By Natasha Dangoor | Photographs by Joël van Houdt for WSJ
London's version of Applebee's is getting the Michelin-star treatment.
People are flooding into Angus Steakhouse, lured by a wave of glowing online reviews that describe the hard-to-miss restaurant chain as a hidden gem.
The sudden surge in popularity is leaving locals baffled and diners disappointed. One food critic described his steak as "a hellish, tough, teeth-testing beast" that needed a plan of attack to cut.
The newcomers are falling prey to a ruse spurred by a group of Londoners who were fed up with the crowds at their favorite places to eat and took to Reddit to vent. What started as a facetious plot to lure the masses somewhere else quickly took hold, fueled in part by growing resentment in Europe about a tourism invasion that locals say has eaten into their quality of life.
Angus was an obvious target. The chain, which opened its doors in 1963, is often used by Londoners as a byword for tourist-trap mediocrity. Somewhere to be avoided at all costs. There are five Angus Steakhouses nested within central London, perhaps the most iconic being the one in Leicester Square, an entertainment and food hub that draws 130 million tourists a year.
After a recent visit, the London restaurant critic who wrote about the toughness of his steak elaborated on the experience. "Our meal here was calamitous," said David Ellis. "What baffled me here was not just the spitefully cooked food, but that the place was heaving full. Who are these people? And where do they look for their recommendations?"
It all started in late October when an anonymous Londoner complained on Reddit that their favorite sandwich cart in the quaint Borough Market had been overrun by influencers and tourists.
"Easily the best sandwich in London, it went viral a few months back due to some cabbage headed microbes doing the whole 'you can't come to London and not have this sandwich' thing on insta and tik tok,'" wrote the commenter, known as Flonkerton_Scranton on Reddit.
Others quickly chimed in and began heaping fake praise on Angus, calling it one of London's best-kept secrets. One suggested the next step was to band together and leave glowing Google reviews. "Spreading misinformation suddenly becomes a noble goal," another said.
London foodies answered the call, flooding the internet with reviews aimed at luring unsuspecting tourists there and away from the city's trendier restaurants -- and relishing in typical British humor all the while.
"Angus Steakhouse is on my wish list for the last meal I ever have," said one reviewer on Reddit. "I just hope the tourists don't find out about it."
"It was Taylor Swift and Freddy Mercury's favourite eating spot -- never mind the King," claimed another on Tripadvisor, to which the restaurant replied that the facts are "a tad embellished." The reviewer also curiously called the multi-chain restaurant a "small business" and a "hidden gem untouched by tourists."
The campaign has focused on the chain's steak sandwich, lauding it as a local favorite. "I've been a vegetarian for over 15 years, but not even I can resist Angus Steakhouse's steak sandwiches," one fake reviewer wrote.
The restaurant leaned into the campaign on its website and social media, advertising that the sandwich had been voted by Reddit as London's best.
Angus Steakhouse CEO Paul Sarlas said that the restaurant had seen an uptick in guests who were curious to try the sandwich. "We enjoy a good joke as much as the next person and appreciate the creativity and humor that sparked this love-bombing," he said. The parent company, Noble Restaurant Group Ltd, owns other London-based chains including Chotto Matte and Alley Cats Pizza.
Not everyone appreciated the joke.
"I ordered my steak medium and it was dry. Totally overpriced," said a diner visiting from India who asked not to be named. Another would-be diner stormed out even before sitting down to eat, complaining about the prices on the menu. A 10oz rib-eye will set you back GBP45, equivalent to $58 -- excluding fries.
Since the raft of fake reviews began, Reddit users have been trying to manipulate online AI algorithms so that platforms pick up the positive reviews and the steakhouse rises to the top of recommended food spots, a practice known as data poisoning. Angus Steakhouse appears in the top 10 Google results when you search for "best steakhouse in London."
"My husband and I are real foodies, and when I was looking for where to eat as first-timers in London, I read so many good things about this place so I brought my family," said a woman named Mary from Philadelphia just before sitting down to eat at the Leicester Square location. Mary, who declined to give her last name, couldn't be reached after her meal.
The person who unwittingly started the ruse said he was surprised as anyone how it caught on.
"I didn't expect anyone to even care, but it blew up, ended up popping up on loads of Instagram posts and influencer videos," Flonkerton_Scranton said. "Being indignant about silly things is a [British] cultural staple."
Local ire at the annual tourist invasion has sparked real protests across Europe this year. Nearly 3,000 people marched through central Barcelona in July to demonstrate against mass tourism, spraying unsuspecting al fresco diners with water pistols.
Whether it's water guns or food snobs, Angus appears destined to endure. For generations of Londoners bred to mock -- and never set foot in -- the restaurant, that kind of staying power is something to behold.
"Angus Steakhouse," said one British passerby in Leicester Square. "I can't believe it's still there."
Write to Natasha Dangoor at natasha.dangoor@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
November 16, 2024 08:00 ET (13:00 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2024 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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