A Sydney restaurateur has drawn attention online for her razor-sharp replies to harsh one-star Google reviews.
Nahji Chu, the owner of the popular Potts Point dining spot Lady Chu, has become known for answering disgruntled customers with frank, no-nonsense comebacks.
One particularly memorable exchange unfolded on Valentine’s Day, when a disappointed diner claimed the restaurant had “ruined” his entire evening.
After the customer posted a one-star review, the Lady Chu owner fired back with a cutting response of her own.
“Your girlfriend looked really bored,” she wrote.
“You might want to pay attention to her instead of your phone on the night.”
Another blunt response was aimed at a reviewer who argued there were “far better Vietnamese” restaurants nearby, praising a rival venue for having a “smaller menu, better food, kind and gracious service”.
Ms Chu replied: “Is this one Viet business owner trying to sabotage its competition?”
In another response, Ms Chu thanked a customer for their lengthy critique with a particularly savage quip.
‘Thanks for your 1000-word review thesis. I admire the commitment. Most people only write this much when applying for a visa or divorcing their husband,’ she wrote.
Ms Chu has become a well-known figure on Sydney’s dining scene thanks, in part, to her brutal replies.
The restaurant opened in 2019 as a takeaway venue before expanding into a sit-down dining destination in 2021. It now spans along Roslyn Street.
Ms Chu arrived in Australia as a Vietnamese refugee at the age of eight and has worked in the hospitality industry for two decades.
She appeared on The Betoota Advocate podcast, where she explained how her blunt responses began.
‘I was recieving more one-star reviews than five-star reviews, so I decided to give it back,’ she said.
Another customer launched into a lengthy attack on the restaurant owner, writing: ‘Utterly staggering that such an angry, sour and bitter person works in a role dealing with the public.’
Ms Chu was quick to hit back.
‘WHO are you?? lols,’ she replied.
‘You clearly have not been here or even know how kind and generous the owner is.’
Over time, Ms Chu has become a well-known figure on Sydney’s dining scene thanks, in part, to her unapologetic responses.
Lady Chu opened in 2019 as a takeaway venue before expanding into a sit-down dining destination in 2021. It now spans along Roslyn Street.
Ms Chu arrived in Australia as a Vietnamese refugee at the age of eight and has worked in the hospitality industry for two decades.
Recently, she appeared on The Betoota Advocate podcast, where she explained how her blunt responses began.
‘I was recieving more one-star reviews than five-star reviews, so I decided to give it back,’ she said.
She told the podcast that the response quickly went viral and even landed the restaurant a recommendation in Qantas magazine as a must-visit dining destination.
Ms Chu has since continued to fire back at customers who leave scathing reviews of her restaurant.
Despite an array of one-star reviews, Lady Chu still averages four stars on Google.
Ms Chu now credits the reviews, alongside her food and staff, as one of the reasons people continue to visit the restaurant.
‘We are packed every night. And I mean, look, it’s the food and the staff that speaks for itself,’ she said.
‘But I dare say people are now coming for the one-star reviews as well.’
