After Yelper Ruchu Tan wrote an unflattering review of Chef Bac Nguyen’s new Ninja City restaurant in University Circle last month, Nguyen tracked down Tan on Facebook — they weren’t friends — and sent him a series of intimidating messages. Nguyen used racial slurs and threatened Tan with physical violence if he ever came to either of his establishments ever again. 

Tan’s original one-star review was certainly poor (in contrast to Scene food critic Doug Trattner’s “quick and awesome” appraisal) but it didn’t seem unduly vindictive. In fact, Tan said he was sorry to “have to” give the new joint a single star.

“I’m not sure if I would return for other food items since their staple item was so bad,” Tan wrote in conclusion. “Hopefully service isn’t as bad as what we’ve experienced.” 

Nguyen’s response the following day,  however, was a clear personal attack.

“If I ever see you near my restaurants again, you will be in trouble,” Nguyen wrote, after some expletive-laden patter about Tan’s sex life. “Peace fucker.”  

And he didn’t stop there: “You’re ugly and physically weak and your girlfriend is an ugly piece of shit.” 

Though Nguyen eventually apologized when Tan threatened to go public with his remarks, a local group boycotting Ninja City  and Nguyen’s Tremont cafe Bac wrote that Nguyen continues to taunt and harass Tan on social media.

“Nguyen’s actions imply he believes he is free to threaten, bully, and attack customers with impunity,as long as he says he makes a superficial apology afterwards,” the group writes. “Nguyen’s intimidation of customers shows not only a disturbing ignorance of professional conduct but also an unsettling disregard for his responsibility to his community.

“Cleveland is undergoing a renaissance,drawing visitors and newcomers the nation and world over. As a Cleveland business owner, Nguyen has contributed to and benefited from this movement. His intolerance and bullying tactics against customers hurt more than the individual customers. They hurt the country’s perception of Cleveland.

“Cleveland is a proudly diverse and tolerant city, home to a dazzling myriad of cultures, ethnicities, religions, political viewpoints, cuisines and thriving businesses. Such intolerance, lack of professionalism, and threatening behavior has no place in our community.”

This article appears in Oct 15-21, 2014.

Sam Allard is a former senior writer at Scene.

98 replies on “Yelpers Boycotting Ninja City and Bac after Chef Bac Nguyen Sent Racist, Intimidating Messages”

  1. I have issues with Yelp reviewers. I have read their reviews of some of my favorite restaurants and half the time I don’t even recognize the place and the food they are describing. It seems that a lot of people who like to publish reviews on Yelp are just out to put a bad review on Yelp. In some cases I even question as to whether or not they have visited the establishment. I think Nguyen’s response to the negative review was wrong, but also don’t have much faith in Yelp reviewers. I no longer look at Yelp reviews before I go to a restaurant because I have found them to often be way off base.

  2. Sounds like the guy that did write the review on yelp is just as much the bully.. Funny how everyone else liked the place. sounds like this guy is a troll!! People forget how hard the food industry is. and one bad mark can kill a new business. But does not excuse the owner for the tirade.. Guy is prob just stressed out!

  3. This is not 100% true. Bac and Tan have known each other since college. Tan was not truthful in that regard. There is history between these two that has been conveniently left out.

  4. What happened to the customer is always right? Yelp will have its good reviews and bad reviews, But as a owner you just have to have thick skin in any bushiness that deals with people. If you type in ninja city in yelp there are mix reviews , and that’s all u need to know. Ruchu tan for sure isn’t the only owner to have given a 1 star, but there are a lot of 5 stars as well. (If you are going to write a letter to a 1 star review, u might as well write one to the 5 stars?) I assume the BAC is over 18 since he owns a restaurant and thus will hold him to an Adult standard. Bac’s actions are childish and rude, and without a doubt a documented insult and threat. Based off yelp reviews i might have gone to his restaurant to try it out, based off the owner I would not support him.

  5. A good owner can always save a Bad experience at a restaurant. In this case an Bad owner can always make a bad experience worse. Dude common those messages are messed up. Another thing to point out is that Yelp is ALWAYS inflated. If i were an owner id have ALL my friends give me a 5 star rating. Guarantee you every owner does that. Never understood that a restaurant could have 3.5/5 stars on 24 reviews. Dude has to have more than 24 friends who would write a review for him. And rebuttal me with that integrity bullshit, He obviously doesn’t have any after those comments to that Tan kid.

  6. A good owner can always save a Bad experience at a restaurant. In this case an Bad owner can always make a bad experience worse. Dude common those messages are messed up. Another thing to point out is that Yelp is ALWAYS inflated. If i were an owner id have ALL my friends give me a 5 star rating. Guarantee you every owner does that. Never understood that a restaurant could have 3.5/5 stars on 24 reviews. Dude has to have more than 24 friends who would write a review for him. And don’t rebuttal me with that integrity bullshit, He obviously doesn’t have any after those comments to that Tan kid.

