[yupmetoo]

Also consider the ordering of the reviews - yelp can show them in whatever order they like, so you can be a "3.5" restaurant with a full first page of 1 and 2 star reviews, regardless of whether those reviews are newer or older or have been voted up or not.

[timr]

The reviews on yelp have never been ordered by voting. They're not even ordered by time -- the order changes based on a variety of factors, such as your login status, who your friends are, etc.

That's why nobody takes these claims seriously. They don't hold up to even casual scrutiny, if you know anything about the site.