Of course bad reviews can hurt a restaurant. That's what reviews are for. I think the problem is two-fold: 1. The ranking algorithm is bad. A simple average is

Of course bad reviews can hurt a restaurant. That's what reviews are for. I think the problem is two-fold: 1. The ranking algorithm is bad. A simple average is very naive, but many site use just that for ranking. There needs to be some standard accredited algorithms to do rating rankings - which take care of factors like this. 2. Online marketplace makes a wider variety available to users. This automatically ensures that more and more sales go to the highest quality restaurants. If there is a 5-star restaurant you can order from, why would you try a 4.8-star one? There can only be a few "best" restaurants, and everyone wants to eat their food.