  8. I don’t see how he is intimidating “customers” (plural) like the boycott says, there is only the one person cited.

    I find the claims of “racism” to be somewhat overly dramatic also.

    That this “hurts the country’s perception of Cleveland” appears to be more dramatics.

    From reading everything it appears the main issue for the original one-star review stemmed mostly from the reviewer’s own ignorance into what he was ordering. This caused the owner to get upset, overreact, then apologize the next day.

    So the reviewer ignorantly gives a horrible review that affects someone’s livelihood, then continues to dramatically claim “racism” and that the owner is making the city of Cleveland look bad even AFTER asking for and receiving an apology for being confronted…?

    I don’t know- seems like there are some serious issues with this.

    [That being said, as I’ve met Bac, naturally I am identifying more with him mainly because I found him to be one of the nicest business owners and people around.]

  9. Who are you people!? You don’t personally harass someone and make racial comments no matter what yelp review is written!

  10. I’m just so perplexed by this turn of events. This is not a newcomer to the restaurant business and unhappy customers are inevitable. Why put yourself out there in such an unprofessional way? Particularly in the age of social media. This one Yelp star would have melted away in the mix of reviews, but now it is representing an entire restaurant. How sad.

  12. Like the reviewer, I have known Bac since college too and this is completely unsurprising. I have seen him post racist comments to his personal and professional Facebook accounts. I am actually a little amazed this is the first time Scene has picked up on it. TBH, I hope this is a wake up call for a hard working guy.

  13. Yelpers should be ashamed of themselves and get real lives. Yelp has turned into the least respected review site due to their poor policies and practices. I’m on your side Bac, maybe I wouldnt have used the verbage that you did, but I know how annoying yelpers can be. They are like annoying elementary school bullies who use their computers as a shield.

  14. He shouldn’t be talking to customers like that period. Just another of someone getting aired out on social media when they show their true colors. Definitely never spending a dime in the restaurant of a racist narcissistic jerk. What a loser and disgrace to Cleveland.

  15. I am also a friend of Bac both on his personal page and his professional ones for the restaurants. I have never seen racists comments and I am on FB very frequently. I have met him personally and I never had bad service or have been treated terribly at any of his restaurants.

    Further, the headline mentions”racist” comments, but none were quoted in the article. Surely, if he made those comments, it would have been addressed in the article. Additionally, I think it is really a stretch to use the state of Cleveland, OH and lay part of that blame at his feet..

    I would also be curious to know how many of his competitors are a part of the boycotting group.

  16. Wait.
    The Yelper knows the owner and Scene still ran this story?
    How is this a story?
    Pathetic journalism.

  17. I seen ninja kitchen and want to try out. But I’ll second guess that know n would not go to place where there r bullying review about a rating. You just made it really bad for your business. Thanks for the head up yelper

  18. Wow, the support from Bac’s friends on here is kind of sad to read. Why publicly associate yourself with this guy? Why is he allowing you to waste your time and reputation on his sorry behalf? Why doesn’t he post a public apology to this public embarrassment. Let him clean up his own mess. I admire your ability to get your friend’s back in rough times, but don’t be idiots about it.

    There are absolutely NO excuses for what Bac said. None. Yet, you try to act like he’s vindicated because they had some kind of relationship prior to his violent threats. @checkyoursouce What’s your name? How do you know these two? If you know something, why don’t you offer more information to clear this up? And again, how does any of that justify Bac’s ridiculous threats?

    Another lame argument is that Yelp is a terrible source for reviews, and that observation is somehow related to justifying a threatening response. [whiny nerd voice] “You know, people that review restaurants can be so mean. I totally understand how an owner can threaten to assault someone.” Seriously? How about if Yelp is so terrible, stick to ignoring it like you’re all claiming. Trying to play the bully card on Yelp!? To defend the things Bac said!?!? Hahahahahaha!!!!

    Bottom line is that this Bac guy has to be a total loser. I would NEVER write the things he did in any circumstance. The one star review would have never kept me from checking this place out. This article has. I would never support a dork like this. Glad he was exposed.

  19. It’s always more professional to just ignore bad reviews. Even if people avoid your restaurant because they think your food is bad, they might try it eventually. If they avoid it because they think YOU are bad, it doesn’t matter what the food is like, they will never come around. Business 101. I would avoid this restaurant because he’s obviously annoyingly stupid to not get this.

