One grumpy Yelper is the reason why you'll be drinking $1 cocktails tonight in the heart of Hollywood.
Lost Property, a creative cocktail bar that opened in Hollywood this past November, has an impressive 4.5 stars on Yelp, a commendable feat for being located in such a judgmental part of town. We happened to give them 4 stars, too (Their whiskey collection? On. point.). Clearly, though, not everyone can be swayed. Yelp user Laura E. left the bar a shitty review on March 31, lamenting the fact that they serve Burnett's vodka, for Christ’s sake. Burnett's! In Laura's words: "I'm sorry I thought I was at a bar in Hollywood not a tailgate in Bloomington, Indiana." Oh, snap.
We reached out to Lost Property and heard back from proprietor Jeremy Lake, who explained what went down. "On Yelp, our initial reviews have been positive," he says. "Then, suddenly, there it was, our first 1-star from a semi-anonymous and obviously disgruntled reviewer." Lake contacted Laura E. to offer her a chance to return, thinking that her aversion to Burnett's couldn't have been the only reason for such a negative review. "But [she] assured me that it was," he says. "[She] has bad memories from college revolving around a specific brand of vodka we sell. Period." And if you think Laura was going to be swayed by whispers of sweet nothings and promises of free drinks, you're so wrong. "I do not like feeling pressured to have to change my mind in order to make the business owner feel happy," she wrote in a Yelp update. "I'm sorry but you are a bar owner, you have to admit you are not going to make everyone happy." So the 1-star rating stands.
So Lost Property said fuck it. "We all just had to laugh at this, because really, what else can we do?" Lake explains. The "1 Star Yelp Review" party is on tonight from 6-8pm, offering Burnett cocktails to patrons for $1. $1! That’s $12 less than the majority of cocktails in Hollywood. A rep from Heaven Hill Distillery will also be on hand to pour a selection of their American whiskeys for free. Guys, if this isn't making the best out of a bad situation, I don't know what is.
Need more convincing? Read our 4-star review of Lost Property.