Online reviews of Nick’s in the Sticks pulled after viral video alleging racist language
Waves of resentment over the viral video from Nick’s Original Filet House (aka Nick’s in the Sticks) exploded into review bombs that shuttered Nick’s-related pages on at least two major crowd-source review sites.
Yelp and Tripadvisor on Tuesday morning had shared messages that no new posts about Nick’s would be accepted, for the time being. Over the weekend, a video surfaced showing a Nick’s customer accusing a restaurant employee of using racist language.
More: Video showing confrontation at Nick’s in the Sticks goes viral
On the Nick’s Original Filet House Facebook page, an early July post about the restaurant closing for a holiday had several hundred responses attached by early Tuesday, most of them angry, suggesting the restaurant should stay closed. Some called for shutdowns or boycotts, with a few suggesting setting up funds or other help for Nick’s staff who could be hurt by business diminishment. Others also suggested review-bombing crowd sites, which has apparently happened.
Review bombing can occur spontaneously, from widespread customer dissatisfaction, or result from a drive to draw attention to issues at a specific business or event. Crowd-source sites monitor sudden influxes of negative posts to try and ascertain if the reviews are in fact first-hand opinions, or something else.
Screen capture from the Yelp posting Tuesday morning, regarding Nick’s Original Filet House
Yelp’s message read:
“This business recently received increased public attention resulting in an influx of people posting their views to this page, so we have temporarily disabled the ability to post here as we work to investigate the content. While racism has no place on Yelp and we unequivocally reject racism or discrimination in any form, all reviews on Yelp must reflect an actual first-hand consumer experience (even if that means disabling the ability for users to express points of view we might agree with). Learn more on Yelp Support.
“If you’re here to leave a review based on a first-hand experience with the business, please check back at a later date.”
The message on Tripadvisor read:
“Due to a recent event that has attracted media attention and has caused an influx of review submissions that do not describe a first-hand experience, we have temporarily suspended publishing new reviews for this listing. If you’ve had a firsthand experience at this property, please check back soon — we’re looking forward to receiving your review!”
Nick’s, a long-standing steakhouse at 4108 Culver Road in Tuscaloosa, came under fire over the weekend via the viral video. In it, members of management from the restaurant are confronted by a group of people out front. A man named Hunter Sartain does most of the talking, complaining to the Nick’s people that someone ― allegedly the man seated, wearing a Nick’s T-shirt ― used racist language inside, referring to Sartain sitting and talking with friends, who are Black. Several people are visible and audible in the heated discussion, including a man who shot the roughly 2 1/2 minute video.
Nick’s Original Filet House on Culver Road in Tuscaloosa is seen in this file photo from, Feb. 23, 2015.
Repeated postings of the video, and others with added commentary, have drawn hundreds of thousands of views on Youtube, on TikTok, X and elsewhere.
Responses on the Nick’s Facebook page ― which seem to have been removed by mid-Tuesday morning ― came in indicating the story had been shared all around the U.S. and Canada, the Netherlands and elsewhere.
Nick’s closes Sundays and Mondays weekly, but typically re-opens 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays, maintaining those dinner houses Wednesdays through Saturdays. Messages to reach those involved have thus far been unsuccessful.
Founder Nick Del Gatto died in 2003, at 94. While in school, he met Greene County’s Frances Wilson. They opened the first Nick’s in 1939 or ’40, in a barn-like structure in Knoxville. The first sign read “Nicks at Knixville.” Much of the business reputedly came from Tuscaloosa County, which had not allowed alcohol sales for decades.
Del Gatto moved to the current location, south of the BFGoodrich Plant on U.S. Highway 11/43, when Tuscaloosa legalized alcohol in 1955.
Nick sold the business in ’74 to Richard Norton, but stayed on as the friendly face of the place long after retirement, greeting and talking with customers. Under the new ownership, another Nick’s location was tried in downtown Tuscaloosa, which led to the widespread adoption of the “Nick’s in the Sticks” nickname.
Lloyd Hegenbarth, who had worked for Nick, then bought the business from Norton in the ’80s. He died in 2014, and his widow, Carla, has owned it since. Her husband and co-manager is Jack Moltz.
Reach Mark Hughes Cobb at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Yelp, Tripadvisor shut down Nick’s in the Sticks comments
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