  23. Wow, both these people are pathetic. That was a scathing review and a 1 star was unwarranted (maybe two or three stars). But that doesn’t excuse the business owner’s behavior. Like people stated, one bad review (if the reviewer really had a vendetta against Bac) will be lost in a sea of good reviews if Bac truly serves good food and service. Behaviors like these exposed on social media is just a major turn off for me from trying his food out.

  24. Bac uses crap product and charges $14-$17 for his dishes at Bac bistro in tremont. I ordered orange chicken and it was disgusting chicken, like bottom of the barrel, but with a brilliant sauce. I also was friends with an employee and she described Bac as a decent guy but an awful boss. He was sexist and laid off a single mom to promote a friend. I get it, business is business, but this is totally uncalled for. Ignore the shitty review or respond with a positive spin on it. There are so many creative ways to go about it. But he choose to get hot headed and racist. I feel bad for his employees. It doesn’t matter what sort of history him and the yelp reviewer had, who responds like that? A baby. Not a man. Not a business owner. A baby. Who deserves these awful reviews and comments.

  25. There an imgur link of the actual conversation that Bac and the yelp reviewer had and it’s disgusting. It won’t let me post a link, but you can find it on google. Bac. I suggest you apologize to Cleveland!

  26. Search Facebook for “ninja city boycott”
    Loads of detailed information and continual harassment.
    Clear to see that they had no relation prior to the restaurant experience.
    The guy is clearly an asshole.

  27. I with friends have enjoyed Bac and Ninja City…the food and service have been great, however I was at Ninja City waiting a long time for my food cause it was so busy and explained my long wait…thinking maybe they don’t like “dark Italians”….thank God I was wrong cause it turns out that they were just busy….lol support Bac becauses he works hard and is an honest good man with honest good food period!!!

  28. Scene = OG Yelp Troll

    Lets break this down: Some overly entitled kid leaves yet another overly harsh review on a local business.

    He happens to be cheating on his girlfriend while doing it.

    The owner, whom he knows, sends him a private message calling him out for being a douche

    The overly entitled kid gets all his buddies to create an “outcry” and demand further validation

    The overly entitled kid then runs all over the internet to get revenge for getting his feelings hurt

    Scene seizes the opportunity to put this kid on pedestal and leaves out half the story to sensationalize it.

    Way to go Scene! You are still relevant when it comes to trashing local business (all else is still irrelevant)

  30. “d”: nothing Bac Nguyen alleged was true–the agenda to sabotage the business, the cheating on the girlfriend, or the supposed entitlement. None of it. And to anyone who thinks Bac deserves no blame: how about I attack you, then give you a half-assed apology, then keep harassing you afterwards in public? Would you take it willingly, lying down? If you have some self-respect, why wouldn’t you expect it of others?

  31. Why organize a formal boycott of Bac’s restaurants until he meets your demands? Seems vindictive. Bac definitely comes off as an ahole. No need to be one back. Tell him to leave you alone and don’t give him any of your business ever again, and leave it at that.

  32. the whole point of yelp is for ppl to share their own experiences. if i give a bad review, are you going to think it’s “ignorant” just cuz you don’t agree? i haven’t had any authentic japanese style ramen here even though a lot of places have tried. i had some hope for this place bc i actually think bac tremenot is decent, but that’s off the table now.

  33. Ok, so what Bac said is absolutely wrong. Yes we get that. Yes, yelp reviews are to be taken with a grain of salt and honestly, they’ve never dictated my choice as to where to go to eat. But even now, as it’s all supposedly said and done with apologies made and supposed lessons learned, why is the yelper still getting his friends to write reviews of the restaurant acting like they’ve eaten there? Vague one star reviews by people with no other reviews and Ruchu Tan as one of their friends also looks sketchy and it’s no better than what Bac did. I get it, now it’s getting popular and a mob mentality is starting to form so instead of creating a dialogue and opening a way of communication to help Bac understand, lets find a way to destroy everything insight. Including Ruchu Tan’s reputation. He did have my sympathy at first in this situation. Yah what was said sucks, but the martyr act is starting to get annoying.

  34. Solution: If you hate Yelp and the reviews on there so much, don’t go on the site and read the reviews.

  35. Awesome! Two Asians going at it like, well, … Ninjas!
    Racialist name begets racialist behavior?
    Please change the ignorant, insensitive name of this establishment.
    Did a white guy with monry make you use that name or was that your ‘creativity’ in full effect?
    Change it or be even more blatant like: ‘We All Know Kung Fu Over-priced Bistro’.

  36. Idiots that are pointing the blame at Yelp or arguing to regulate it are the same idiots that are cool with internet censorship or giving up net neutrality. Yelp is an open forum. They’ve existed for years. The internet is the last source of media and communication that is not completely controlled/censored by corporations. Yelp doesn’t care if you don’t use it, you pathetic food review snobs. So please shut up about Yelp. People are allowed to have their own opinions, and you must consider that fact when considering any source. Duh. Shut the heck up already.

