Serbian Crown Restaurant Sues Google Over Listing

The now-closed Serbian Crown restaurant is suing Google for an error that the owner says led to the restaurant's closing. 

Serbian Crown was a hot spot in Great Falls until 2012, when weekend customers stopped coming to the restaurant. The reason, owner Rene Bertagna says, was an incorrect listing on Google Maps that indicated the restaurant was closed Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays, The Guardian reported. Those days had been the restaurant's most popular days.

It's hard to say whether mixed reviews, a changing local population or any other possible factor contributed to the restaurant's closure, but Bertagna says the sudden drop-off in weekend traffic to his restaurant was obvious, and he only learned why after a customer asked him about the Google Maps information, according to In the Capital. 

WIRED reported in an article about the restaurant that occasionally malicious people will claim and alter a businesses' listing on Google, hurting it by changing its hours, location or website address. Unclaimed Google listings for small businesses are typically the victims, as Google allows the community to edit listings information until a business owner "claims" ownership of it. 

The restaurant's website is still up and running and does not indicate the restaurant has closed. It was in business for about 40 years.

The Serbian Crown menu included a variety of fish, sausage and less-common meats such as emu and antelope.