A chicken rice restaurant in Udon Thani completely sold out in just half a day after its owner reported on social media that a rival restaurant owner had left a one-star review on a food delivery app to discredit the business, drawing sympathy from diners.
The owner of the restaurant, ‘Kai Heng Khao Man Kai’, which opened about three months ago, said the shop recently received an order through a food delivery application. The customer later left a one-star rating for the restaurant without providing any comment or explanation.
The owner’s pregnant wife, who helps run the business, checked the restaurant’s food preparation and staff service in detail, but found nothing unusual.
According to the shop’s owner, the unexplained rating caused stress for his wife, who broke down in tears because she was determined to ensure the restaurant maintained high standards.
The owner later called the customer to ask what had gone wrong, so the shop could improve. The person replied only that the food was “not tasty” and cut the conversation short, saying he wanted to go to bed.
Although the owner initially assumed the issue might simply be a matter of taste, he became suspicious and checked the reviewer’s history on the app.
He found that the same account frequently gave five-star ratings to another chicken rice restaurant in the province, often praising the taste and ingredients in detail.
The owner then searched for the phone number listed on the rival restaurant’s Facebook page and called it. He said the voice of the person who answered was very similar to that of the customer who had complained about the food.
The shop owner recorded the conversation and confronted the person, questioning why someone running the same type of restaurant in the same province would use such tactics against a competitor, but the other party denied any wrongdoing and said he had the right to review the food as a customer.
He later suggested he could delete the review if the owner believed it was meant to harm the business.
The incident was later posted on the restaurant’s Facebook page, along with an audio clip and screenshots, as a warning to other business owners.
After the post went viral, several restaurant owners in Udon Thani contacted the shop privately to say they had also experienced similar incidents, in which the same person ordered food and left one-star reviews.
Some said the issue had previously led to heated confrontations at the rival restaurant, where the owner had apologised and promised not to repeat the behaviour.
Following the viral post, residents and social media users flocked to support ‘Kai Heng Khao Man Kai’, with many visiting the shop or placing orders.
The restaurant later announced that it had sold out of food by 2.19pm, due to the surge in customers.
Meanwhile, online users attempted to identify the rival business, leading to some unrelated restaurants being mistakenly targeted with criticism on social media.
The owner of ‘Kai Heng Khao Man Kai’ later posted a final message urging people not to harass the other party, saying that he believes the individual has already faced enough social backlash and that the situation should not affect the person’s family or others around them.
He also thanked customers and supporters for their encouragement.