    I have no idea who Ruchu is. The only bias I have towards him is that he has a much cooler name than Bac. : )

    Again, the bottom line is that Bac cannot provide any content that justifies the things he wrote, because there’s no such thing. Bac is playing the role of a spoiled brat that doesn’t have enough confidence in himself and his product to brush his shoulders off and carry on. I’m sorry for him having an overly sensitive personality, but he needs to “get out of the kitchen if he can’t take the heat” of one bad review.

    Bac’s actions are unexplainable and unforgivable. I’m glad Ruchu exposed this, as Bac crossed many horrible lines in his messages. A racist’s pockets is not where I want my dollars ending up if I can help it. I disagree with Ruchu’s effort to request an apology as Bac’s comments didn’t happen by accident.

    Bac is the ONLY one responsible for magnifying this negative review. Yelpers that didn’t go to Bac’s stupid restaurant are allowed to have an opinion of it based on their exposure to the owner’s ignorant comments. That is a perfectly acceptable reason to have an opinion on an establishment. Bac dug his own grave. None of us would have known about this if he didn’t violently threaten someone. I hope he suffers for the hideous things he said.

  37. Let’s all be real here, we’ve been to restaurants (even restaurants we like) and have occasionally gotten that ‘bad day’ where the service is terrible and the food is off. If a ‘bad day’ happens the one time you go to a restaurant, a 1-star review might be the result. People tearing apart the yelper for the score don’t realize that eventually 1-star reviews will be washed away by quantity if the place is actually decent and can actually be justified, the review is pretty clean. The whole point of yelp/urbanspoon/4square is to average out all reviews, which includes bad and good ones, and provide a general score. It’s a social service that offers more when more people contribute, regardless of their contribution. as with elections, you get some idiots and fools, but also many educated and well-deserved responses. a one-star review is completely reasonable especially when the reasons are detailed. To commenters above blasting the yelper for writing such a review is idiotic, especially when he clearly talks about service and food. use your head folks, if 3 people love the noodles and 1 doesn’t, you choose who to believe.

    tl;dr: there are three sides to every story: yours, mine, and the truth. use your head a bit y’all

  38. me and my friends have been to bac in tremont couple of times. the food and service were actually pretty decent. we were repeat customers. however, i’m not likely to return based on the owner’s psychotic unprofessional response to a bad review. it’s down right disturbing to read his remarks. it speaks to his character which is likely to trickle down to the product he makes. he could have responded by taking the high road, e.g “I’m sorry you had a bad experience at my restaurant, please come back and i promise i’ll do my best to make things right for you.” – former back customer

  40. Sadly, I followed one of the links about this argument and boycott posted everywhere (including on a college radio station’s page for some reason) and noticed two things about the exchange. #1. The screen grabs of the conversation were not from Facebook or any other social media account, but from what appeared to be a one-on-one texted conversation. One person had the other’s cell number, so they must’ve known each other. #2. There was ONE passing reference to the review about the food, and it was the Ninja City owner correcting the other person about what ingredients were used. The rest was clearly something personal – there was mention of the reviewer going to the restaurant with a woman NOT his girlfriend – so as ugly as the exchange was, it had next to NOTHING to do with the restaurant review. As bad as the exchange was, to read the actual text and walk away thinking this is about a bad Yelp review posted by some stranger is simply wrong, which also makes me wonder why the reviewer chose to take something so personal so public.

  41. This is fcking idiotic. Tan and Bac obviously have a prior beef – and the website link for the “boycott group” looks like a 12-year old girl put it together. But thanks for the in-depth reporting on a grudge-match between two guys CleveScene!! Idiots.

  42. Well I’ll just say this, I’m a current employee and none of this comes as a shock to us. Anyone that knows him well can attest that he’s one of the most arrogant, self-centered people out there. The reality is though, he just took his parent’s old restaurant Chinese Village, put some hipster decorations up and now he thinks he’s Michael Symon. There are a lot of things done here that would shock customers. Spoiled kid who got it all from his parents. But, we all need to pay the bills so I have to smile and suck it up for now.

  43. What was racist about Bac’s comments? Is referring to someone as “Asian,” “Indian,” or “Punjab” racist now?

  45. There aren’t many Asians in Cleveland, I thought you fools would be nicer to each other.

    Rancho, if a 5’5″ Asian chef insulted my girlfriend(s) and punked me I would:
    1. Confront him like a man and talk to him in person.
    2. Ignore him and avoid his establishments
    3. Beat his ass

    ………..running into my bedroom and creating a fb page to trash someone after a failed extortion……..you pu$$y!!!!!!!!!

