Foodies & Dining

I didn't want to take this public to avoid breaking any forum rules, but honestly, I can't believe this kind of thing happens in the food section.

After reporting a post—which I found pretty offensive—and sending a separate comment to the mods, someone decided to play janitor and clean up the thread on May 4th. Though, looking at the timestamps, it’s obvious the scrubbing started even earlier.

What’s left of the thread now is an absolute joke. It’s just a handful of posts from a few select users and the remarks from a banned user—who was likely kicked for spamming ads (though they could have actually explained why, especially since that user's posts sparked such a heated debate over the last few days). If the rules say a ban doesn't require an explanation, fine—but then they should have wiped everything posted since the restaurant opened (basically since the whole argument started). Instead, they chose selective deletion, leaving behind a completely distorted and inaccurate version of events. Just to be clear: I read the entire thread while it was still live a few hours ago, including several neutral, rational posts that vanished because they apparently didn't fit the specific "vision" held by a certain corner of this subforum—a corner the active moderator clearly belongs to.

Look, maybe the person really was advertising, and if so, they deserved the ban. But this kind of cherry-picking—especially targeting anyone on the "other side"—is beneath a forum that used to be a staple for foodies. I have no idea where this is heading; every time I visit, it feels more and more 😲

I get it—being a moderator is a thankless, difficult job. But showing some basic respect to the readers and contributors means explaining why these one-sided decisions keep happening. Or are we all just too dim to understand, so there's no point in trying?

I'm not sure who's responsible here. Of the newer admins or super-mods, I only know Leg, and I don't think he's the one behind this subjective cleanup. As for whoever else... well, they aren't exactly a moderator.

And sorry for being so intense tonight—I really should have been asleep ages ago 😵, being an older citizen and all—but I’m honestly losing interest in visiting this forum because of the moderation. Especially in a section that used to be my favorite.

It all started spiraling when they began allowing entire threads dedicated to just one single restaurant... It turns out certain mods and those die-hard regulars really liked having it that way—so they shut down any actual criticism, and even when there was an attempt to launch a dedicated "Restaurant Reviews" sub-forum on Yelp, it just didn't take off.

I wouldn't be surprised—everything happens for a reason, I suppose, including the fact that most of the quality contributors who practically grew up on this site aren't even around anymore...

@countrywoman, I’m fairly certain they gave him a reason for the ban... You could always file a complaint with the HR department to get some clarity on why he was let go.
Alternatively, you can just shoot him a DM once he's back online, and if he feels like responding, he will.

Everything you assumed about what happened regarding that topic is actually incorrect.

Thanks for the quick reply, Mrs. Pringles. I don't really have any skin in the game regarding the ban itself—it’s more about how this whole situation was handled, and honestly, a few other topics too.

Maybe I'm off base, but just a few hours ago, there were actually some constructive, objective posts in there. Now? It's just a sea of useless noise. I was actually planning on coming back to the thread to quote those useful points and add my own take, but they're gone. I know how thread cleaning works, but this time, there's nothing left for future readers to actually learn from.

And frankly, I’m just stunned by the sheer self-righteousness of some people over there. Why they think they're so holier-than-thou, I haven't the slightest clue.

I've been following this thread for days and I still can't get over how it all went down. I see I'm not the only one complaining about the PDF, but unlike others, I'm not blaming the admin—I didn't even realize she was involved. I'm just reacting to what I'm seeing.

In principle, though, the comments mentioned by someone like Mulica—as much as they felt like trolling—hit home. They felt real. In fact, that kind of vibe is exactly what drove me away from the food scene years ago. How naive of me to think things might have actually changed, prompting me to try and make a comeback! (Nothing personal, mind you—my disillusionment started long before you showed up.)

I’m eating my words here—I fell for a wrong assumption, just like Michelle Obama pointed out. I spotted a fake signature on one of those "corrections."

My bad on the mistake. Everything else remains the same for now.

Look, you’ve got a lot of this wrong. Seriously, if you actually want to know what went down, maybe wait until that banned user gets back online and ask them why they were kicked. If they feel like answering, that is.

As for the posts that are still up, we kept everything about the restaurants and anything that wasn't a direct attack on someone. There just wasn't much left once we cleared out the noise, so the cleanup had to be pretty aggressive. :/

Do you honestly think the guy is going to come back here and immediately start scrolling through private messages just to explain why he got banned?

Look, at the end of the day, if he messed up, fine—let him stay banned. But if this whole drama was manufactured or just plain untrue, you should've just wiped the slate clean instead of leaving a debate about fonts, graphics, and menu grammar that’s just as irrelevant as his posts about the food and specials.

I was reading the thread before this latest purge, and I think some important stuff got deleted. But whatever... who am I to judge? And what do I know about the culinary scene anyway? There are plenty of much better experts out there. 🤷

That's just my take. Don't feel obligated to agree.

It feels stupid. Everything lately is telling me it might be time to walk away from this forum because it isn't the place I used to enjoy anymore—but then again, I can't seem to quit. 😵

The issue here is you’re operating under the wrong assumption about why he got banned. It wasn't for the reason you think, which pretty much makes this whole debate pointless.

I'm not sure if he'll be back, but I hope so. I really dug how he broke down that diner—the attention to detail was spot on and those photos were great. Seriously solid work.

