Article

How an Independent Operator Took On and Defeated Internet Trolls

Acerbic, provocative, and often just downright creepy - we know them as internet trolls. They are an annoyance on our personal Twitter account feed. When they mess with our business; well, that is another story.

Shawn Walchef is owner and operator of Cali Comfort, a barbecue concept in San Diego suburb Spring Valley. Life was good at Cali Comfort when on Sunday, January 13, 2019, the Los Angeles Chargers defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC (National Football Conference) division playoff game. You see, Cali Comfort hosted a game watch party, as it has done every Chargers game since Walchef bought the restaurant in April 2008.

Walchef posted a video on Twitter of the celebration in his packed restaurant. "It was like we had won the Super Bowl," he says. "People were hugging and crying and pouring beer over each other's head. It was crazy!"

And that was the problem. You might well ask why, particularly if you are not a U.S. football fan.

Here is the back story.

The Chargers had been San Diego's football team since 1961, but in 2017, the team moved to Los Angeles. While that would have been painful for any Chargers fan, the pain was worse because, according to Walchef, "San Diego has a little brother complex with Los Angeles."

For two years there had been tremendous angst, bitterness and frustration in the San Diego sports community. And then, to pour proverbial salt in the open wound, the Chargers started winning.

Through it all, Cali Comfort continued to host watch parties and celebrate "the Bolts," as the team is affectionately called.

"Our philosophy is that we're always hosting a watch party, for whatever you want to watch," says Walchef, who has been a Chargers fan his entire life. "We watch baseball, soccer, basketball, whatever. Everyone is welcome."

But as the Chargers won that play-off game, it became just too much for the haters. The Cali Comfort celebration posted on Twitter was the final straw.

Within minutes, an anonymous former Chargers fan began posting negative things about Cali Comfort, shaming them for their support of the Chargers and calling on others to go to Yelp and write negative reviews because of their team support.

A half dozen or so former Chargers fans joined in the trash talk and the negative Yelp reviews began. Pictures of dirty toilets that were not from Cali Comfort, as well as other disgusting images, made it clear to Walchef and restaurant regulars that the trolls had never been to Cali Comfort.

Despite the celebration and a packed house, Walchef was on Twitter, as was his full-time social media manager. "How much shame should we feel for supporting the team we have always supported?" was their first response.

"On Twitter, you can't take the bait; but you have to respond immediately," Walchef says. "You need to be the one to control the narrative. Be honest and authentic."

Internet Troll: Someone who antagonizes (others) online by deliberately posting inflammatory, irrelevant, or offensive comments or other disruptive content
- Merriam-Webster

Within minutes, Chargers fans and Cali Comfort fans jumped into the fray, all supporting Cali Comfort, all because of how Walchef conducted business and himself for the past 11 years.

His business strategy has always been to engage in the community, to work with local news media and community leaders, and to donate thousands of dollars' worth of barbecue and staff support to events throughout the east San Diego community.

Plus, he has operated a clean, authentic, family-friendly restaurant with a good product for 11 years. The Yelp reviews until that time were 4.5 stars. This simple fact and his overall approach to business made the difference at this critical point when things could have all gone bad, fast.

The San Diego sports community immediately came to his defense.

The next morning, a sports radio show discussed the ugly comments from Twitter and reminded everyone to remain classy. A TV reporter heard the radio show and followed up with coverage on the evening newscasts.

Each story included the fact that Walchef is a hard-working, small business owner that employs 65 individuals, and the troll was threatening their livelihoods. The conversation supporting Shawn Walchef and Cali Comfort continued to such an extent that the New York Times sent a reporter to San Diego to cover the story.

"The beauty of being authentic is that you can't hide behind who you are on social media," he says. "We live in a click-bait world, but I do believe people care about the truth."

Walchef speaks highly of Yelp's internal review process and the restaurant operator's ability to claim a page and respond to negative reviews. He immediately flagged the offending posts and within days, Yelp had removed them.

And then something unexpected happened. Regular patrons at Cali Comfort, who had never posted on Yelp, developed an account and began posting positive reviews. The positive reviews and overall positive coverage boosted traffic to the restaurant in the weeks and months that followed.

"Our job as restaurant owners is not to get into a debate and try to change minds, because that is just not going to happen on Twitter," he says. "Our job is to simply do our best and show the community and each guest that we care."

And that's how you go about beating internet trolls.

The savvy business operator must plan ahead and be prepared when a troll crosses your path, because one will, sooner or later.

How you respond may save your business.