    Does your gf respect how you defended her honor? First an elite Yelper….now a glorious movement created to defend privileged college kids from all the scary restaurant and business owners in Cleveland….a true hero

  46. If this doesn’t end soon, will there be another Katz Club “incident”– thanks to a “disgruntled customer”??? How far are some people going to go with this? Just one thing to remember, though, you crazy kids…it’s not a free-standing “diner”…literally hundreds of people live “upstairs” and “above the store.” Think before you act, and put Cleveland in the headlines once again, for all the wrong reasons.

    Chuckles the Clown

  47. There is a backstory here that you have failed to research (it is being told elsewhere on the wire). These guys have mutual friends, and this guy has connections to a local competing business. His Yelp post wasn’t a honest review, it was a biased attack in a public forum. If he had any integrity, he would have just talked to the restaurant manager about his experience. The chef was, without argument, vulgar and inappropriate. But Ruchu and his crew (who are posting vulgar fake reviews now) aren’t the innocent victims that you have represented.

  48. I don’t know either of the people in this story and have never been to the restaurant, but boycotting a new business is serious stuff, and publishing a story that even suggests a boycott is underway due to racist comments by the owner is very serious. One person could have his feelings hurt; the other could lose his business.

    I’m not a big fan of shuttering businesses because an owner spoke badly in a fit of pique.

  49. Well my review and the review of those dining with me at Bac 3 years ago were not vindictive and we spoke directly to the owner Bac and received less than favorable response and treatment and that’s saying it very very nicely. It was ironic that we were meeting over dinner to discuss leadership and opportunities regarding the oldest civil rights organization in the world and the treatment and words used by him only painfully cemented the reality that we’ve come so far but have oh so far to go. Have not returned and I personally know over 200 hundred Clevelanders who will not go either so it maybe that this diner had ulterior motives but there’s surely a problem with the inside of the owner which directly reflects the inside of his restaurants.

  50. “It was ironic that we were meeting over dinner to discuss leadership and opportunities regarding the oldest civil rights organization in the world”

    Mother Teresa
    (and Gandhi)

    Isn’t it ironic? Don’t you think?

  51. “The oldest civil rights organization in the world” is NAD or the National Association of the Deaf.
    I didn’t know there was a chapter in Cleveland

  52. Wow, two Asian dudes along with a bunch of their SUPER intellectual Ohio college friends arguing over some petty crap….one needs anger management and the other needs testicles….The fact that something this lame and pathetic made the news media makes me realize why I’m so glad I moved out of Cleveland.

  53. ‘merica – where the health of a business supersedes any level of commitment to morality.

    Idiots that are defending Bac’s comments by arguing the Yelp review was too threatening to a business are the same idiots that excused Bush for leading our troops to kill over one hundred thousand Iraqi civilians without a cause, or the same idiots that excuse Obama for murdering a secret kill list that apparently includes women and children without being held accountable to provide a reason. People that argue too much is at stake to challenge those in power oppose democracy.

    If you’re arguing that because Bac is a business owner, he gets a free card to act as he pleases, you are the cancer of our society. Your robotic votes are the cause of our political oligopoly. You are the sheep that pray to your bank accounts and would sacrifice anything for a raise in income. You’re not human; you’re filthy rats.

    Either that, or you’re all closet racists trying to find a backdoor way to support a member of your club. NO EXCUSES for what Bac said unless you support racisim.

    I pray that karma is on the side of humanity and Bac’s business crumbles. A man that possesses the ability to make those evil comments deserves no good.

  55. Jordan, way to take current events and use them to enlighten us all to the horrible atrocities poor Roochoo had to face:(
    How did you become such a deep thinker? It looks like mommy and daddy’s college fund paid off! Next, politics?

  56. Sitting back reading this string just absolutely blows my mind in the same way current events do. I cannot piece together any explanation for someone sticking their neck out for this lame ass human being. He’s filth. Yet people are crazy enough to defend him without any sense of shame. I admit I’m grasping at straws trying to make sense of it all. I wish just ONE person could enlighten me and explain how Bac’s comments could EVER be justified. That’s it. Please, just one. What part of the story are we all missing?

    It’s just stunning how people can openly and proudly support and defend evil. The world can be as crazy as a mangina sometimes.

  58. Haha, maybe to deep of a personal observation to share here. Sorry, but I’m grasping at straws.

    It just blows my mind to see individuals sticking there neck out for this guy. There’s no way he’s anything other than filth. It blows my mind the same way current events do. People openly and proudly defend and support evil. I guess the world can be as crazy as a mangina sometimes.

    I just wish one post in this entire string could explain a justification to Bac’s comments. Just one. What is the part of the story we’re all missing?

