Moving to a new city can mean leaving your family and friends behind, and rebuilding your social network. Luckily, if you are a social butterfly like Krista C, you’ll make friends anywhere.
Krista recently moved to South Florida and immediately became engrained into the Palm Beach part of Yelp Broward-Palm Beach. The northern part of the community has recently been getting a lot more love, including monthly events. Krista has been front and center at most of them.
Still relatively new to Yelp, she’s already become a veteran, greeting very new Yelpers she meets with her kind domineer and five star smile! Get to know one of the Yelpers helping build up the Palm Beach Yelp scene in this edition of Meet the Elite.
Why did you start Yelping?
I always used Yelp to make decisions on where I should go to eat but never had an account. Sometimes I agreed with reviewers and other times I didn’t. I realized I should be giving my input to the Yelp community with all of these fantastic restaurants I have visited. I wrote one review and have been yelping ever since.
What does it mean to be a member of the Yelp Elite Squad to you?
Being Elite means so much to me. It’s great knowing that I can help other Yelpers find new places or help promote a new small business. It also allows me to meet people with similar interests.
You recently moved here. What brought you down?
I made the big move from the Big Apple down to sunny Florida because of my husband’s job. The ridiculously awesome weather is just a bonus!
How would you describe the Yelp community?
The Yelp community is amazing and close knit. Aside from just writing reviews, Yelpers both near and far become good friends. I can’t even begin to tell you some of the awesome friendships Yelp has given me. I don’t think everyone realizes just how special Yelp is. It’s so much more than just reviews.
What keeps you writing reviews?
For one, Yelp has become my own personal journal for all the great places I have visited. Secondly, I get lots of messages from friends and strangers on advice on where to eat and vacation planning. I really enjoy it. I’ve recently helped three different Yelpers plan vacations. It puts such a smile on my face! I also get a lot of great messages from business owners as well. And, of course, I love being a Yelp Elite. Who wouldn’t? BPB is the best!
What are the top three restaurants you’d recommend in Palm Beach County?
TaOne (Wellington): Sushi/Thai places are a dime a dozen around here, but TaOne really stands out. Not only is the food great, the staff here makes you feel like family.
Mississippi Sweets (Lake Worth & Boca Raton): Delicious BBQ food served by a friendly staff. Try the Yazoo chicken. It’s yum!
Pho Saigon West Palm Beach: It is the best pho in town!
What’s your favorite Elite Event you’ve attended?
It would definitely have to be the Yelp Games. I was only living in Florida two weeks and didn’t know what I was in for. This years games were held at Macy’s in Boca and, wow, what a crazy event. Picture two teams (Palm Beach County vs. Broward County) running through the floors of Macy’s on a Saturday, competing in different challenges requiring skill and strategy. Some of the games were putting on makeup blindfolded, making a bed, and in my case, dressing a mannequin. The customers must have thought we were crazy. It was so much fun. Palm Beach pulled out the win for three years running! Can’t wait until next year.
About the Yelp Elite Squad: The Yelp Elite Squad is our way of recognizing people who are active in the Yelp community – people who are role models both on and off the site. Elite-worthiness is based on a number of things, including well-written reviews, high quality tips, a detailed personal profile, an active voting and complimenting record, and a history of playing well with others. Elites must use their real name on their account, have a real (and clear!) profile photo, and be of legal drinking age in their country. You can read more, and even nominate yourself at yelp.com/elite
