I’ve gotten a lot of questions about why I don’t post negative reviews of businesses in Los Angeles.

For a while, I wondered that myself… if I only post about how great everything is, is it even that great after all?

Sure, posting a negative review might perform well — and maybe even make you trust me more. It’s like a good food critic: if they recommend a spot, it’s going on your list. But even one negative review can really impact a small business. And that goes against everything I started this newsletter for. After a lot of back and forth, I’ve made the decision to never post negative reviews.

What I will continue to do is post places that I would only recommend to a Friend (aka, you).

Trust me, I’ve spent plenty of time and money visiting spots that will never make it to this newsletter. Just yesterday, I visited a spot for lunch I wanted to love, but simply couldn’t. Sometimes the place is beautiful, but the experience isn’t. Or the food’s just okay. Or the staff is rude. I’ll still record content — my camera roll is full of videos and photos you’ll never see — but I won’t post about a place unless I genuinely loved it there.

So, to answer the question: I only cover places in Los Angeles that I’ve had a positive experience with and genuinely recommend.

One of the reasons I started Like A Friend Said was to support local businesses in LA. Most of the places I cover are in the hospitality world — restaurants, hotels, bars — and those industries have been hit over and over again: by COVID, by actors’/writer’s strikes, by fires, by impossible rent + cost of labor, and more. I just don’t have it in me to pile on because I didn’t like a dish or had one bad interaction with an employee.

If I post about a place, it means I’d go back — and I’d bring a Friend with me. So you never have to worry about whether or not it’s good enough for you to visit. I’ve weeded out the ones I wouldn’t recommend and only save the best for you :)

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