    Or maybe all these comments of support have been written by Bac himself. That would explain everything!

  61. For real, d? Deleting comments? Please direct me to the hidden truth behind this story. Public link to explanation on FB, Twitter, whatever. Just replace each “.” with “dot” and we’ll decipher. Enlighten us.

  64. Aww. Just checked back for the enlightening update, and all I got was 2 dislikes for an innocent request for more information, hahahaha! The Bac camp has a brilliant strategy – dislike anything that doesn’t contain the text string “it’s Yelp’s fault”.

  65. Bac has been open 4 years or so, right? Where are all the other victims of this “consumer intimidation.” Surely Bac Tremont has gotten 1 star Yelp reviews before, but no else has been privately or publically insulted? I’m just trying figure out what made Ruchu’s case so different. Why was Ruchu’s review so negative when the professional critics and others have been so complementary? Why was Ruchu the one dude who Bac has privately messaged? And I don’t think I’m alone, which is why so many people are talking about the mutual friends, ulterior motives, etc.

    Now Ruchu has his crew publically posting uncouth fake PUBLIC reviews (lies, clear and simple), in response to a personal PRIVATE message… and the more they do it, the less they look like victims, and the more you look like crybaby rich kid antagonists who got pissed when Ruchu’s anonymity was busted.

    I mean, I’m just trying to reason this out. Whole lot of smoke swirling around.

  67. Curious as to why he made a point of stressing the “Indian” and “Punjabi” nature of the girl and girl’s genitalia as negatives. Bac must have had issues with females of Indian descent and is taking out his frustrations on this Ruchu chap. Regardless, new campaign slogans need to be underway ASAP.

    “Come to Ninja City, where everything has beef in it to stave off the Hindus!”
    “Don’t ask us about television because we work for a living!”
    “Physically weak? Come to Ninja City and get swole!”

  69. Fucking pathetic. The story being run is pathetic, anyone boycotting the restaurant is pathetic and the fact that you cant call someone out in a letter without it becoming fucking bullshit public drama is pathetic. Its still America and you can say what you want here. All of you sound like some fucking douche bag pc drama queen hippies. Everyone on here should go do something real with the energy they are spending on this, not boycott a restaurant due to a personal issue, if they served dog sure this would be news worthy. They don’t. People are getting robbed and murdered, corruption is rampant here and scene passes by international worthy news going on in the city and this is the dribble scene prints. Pathetic.
    PS
    I dont know Bac.

  70. Everyone go check out Mr. Food Network, Ruchu T’s Yelp page… In over two years and 90 cheesy reviews of rating all types of restaurants to include chains and a ton of $hit hole non cooking Cleveland motherfuc%ers….. He has given ONE, 1-star rating….that’s right ONE (to NINJA CITY). I’m not saying Bac is the greatest chef in the world but he sure as hell beats the Waffle House and White Castle….Coincidence it was Ruchu’s college classmate, Asian rival and common acquaintance???? I think not… dum dum dummmmm (music)

    Bac, did you hook up with his current gf at a frat party back in the day?????? Beat Ruchu on a math test? Karaoke contest? Break Dance-off? We need answers!!!

    None of Bac’s associates, friends or family will say he wasn’t a complete fool or wrong for losing it the way he did…..but ol boy Ruchu isn’t some innocent random customer, he pulled a couple total bitch moves and now he and his geek squad are trying to destroy someone’s business and reputation…..way to show the world how to deal with “hate” guys.

  71. People who use yelp are self appointed “foodies” who rattle off 6 paragraphs about a place and wish somebody gives a crap about what they have to say. Simply put they are pathetic.

  72. Whatever happened to ordering some food, eating and enjoying it without considering the bracelet the bartender was wearing, the shade of white utilized in the restroom or “suggesting” “they” play music from 1996 instead of 1997. How robbed of enjoyment yelp reviewers experiences must be.

  73. People who feel ten feet tall on the Internet and say things they wouldn’t have the balls to say to somebody’s face are pathetic. Truly pathetic.

  74. Eric Freeman, stop being such a meat head hippy. Quit whining, you bitch. This is America where people are allowed to say what they want without some PC meat head being a pussy about it. There are people on the streets that need you to save them from getting robbed. Why are you wasting your time getting all dramatic? Go do something real with your time, tough guy.

  76. I’ve often thought competing businesses hire friends to give bad reviews. I;m certain it happens. Having said that ..this clown thinks he is a real Ninja . Truly moronic to retaliate with threats and the words he used. Ive been there a few times , for me Asian food is all the same , the differences normally depend on how fresh the veggies are , the type of oil used , the quality of the proteins used . Yes the sauces can differ , but it’s not like there is some secret ingredient even a novice Asian chef can’t find. I will never go “Bac” however , the owners response was juvenile , and stupid.