Look, we'll respect your take, just like everyone else's on this board. But let's be real: that stuff was wiped because it had absolutely nothing to do with food.

If he got banned just because of "what I feel," then nothing makes sense anymore. If that’s the logic, they should’ve wiped out all those posts attacking him for supposedly running ads—since those attacks were nothing but ad hominem nonsense without a single actual argument. And the guy? He responded to that vitriol with incredible patience and politeness—or maybe I’m just the only one who noticed. No warnings, no apologies. Just
.
I honestly think it comes down to how people here love to criticize—it's just their default setting. Everyone wants to tear things down before even trying them. Plus, their favorite fallback when something costs a bit too much is calling it "overpriced" or "extortionate." That’s actually relevant to gastronomy, though; if you deleted every comment like that, there wouldn't be a single thread left standing.

I won't even get started on how some posts say way more about the person writing them than the topic itself. You used to see all sorts of characters in here. Now? Not so much.

(It really grinds my gears that once they ran out of real arguments, they pivoted to picking apart this kid's menu like it was some kind of cardinal sin. Please. Since when did having a typo or a spelling error become a dealbreaker for a top-tier restaurant? I’m personally a stickler for grammar, but I still eat at places with typos all the time. It’s absurd that this whole debate turned into a crusade over nothing but that—and let's not forget the design issues, either.)

I can’t control what people decide to get worked up about. Honestly, they don't even have anything else to complain about right now—most haven't even tasted the food yet, so they're just reacting to pictures. They're annoyed that the menu design at a high-end spot like this looks sloppy. If some people care and others don't, that's fine; I'm not going to stop someone from pointing out a bad layout. 🤷

And let's be real: the idea that he's part of the PR team for 5/4 was plausible then, and it's still plausible now. If someone thinks he's working PR, that's their call. I don't see it as a personal attack, so I don't see any reason to ban anyone. Whether or not someone decides to apologize is really up to them. 🤷

My bad—I ended up nitpicking specific parts of the thread instead of actually addressing the main issue I originally brought up.

Anyway, it's getting late and I need to crash. I'll be back once I've had some sleep.

Thanks for being patient with my replies. When I said I didn't think you'd touched anything, that was actually meant as a compliment—honestly, I still don't quite get the point, and maybe I never will, but it just felt weird to suggest otherwise. I know your work and, frankly, I respect you as a person too (as much as you can through an online forum, 😉).

Talk later.

If he finally got banned for being abusive, it seriously took them long enough! I mean, people were just tearing him apart—his views, his character, everything. Especially from "Her Royal Highness," who loves playing the provocateur and then acting all innocent or playing dumb when things get heated. Of course, there’s zero proof left now because they’ve scrubbed those posts for the thousandth time instead of actually handing out a ban or even a basic warning!

Anyway, I’ve been scrolling through the forum and seeing how people actually get warned for their behavior. It would be nice, just for once, if you guys called people out for their baseless rudeness instead of just deleting their posts to hide the embarrassment!

This isn't news to anyone; it happens way too often. Honestly, I used to have a ton of respect for the current mod team, especially compared to Polly—who was basically a walking natural disaster for this entire community! But now? Not so much.

Look, I don't have anything personal against any specific user or moderator here, but the way some of these people act—and the fact that they're allowed to get away with it—is totally wrong and unfair! I just stay away from arguing with those types because I know exactly how it ends: I end up getting banned while their trashy posts just vanish into thin air. It’s an absolute disgrace to the culinary world—how can you guys be this biased?!

Dear Reddit mods, thanks for lifting the ban.

Just wanted to set the record straight for all the decent, constructive users here: I wasn't banned because anyone thought I was spamming ads (honestly, who would believe that after my usual rants?), and it wasn't because I insulted anyone—I’m usually the one getting roasted here anyway. It happened because, in the heat of an argument and totally fed up with the tone of the thread, I posted using a different handle. Being a total newbie, I didn't realize that was a cardinal sin (I mean, who actually reads the fine print before clicking I Agree?), so I deserved to be locked out for good. Anyway, I basically went on my knees before the mods today, did a full dramatic apology, promised to stick to this single account forever, and apparently, I've been forgiven...

Thanks to the mod, and my apologies to the community.

Let's get back to it...

Oh, sure—as if nothing happened! You got blasted for absolutely no reason, drowned in snide comments, and had your opinions mocked just for the hell of it—no proof, no logic, just pure spite. And the worst part? The mods just sit there and let those people run wild! Now everything’s been wiped clean and we’re all supposed to just act like everything is fine? Give me a break!

opinio, honestly, just stick to the food forums. We actually need more people like you—calm, objective, and without all that weird ego stuff!

And you mods? You're still playing your little political games, basically driving away anyone who actually contributes anything useful to the food boards (doesn't matter if they're old-timers or newbies, it's all the same)! I’m dying to know—what happens when everyone starts talking to each other like this? Just tearing each other down and mocking opinions without a shred of basis? What do you think this place turns into then? If you don't know, you're about to find out... and then, once the chaos hits, you'll just turn a blind eye again and start deleting posts to hide the mess!

I’m seeing more and more complaints about the food section lately. Honestly, bravo! It’s just more proof that Lego and Nica have absolutely zero clue how to moderate this place.