Chef fired for posting fake restaurant reviews

A County Durham chef has been fired for gross misconduct after posting fake reviews of rival restaurants on TripAdvisor.

Chris Gamack was dismissed from his job at the Amen Continental Cafe in Barnard Castle after he was exposed on Facebook as the author of a series of reviews posted under the name Chris G Darlington.

The reviews awarded one-star ratings to Valentines Restaurant, The Bengal Merchant, the Old Well Inn and Penny's Tea Shop, describing one as being so dirty that he wished he'd brought a vacuum cleaner. Another complained of a 40-minute wait for food.

Meanwhile, "Darlington" reviewed the Amen Continental Cafe and gave it a glowing five-star review.

But when Paul Smith, the owner of the Amen Continental Cafe, found out what Gamack had done, he fired him and apologised for his behaviour.

"I am the owner of The Amen and totally disgusted in my employee's behaviour.. totally totally out of order! This person has been dismissed with immediate affect! My sincere apologies to all those concerned," he wrote.

Gamack has also apologised, although Mark Sutherland, the owner of Valentines, says he doesn't regard this as the end of the matter.

"I know as do the others he has not eaten in my restaurant. This is disgusting behaviour and unprofessional by any standards," he says. "Action will be taken through the relevant channels. He should be ashamed at his behaviour."

The reviews have since been removed.

TripAdvisor has had a problem with fake reviews for years. In December, it was fined E500,000 by Italy's anti-trust authority for failing to intruduce controls to prevent false reviews, while at the same time promoting the site's content as "authentic and genuine."

The company does have a team of staff dedicated to rooting out the fakes, as well as automated software tools.

So how do you know which reviews to trust? Back in 2011, researchers from Cornell University analysed real and fake reviews and found that the language used was often a giveaway. Heavy use of superlatives and exclamation marks can be a giveaway, as can a lack of detail.

And beware of reviews that use marketing speak or echo phrases from the hotel or restaurant's own website; and of photos that just look too professional. Check reviews on several sites, and beware of any that look too similar to one another.

Read more on AOL Money:

How to spot a fake TripAdvisor review

Hotelier accused of encouraging fake TripAdvisor reviews

Horrifying pictures of filthy hotel kitchen