  77. Massive dorks, both of them. Reverting to texts & Facebook like 12 year old girls. Embarrassing for both of them. These are the kind of people who throw parties, you show up and drink all their liquor, take an upper-decker and then go to a real social setting where chicks aren’t passing out on Boone’s.

  79. 1. Clearly prior relationship between these individuals. With some information pointing towards what is at least in part business acquaintanceship.
    1-1. This was not a review, this was a tactical tear down.
    1-2. The point was damage Ninja Citys’ online marketing reputation while inflaming the owner.

    2. The review itself doesn’t lend itself to a 1-Star review. I gave one star to a restaurant that had treated me and my party with racist disdain and served inferior products and knowingly provided inferior service. That earned it’s one star. Even taking the review at face value, the 2 or even 2 and a half would be more appropriate. 1 star implies that the service cannot be rated any worse. Is it really that bad?

    3. Seriously, this liberal PC bullshit of “If you say racist things, you are equivalent to the perpetrators of actual crimes against humanity and deserve a punishment worse than them!” Seriously, racism is a cancer on our socially engineered minds and all, but slinging racial slurs should not validate destroying a business and sacrificing jobs and making even MORE TURNOVER in UNIVERSITY CIRCLE. How many businesses have open and close because some spoiled brats on mommy and daddys dime don’t like that the eggs aren’t farm raised or the chickens isn’t open range? But they don’t want to pay 12.95 for to HAVE MEALS COOKED FOR THEM BECAUSE THEY ARE BABIES AND NOT CUSTOMERS! These kids and their “anti-capitialism unless it’s tailored to my liberal ideology.” THE OWNER IS AN JERK FOR HOW HE THINKS, BUT HE IS NOT A CRIMINAL. THIS BOYCOTT IS NOT ETHICAL, IT IS CORROSIVE AND IGNORANT OF FUNDAMENTAL COMMUNAL VALUES.

    I’m done with this generation of Western disillusioned youth. Liberals want guns taken away from people, but kept with cops who work for corporate government interest? A racist comment and people who have never worked in a kitchen or cleaned actual human waste can get a restaurant shut down without giving any thought to reality outside the few clicks on the internet. We’re not gonna be a superpower into the future. And this generation is the reason.

  80. Yelp reviewers are narcissistic pussies who clearly have no balls, clout, or respect from anyone else (in real life). To compensate, they take to the internet to exert what little dominion they have in this world over business owners who have (in most cases) worked hard to fulfill a passion and created something for themselves that contributes to society and the community. Unfortunately, that little bit of dominion goes a long way and even if there is no truth involved, it can snowball and ruin a restaurant’s chance to be successful before 99% of people have even had a chance to try it.

    There’s really no way you can defend someone going around threatening reviewers, cursing, and taking shots at someone’s girlfriend, I understand Bac’s sentiments. If you have an opinion, share it with your friends and family, or just don’t go back. You’re not a professional critic (even if you try to be), you didn’t go to culinary school, and you haven’t worked your ass off to open multiple restaurants, so kindly fuck off. You probably haven’t accomplished shit in your own life, have nothing going on, and if you spoke up in person around anyone who mattered, they’d probably ignore you or tell you to shut the f*** up. Otherwise, why would you choose to spend your time commenting on the quality/style of the noodles at some restaurant?

    Find a hobby or a way to spend your time that contributes something to society or the community or just go sit at a bar and develop a drinking problem while keeping your opinion to yourself like our grandparents used to do, instead of just tearing someone else’s work down. If you’d done anything worthwhile yourself, then you’d have some room to talk and a leg to stand on. But of course, anyone who actually has something to contribute, isn’t going to waste their time making a Yelp review. I hope this prick chokes on a noodle next time he puts on his (self-appointed) Judicial robe and heads out for a night on the town.

  81. I would like to say the comments by the owner were inappropriate. They are wrong in general. However, Rancho is a terrible journalist. He goes to an establishment, that he clearly has history with the owner, gets a free meal and then publishes their personal warfare on the internet. This Rancho guy is not a journalist. I think the journalist is completely unprofessional. He also was seen in the parking lot with the woman he brought to the restaurant fooling around when doing a food review? Thats disgusting. And then he has another girlfriend Jordan who is arguing all over this website. As a female, I think this Rancho guy is a male shovanist pig! The owner is inappropriate also. And Yelp is a joke.

