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BU Professor's Restaurant Yelp Review Faces Backlash

A Yelp review by a Boston University professor has led to criticism from both the school and the public. 

In a post that has since been deleted, a professor from the Questrom School of Business slammed a Cambridge restaurant and attacked the physical appearance of one of its employees. 

"We don’t tolerate harassment," said Tenzin Samdo, bar director at Cafe ArtScience. "The entire time I was being threatened," 

According to Samdo, the professor was upset because he was late for his reservation, which meant he then had to wait for a table. While sitting at the bar, Samdo said the professor grew increasingly hostile, using profanities to criticize the food and Samdo’s race. 

"You can’t use any racial slur," Samdo said, "You can’t harass people." 

But the tension only escalated when General Manager Mark Grande asked the professor to leave following a verbal altercation. 

Hours after his departure, a Yelp review appeared under the professor’s name. It complained about the staff and zeroed in on Grande, who was called “fat” several times throughout it. 

"I can handle it," Grande said, "But we are people, and we should be spoken to with a certain amount of decorum and respect." 

The entire exchange prompted Samdo to post about the experience on Facebook, which then made its way to administrators at Boston University. 

Dean Ken Freeman of the business school released a statement which read, "We are aware of an inappropriate Yelp review posted by a member of our faculty. It does not represent our views and values. We are extremely disappointed by this occurrence." 

NBC Boston tried to reach the professor by phone and email, but received no response. 

For Samdo and Grande, this was not the first time they have had to deal with a difficult customer. However, they hope by addressing it so publicly, customers will be more considerate in the future. 

"What if someone reads that review that maybe is in one of his classes, and they’re like, 'Wow, this is how my professor feels about people,'" Grande explained. "They don’t deserve to be talked to like that." 

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