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Yelp has temporarily disabled comments for a Pennsylvania McDonald's where Donald Trump served fries for a Sunday campaign event.
"This business recently received increased public attention, which often means people come to this page to post their views on the news," the listing reads. Yelp is investigating "whether the content you see here reflects the actual customer experiences rather than the recent events."
That investigation will likely be pretty short since the comments clearly reflect political reviews, not how crispy the fries are or whether or not the Quarter-Pounder has E. coli. Dozens of competing one- and five-star reviews have flooded the page since the former president's Oct. 20 visit. Those disapproving claim to have experienced "orange goo dripped on our fries" and a "smelly old man cursing at the fryer" who "soiled himself."
"The person working there today not wearing proper hair covering, in violation of PA code 95.230," says one reviewer.
On the positive side, five-star reviewers say they like "the new senior hire" and that "the older employee was extremely nice" and offered much-appreciated "low-salt fries." One reviewer added a rousing "Make McDonald's Great Again! Bring back the Dollar Menu!"
"Excellent service, wonderful people, they've got the best people, in fact. Making fast food tremendous every day," another adds. "He even fixed the McFlurry machine! 10/10."
People lashing out in Yelp reviews can harm businesses, particularly smaller ones. In a notorious 2023 example, angry fans of the TV show Vanderpump Rules bombarded a restaurant with negative reviews after one of the owners got involved in a cheating scandal, claiming the food was "terrible" and posting false information.
Like Yelp, McDonald's is trying to distance itself from the backlash. The company says it merely complied with Trump's visit request and is not supporting any political candidate. "We are not red or blue - we are golden," the company says, according to the Associated Press.