  83. Rucha is a disgrace to journalism. He should be banished for committing online slander. The owner was inappropriate in his anger; But as least he didn’t post online all of the fillandering and sex-capades that Jordan’s boyfriend Rucha Rancho did. Rucha should stick to what works best, chasing women and apparently making this Jordan do his dirty work. Jordan, you are a disgrace to women. How could you back a man who connivingly gets a free meal on a date with his secret girlfriend and then slams the owner that gives it to him. You are all a disgrace. Yelp is a joke. Its the mafia. Jordan is a clown. Rucha has a mangina, just like those other guys said.

  85. I don’t know either of these guys and it is disappointing to see a business owner react the way that Bac did. But I had planned to visit Ninja before this (just haven’t made it there yet) and I still plan to visit, just based on the great non-Yelp feedback I’ve heard. One inappropriate outburst by a business owner shouldn’t lead to the guy’s ruin. Why does everybody have to organize an Internet lynch mob every time they have a bad experience? Grow up and go to a different restaurant.

  86. IF we go, and that’s a BIG IF, do I have to prove to the Big Boss Man that I am with my WIFE and NOT cheating on her with somebody else… in order to avoid getting my ass kicked into the street?

    With his first angry and retaliatory keystrokes, to some pissant personal enemy, this a-wipe chef has lost himself a lot of potential customers. We are two of them. Assholism trumps 5-star food in my book, any day of the week. And he probably serves dog meat and spits in the food. Piss on him.

    Can’t take the heat? Get the hell out of the kitchen. Potentially negative reviews are part of the price one pays for being a business person, especially if you’re a self-important chef catering to entitled foodie a-holes. Grow some balls, Charlie. Suck it up and move on. And next time, think before you type. Better yet, just shut the fuck up and keep your anger to yourself.

    Chuckles the Clown

  87. Can anyone blame Rancho for cheating on Tim Manoa? Christ almighty is she a pain in the ass. Her voice on the internet is like the sound my toilet makes after I eat Chipotle with extra sour cream.

  89. Two weeks and this pissing contest ain’t over yet? Seriously? In other cities, which must not be named, somebody woulda thrown a mazeltov cocktail by this time. Or maybe ventilated the owner.

    But hey, this is Cleveland…it’s all about talking the talk instead of walking the walk, and making mouth music on the keyboard. Isn’t there anything else going on?

    Plenty else to get pissed off about in this town besides rallying behind some foodie punk…or his arch-enemy, the irate owner/chef.

    Oh, wait…forget about the arch-enemy…this ain’t St. Louis, nyuk nyuk.

    Chuckles the Clown

  90. You guys are all clowns. Especially wannabe superbro’s acting hella hard and thuggish over the internet. I know most of you commenters are either BAC or his fake ass thug goons who act hard but won’t do shit. You dudes are not from the street. If you really want trouble reveal yourselves instead of acting like gangsters from the street. Aren’t most of you fools from Rocky River?!?

  91. Nope, I’m neither one…and it’s West Park, asshole. Come to the Green Mile and open your goddam mouth, and you’ll go home as shepherd’s pie.

    Chuckles the Clown

  92. Straight off the muthafuckin streets of WestpArk Cuzzz.

    The Green Mile ain’t no joke son, I once met a circus mouse there and his name was Mr BoJangles…..that was one real azz nig9a.

  93. Dem Green Mile Boys is no joke, ya heard?? Those cats Paul, Brutal Howell, Harry Terwilliger, and Dean Stanton don’t play around. You heard what they did that nice man John, right? They killed him even after he healed Paul’s urinary tract infection! Who does that!!?? He was just trying to punish them bad men and Paul and his boys killed him! In the words of the poet Treach, if you ain’t from Green Mile, stay away from Green Mile, cuz you wouldn’t understand Green Mile. RIP Mr Jingles.

  94. I had a very negative experience at Ninja City. I wanted it to be good I work in the area and walk by daily. I went there with my GF shortly after the opening. Service was horrible, food was cold and bland. We complained the owner Bac Nguyen came out, he was rude basically telling us we didn’t know that good food. Furhtermore he told us we were just unlucky as we came in at the tail end of the rush. Hence we got the cold food left over from what was fired prior to said rush. After significant attitude he took our dishes back to be re-done. They came back within 2 minutes, appeared to be microwaved. When he asked if it was alright I told him the truth… The man became intimidating and hostile, we had to ask him to leave our table.

    I have never had this happen to me, not in CLE, not anywhere in the States or abroad. I WILL NEVER GO BACK there, and tell others to do the same. As I said earlier I work in the area and eat lunch in local restaurants daily. There is not a doubt in my mind that he did was is alleged above

  96. Maybe when the protests spread to the East Side, this joint will be trashed and looted and destroyed. One can only hope.

    Go get ’em, peeps! Here’s your target for tonight!

    Eat it all up and throw the rest in the street, then kick the shit out of the place!

    Just do it!

    Chuckles the Clown

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