A Moldovan restaurant in London has been targeted by spammers leaving fake one-star reviews, who have mistaken it for a Russian-owned business.
The owners of Birch and Bear restaurant in Canary Wharf claim they have become victims of anti-Russian hate following Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.
Marin Gobjila, 23, who hails from Moldova, told MyLondon the fake reviews have started to affect his restaurant and discouraged customers from visiting.
He said: “People started to write bad reviews before actually trying our food or knowing who is behind the scenes. Reviews really matter because people always look at them before trying some place new.”
One person who left a one-star review said he wouldn't be returning to the restaurant because of “the current situation going on.” Another review read: “Russian army are bombing innocent civilians in Ukraine. Get rid of Putin, he is dangerous…”
Marin explained that he decided not to react, adding : “It does harm us but we chose not to respond to any of the reviews because what’s happening in Ukraine is hard to see and we understand that people are hurt. They just want to do anything they can to restore peace in the world.”
The restaurant owner admitted he was not surprised to see the sudden influx of negative reviews aimed at his business, which was previously run by Ukrainian and Russian owners. “The first negative review came from a guy who rated us as well as three Russian restaurants,” he said. “We were expecting this to be honest. On our menu you can find Russian dishes because Moldova is a former Soviet republic so our food is similar. But the hate will pass and I believe we will be able to repair our name.”
Others came to the restaurant's defence. One loyal customer wrote: “Guys, PLEASE STOP making one-star reviews. I’m Moldovan and the owner is also Moldovan. Our country is currently hosting thousands of refugees and helping Ukrainians with everything possible. We stand with Ukraine. Stop the war, STOP PUTIN!”
Many also took to reporting the fake one-star reviews prompting Google to remove most of the reviews altogether.
“It feels great seeing people who don’t even know us defending us and trying to help our business,” Marin told MyLondon. “We stand by Ukraine and hope peace will be restored as soon as possible.”
The restaurant, which currently only serves takeaway and delivery, will donate 10 per cent of its profits to The Ukrainian Red Cross Society in support of people affected by the war.
