Oobah Butler once had a job writing fake Tripadvisor restaurant reviews
for £10/each, paid by restauranteurs; having learned how powerful these
reviews were, he decided to turn his south London shed into the
best-regarded restaurant in all of London.
He created a fake business for his shed, took soft-focus shots of “food”
(really gaffs like sponges covered in paint with shaving cream
garnish), then started gaming the Tripadvisor rankings. Soon, people
started to call him asking him for reservations (he always told them he
was fully booked).
This seeming exclusivity drove interest in “The Shed at Dulwich,”
sending him racing up the Tripadvisor league-table. He started to get
resumes and free samples from companies eager to supply his highly
regarded restaurant. PR agencies pitched him.
Once he reached number one, the reservations requests reached a fever
pitch. Finally, he relented and opened his “restaurant” for one night,
buying frozen TV dinners from the discount supermarket Iceland and
serving them to excited diners. He led people to their tables wearing
blindfolds and created a whole show around the service of these meals.
Some of them tried to come back for another dinner.
