A less sinister explanation is that the reviewers were actually at another pub with the same, or similar, name. And they reviewed the wrong one.
This happens all the time on TripAdvisor. I bet there are dozens of “Bridge Inn”s in the UK.
This happens all the time on TripAdvisor. I bet there are dozens of “Bridge Inn”s in the UK.
You could use a plethora of other information to show this intelligently and not bother everyone (e.g. if you have been in the area, if you looked for the place beforehand etc)
And some are stolen, automated, or low-effort content that's not intended to affect the target at all, but exists only to make the account seem legitimate so it can't be trivially identified as having the sole purpose to astroturf one target.
I think there's plenty of reason to believe each of these categories is responsible for a ton of internet content.