Restaurant is the exceptional number of hotel restaurants listed. Even compared to major review sites like Gurunavi and Tabelog, the number of listings is quite high. Another personalityistic is the variety of attractive features, such as seasonal events and anniversaries. There are also a considerable number of reviews, each of which includes ratings for each category such as “food and taste” and “atmosphere”, as well as the plan used, making them very useful references. In addition, they also distribute limited-time coupons, and by making a reservation using Ikyu.com Restaurant, you may be able to get a discount of several thousand yen. Although they do not support overseas, it can be said that it is one of the largest sites in Japan for domestic restaurant reservations.

What kind of reputational damage can occur on Ikyu.com Restaurant?

Food and Taste

As a restaurant, it’s inevitable to receive reviews expressing dissatisfaction with the taste of the food, such as “it’s not delicious”. Moreover, many hotel restaurants offer high-end dinners, so presentation and temperature also become subjects of evaluation. With a wide variety of dishes like appetizers and main courses, there may also be complaints about limited food choices.

Ambience

The atmosphere is also important in a restaurant dining experience. For instance, a romantic restaurant atmosphere is preferred if one plans to spend an anniversary with their girlfriend. Many restaurant patrons also prefer a calm and relaxed atmosphere. However, if there are complaints about the atmosphere, such as “the noise of cars running outside was loud” or “the space between the next table was narrow and the conversation was noisy”, it may deter potential customers.

Customer Service

Restaurants are often used for special moments with loved ones, so customer service is a crucial factor in the selection process. Patrons will be delighted with polite and smart service. Conversely, there’s a risk of negative reviews such as “the staff’s response was sloppy” or “the doorman was unfriendly”. In customer service, it’s also important to see if careful consideration is given to various customers, such as pregnant women and the elderly.

Cost Performance

Since dining at a restaurant is often more expensive compared to regular meals, cost performance is a concern. If there are posts pointing out poor cost performance, such as “it wasn’t delicious for the price” or “there were few course meals and I couldn’t get a sense of satisfaction”, the number of users may decrease. As mentioned above, there are various evaluation points in restaurant dining, so there are often harsh posts.

What constitutes a review that can be deleted?

Reviews posted on Ikyu.com, including those for Ikyu.com Restaurants, are pre-checked by the management before being made public. Furthermore, the decision to post a review is based on the ‘Posting Restrictions’ in the ‘Review Usage Terms’ and the ‘Review Guidelines’. In other words, if a malicious review violates these two criteria, it may not be made public. Let’s take a look at the contents of the Review Usage Terms and Review Guidelines. First, Article 4 of the Review Usage Terms (Posting Restrictions) of Ikyu.com introduces examples of reviews that may be deleted or not published.

Content related to infringement of rights

This refers to reviews that infringe on the rights of third parties, such as privacy rights and reputation rights. Examples include reviews that disclose the private information of employees, rumors about employees, false information, and gossip.

Content related to commercial activities and business obstruction

This refers to reviews for commercial purposes, such as for profit or product solicitation. For example, “The ingredients used in this restaurant are sourced from a shop called XX. They are very delicious, so it would be good to purchase them for home use. You can purchase them from here (reference URL)” would fall under this category.

Content that deviates from the purpose of this service

This includes reviews that discuss experiences at accommodations or hotels, not restaurants.

Content that contradicts the truth

This refers to reviews that are false or clearly lies. For example, reviews that discuss services that are not actually provided fall under this category.

Nuisance behavior and others

Examples include reviews that contain content that violates laws and public order and morals, content that includes discriminatory expressions, and content that encourages criminal behavior. Let’s also take a look at the Review Guidelines of Ikyu.com. The guidelines state that they would like you to refrain from posting content that falls under the above categories. Although the enforcement power may be lower compared to the “Usage Terms” that explicitly state non-disclosure, there is a possibility of deletion.

Reviews that violate the terms of use and guidelines are likely to be made private. However, there are many restaurants listed on Ikyu.com Restaurants, and many posts are made every day. Therefore, there may be cases where the management’s checks do not catch everything and the review is published. In the next chapter, we will explain how to request deletion on your own if you find a defamatory review.

How to Request Removal for Violation of Terms of Use

To request removal, you will need to use the specialized “Inquiry Form” for review-related issues. Fill in your name and email address, and in the “Question Content” section, clearly state the parts of the review that violate the terms and guidelines. To make your case more persuasive, it would be beneficial to include details about the actual damage you have suffered, such as “I am experiencing mental distress” or “I am suffering harm.”

Examples of Cases Where Removal is Requested on the Grounds of Illegality

We have introduced a method to request the removal of a review on ikkyu.com by yourself. However, since the site claims to check the content of reviews in advance, the chances of successful removal are not very high. If the removal fails, you can also argue the illegality of the review to the court and ask for a removal order. When questioning the illegality of a review, defamation is often claimed. Also, if private information has been made public, it could be considered an “invasion of privacy,” and if false information has been spread and interfered with your business, it could be a case of “interference with business.” Regardless of the crime you claim, legal argument is essential. You need to logically state the rights that have been violated and the reasons why those rights can be said to have been violated, based on the law. It is difficult for a layperson to make this claim, so it is wise to consult a lawyer. There will be a consultation fee, but compared to the risk of continuing to publish defamatory reviews, it can be considered cheap. However, just because you have consulted a lawyer, it does not guarantee that the removal request will be successful. If the content is simply “the food was not delicious” or “the service attitude was bad,” it is merely subjective and the likelihood of being judged illegal is low.

Deletion by Provisional Disposition

Many people might imagine a trial when they think of filing a lawsuit. In a trial, a judge will make a fair judgment, but it takes time to conduct a proper examination. As a procedure that can be carried out in a shorter period than a trial, there is “deletion by provisional disposition”. A provisional disposition is a procedure to realize the state that is being sought before the substantive examination. Even if it’s a provisional disposition, if it’s ordered by the court, there’s a high chance that the other party will comply. However, just like filing a lawsuit, it’s necessary to make a legal claim, so please be careful.

https://monolith.law/reputation/provisional-disposition[ja]

Identifying Posters through Provisional Measures

Provisional measures not only allow for actions to be taken, but also for the identification of the poster. Even if a post is successfully deleted, it is meaningless if the same poster posts again. By identifying the poster and ordering them to stop posting, a fundamental solution can be achieved. We will request that the IP address of the poster be disclosed to ikkyu.com. Once the request is granted and the IP address is disclosed, we will then ask the provider for the disclosure of information such as the poster’s address, real name, and email address. Since review sites only hold information about IP addresses, it is necessary to request the disclosure of information from the provider as well. Although the process is complicated, it is undoubtedly a fundamental solution, so it is worth considering as one of the measures.

https://monolith.law/reputation/identifying-contributors-after-deletion[ja]

Summary

Ikkyu.com Restaurant is a site where you can make restaurant reservations and post or check reviews. Although the content of the reviews is checked by the site’s operators in advance, there are cases where some reviews may slip through due to the large number of them. In such cases, you have no choice but to request removal yourself. You will need to either make a direct request to the site or rely on a lawyer to request removal or identification of the poster.