Times Like These

The LAT engages in some schadenfreude in its profile on the empty dining rooms at Pho Minh with the hope that the coverage will generate some publicity. It's both a lesson in the supreme difficulties of running a restaurant, and in this particular case, a glimpse into the effects of reviewers (including that "food blog Yelp"): "Lam struggles to break even, though his soups have won praise from bloggers, contributors to the food blog Yelp and food critics ... Though Lam still has good days, four months after [Jonathan] Gold's review, his restaurant is almost never packed with customers, not even on weekends." [LAT]