Food critic sparks backlash after blasting cafe for selling out of sandwiches before he could review it for his 14,000 TikTok followers: 'This is the second time'

Daily Mail​

2 days ago

A TikTok food reviewer has faced a barrage of backlash after he unleashed a scathing tirade on a newly-opened cafe for running out of food before he could try it.
Lifestyle blogger John-Ray Boukarim visited a newly-opened cafe located in Sydney 's Inner West.
This was the second time Mr Boukarim went to the cafe and to his disappointment he was unable to review the food as the cafe had run out of bread for their sandwiches.
Mr Boukarim explained he had planned his whole day around visiting the cafe to review the food for 'no gain other than boosting their business'.
In an expletive-laden rant shared on TikTok with his 14,000 followers, Mr Boukarim slammed the owners for not knowing how to run a business.
'Listen, tell me how the f*** you open up a business,' he said.
'You think you would have your operation under control knowing what stock levels you would need in order to keep up with the demand, yet you still finish and run out of food an hour or two before you shut.
'This is the second time I've come here to do a food review and you've run out of food.
In a rant shared to his TikTok account nillasjourney, Mr Boukarim slammed the owners of a newly-opened cafe for running out of bread before he could review their sandwiches
'F*** off, and stop wasting my time. Don't open up a business unless you know how to run it. Like seriously.
These idiots. "Oh we sold out" How do you sell out bro!'
Mr Boukarim added in the caption he and about ten other customers missed out on ordering food.
He suggested the owners 'up' their bread quantities and if they do not sell out by the end of the day, they should donate the excess to charity.
'I guarantee ya selling an extra 15 sandwiches (and keeping customers happy) vs giving away 15 to 25 pieces of bread (if you didn't sell them) completely outweighs the stand alone bread cost,' Mr Boukarim wrote.
Social media users disagreed with Mr Boukarim's rant, with many claiming he should have just visited the cafe earlier.
'If you want good fresh food, rule of thumb never show up 2 hours before closing. people need to wash/ clean / prep and go home to their families too just like you and I,' one wrote.
'That's just not how it works cuzzy. If they sold out that means they're doing something right. You have the right to be upset but maybe go earlier next time,' a second person commented.
A third person chimed: 'You'd think you'd learn your lesson and go earlier the second time'.
Others slammed the food reviewer for claiming the owner did not know how to run a business, claiming he was the one who lacked understanding of a cafe's logistics.
'I understand that frustration however, sometimes they can physically order as much as their establishments can store/make in their kitchen,' one commented.
'At my business because I'm a one woman show, once I'm completely out, I'm out. No stock left. Plus I have no storage to keep excess amount of food. I prefer my customers to eat fresh food daily,' a second person added.
A third person wrote: 'They have only been open for four weeks and you think they should have it down pact exactly how much stock they need?
'Even a business that is 15 years old might have weeks they weren't expecting and can be sold out.
'If you've ever run a food business you would know to prevent wastage, you prepare for expected sales only.'
A fourth chimed: 'You need to consider how much space they actually have to store meat or anything that needs to be refrigerated and space to hold dry stock.
'It's not as easy as everyone thinks it is. I'm sure they would of loved to make more money rather then sell out... sometimes it's better to sell out and not exhaust yourself out, and still be able to give your best the next day to customers.'
Mr Boukarim replied to some of the comments claiming the video was a way for him to express himself and that 'for the most part' he was 'just taking the piss'.