Scottish inn hits back at tourist’s two-star review ‘despite not dining there’

A family-run restaurant in Scotland has hit back at a two-star review left by a disgruntled tourist who didn’t even dine there. The Ferry Inn team, in Uig, Skye, were left fuming after the ‘unjust rating’ was posted online.

The Ferry Inn, like many other eateries on the Misty Isle, is smaller than those found in larger cities, making dinner reservations sometimes difficult to secure.

While most visitors understand that this is part and parcel of dining in smaller communities, particularly on Scotland’s stunning islands, one tourist was far from pleased.

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The unhappy visitor, who failed to secure a reservation during their trip to the scenic island last May, took to Tripadvisor to vent their frustration.

Their review, titled ‘Dissappointed in lack of booking facilities’, quickly descended into a tirade about their experience with The Ferry, reports the Daily Record.

The reviewer wrote: “Not particularly great experience, no availability for booking, nearest restaurant to where we are staying. Seems to be a lack of place to eat in skye. [sic]”.

“We are Dissappointed in local restaurants and their lack of availability for dinner bookings. Thus restaurant was on our list to visit, but sadly could not accommodate till well in to June, July.”

Upon discovering the review, The Ferry Inn team felt compelled to respond to the unfair criticism, especially given the restaurant’s impressive five-star rating on Tripadvisor.

The Ferry Inn, a beloved spot for both locals and tourists, has hit back at a two-star review they’ve labelled as a “hissy fit”. The restaurant took to X, previously known as Twitter, to express their frustration: “So now anyone who can’t get a reservation with us is valid to leave us negative ‘reviews’? Scary stuff if this the road we’re going down because Skye is rammed until October.”

“We book up months in advance. We explain everything in detail on our website and social media and on our outside signage.”

“We have four tables a night, we’re a family of 4 running a small inn. We have no staff, we’re not running a mass operation. To have had this woman now write two reviews slamming us and the whole of Skye for her lack of forward planning is ludicrous.”

“The worst part of this? (She) is still on the Island, sat in a holiday cottage up the road, abusing us online whilst we’re flat out and we have to spend our time dealing with her utter nonsense? “.

“If only (she) had spent this much time and effort researching her trip and booking restaurants – then none of us would be in this position..”

Following the viral nature of their response, The Ferry Inn announced that one of the critical reviews had been taken down, though it was unclear whether the removal was done by the reviewer or Tripadvisor.

The establishment expressed gratitude to their patrons, stating: “Big thanks for all your support in the matter – it’s just a shame this has happened and happens to other businesses too, hospitality and otherwise! “.

They further clarified their stance: “Just to reiterate, it’s not about receiving an unhinged bad review – it’s about the precedent it sets for more people to be able to leave negative/ non reviews when they can’t get a table – not just for us but many other small businesses! “.