Pizza Pizza: Leeds takeaway hit by fake reviews after joking about rivals following LUFC Premier League return
A takeaway boss said his business was bombarded with fake online reviews and threats after sharing a light-hearted social media post celebrating Leeds United’s return to the Premier League.
Pizza Pizza, a popular family-run company with branches across the city, found itself at the centre of a digital backlash after posting a tongue-in-cheek comment about rival club Sheffield United on its Facebook page.
Junaid Hussain, 27, a passionate Leeds United fan and the owner of the business, described how the incident escalated following his team’s promotion celebrations.
He said: “After we got promoted, we posted a light-hearted joke on our Facebook page about wanting Sheffield to lose.
“But somehow, that managed to bring rival fans onto our page who bombarded us with negative reviews, threats to smash up our shop and even death threats.
“It got really out of hand. If we’d said something really nasty, I might understand, but this wasn’t anything bad - it was just a joke.”
However, the review bombing quickly caught the attention of loyal customers, many of whom rallied to the shop’s defence.
Mr Hussain continued: “We put out a post out explaining that we were being bombarded and we’d be grateful if the community could help us out.
“We got a lot of love from people who came down to the shop to support us, placed orders and left us positive reviews.”
The threats were reported to the police and the deluge of fake reviews has been reported to Facebook. Mr Hussain said that the support of Leeds United fans helped to offset some of the damage.
“We’re a family-run business and we work hard for our reputation,” he said. “Because of the support, we ended up being really busy. I want to thank everyone who helped us.”
Two years ago, Pizza Pizza became business partners with Leeds United, a move that Mr Hussain said has had a transformative impact on the business.
As part of the partnership, the takeaway, which has outposts in Beeston, Kirkstall and Oakwood, has run giveaways with lucky fans picking up match tickets via dedicated ‘LUFC munch boxes’.
Mr Hussain is one of a number of business owners in Leeds who believe that the club’s promotion will have far-reaching benefits for the city.
They include Andrew Cooper, the chief executive of LeedsBID (Business Improvement District), who said that the return to the Premier League would bring a major boost to the city’s economy and put Leeds “on the world map”.
Meanwhile, Kody Norris, the manager of Toast bar at West Point anticipated bars in the city would become increasingly busy.
Mr Hussain added: “I’m a massive Leeds United fan, so to see the club back in the Premier League was amazing. We were down at Elland Road celebrating until late in the evening.
“On match days, we tend to see a massive surge in business.
“We’re planning to carry on our partnership with Leeds United next season and it’s going to be amazing. I think it will be a great season and I think we’re going to do really well.”