Yale Dean Resigns After Uproar Over Her ‘Insensitive’ Yelp Reviews

Negative Yelp reviews can have a devastating impact on the livelihood of restaurant owners and chefs, but they can also backfire and have the same effect on some of the site's self-proclaimed restaurant critics.

Just over a month after apologizing and being placed on leave for a string of "insensitive" Yelp reviews, June Chu has left her position as the Dean of Yale's residential community Pierson College. According to the Yale Daily News, Chu stepped down without being asked to resign, and a replacement is already being sought.

"Dean Chu has left her position at Pierson College and wishes the best to the students," Professor Stephen Davis, Head of Pierson College, told students in an e-mail on Tuesday. "As a result, I am initiating the process of the search for a new dean, who will be in place before the start of the fall term."

In a Yelp review that was brutal even by Yelp standards, Chu excoriated not only Koto Japanese Restaurant, but anyone who could possibly enjoy eating there, outraging Yale students.

"To put it quite simply: if you are white trash, this is the perfect night out for you!" Chu wrote. "This establishment is definitely not authentic by any stretch of of the imagination and perfect for low class folks who believe this is a real night out. Over salted and greasy food. Side note: employees are Chinese, not Japanese."

After reports of Chu's problematic reviews emerged, her account was soon deleted, but not before Yale Daily News managed to obtain further screenshots her Yelp reviews. They turned out to be just as offensive as the initial ones, containing other elitist pearls like, "Seriously I don't care if you 'lose your job.' (I'm sure McDonalds would hire you.)" and "barely educated morons trying to manage snack orders for the obese and also [trying] to add $7 plus $7" in a review for a movie theater.

Despite Chu's eventual apology, Professor Davis told the Yale Daily News "he could no longer envision a path forward with Chu," in light of the screengrab dump posted by the student newspaper. Chu had reportedly told administrators that there were only two "troubling" reviews, when Yale Daily News reporting clearly showed that she was handing out offensive one-star Yelp reviews like candy.

MUNCHIES reached out to Pierson College for commentary regarding the situation but did not receive a response in time for publication. Chu's name has been removed from Pierson College's contact information page.

There is no word yet on what Chu's plans for employment are, but movie theaters are always looking for serious, motivated workers.