Yelp Reviews Can Now Flag Restaurants for Racism

For one bar in Omaha, the designation could have made the difference between life and death

James Gardner was the owner of The Hive, a bar in Omaha that had at least 29 one-star reviews on Yelp, most flagging rules about who could enter the establishment.

“Apparently this place turns you away if you’re not wearing a belt —BUT ONLY IF YOU’RE BLACK. If you’re white, your pants can be falling on the floor and nobody cares,” wrote one reviewer.

“The bouncers refuse to let in… you guessed it, the Black guy because he isn’t wearing a belt,” said another. “White guy — no issues — though you can’t tell if he has on a belt. When the owner came out, he laughs — points and tells the Black man that he should learn to dress better.”

Yelp recently announced that it would flag restaurants and bars with reviews mentioning instances of racism with a special designation:

The vice president of user operations… announced it will affix a “Business Accused of Racist Behavior” alert on accounts only when there is “resounding evidence of egregious, racist actions from a business owner or employee, such as using overtly racist slurs or symbols.” The alert will always be accompanied by a link to a news story from a credible media outlet.

In a recent feature for GEN, Max Ufberg tells the story of Gardner and what happened when he thought his bar was under attack during…