Serbian Crown Restaurant: Victim of Online Sabotage?

After 40 years in business, did Great Falls' Serbian Crown restaurant close because of online sabotage caused by a competitor? The eatery closed last year but resurfaced in the news this week.

Wired.com reports this week that restaurant owner Rene Bertagna is accusing a competitor of tweaking his listing on Google to show that he was closed on weekends.

Bertagna says he was not tracking his online business and didn't realize the problem until a drop-off in business. (The Web site for the restaurant is still up and there's no mention that it is closed.)

Here's what Wired reported:
"Bertagna puts the blame for his restaurant’s collapse on Google, and he’s suing the company in federal court in Virginia. His lawyer’s theory is that a competing restaurant sabotaged the Google Places listing to drive away the Serbian Crown’s customers, and he argues that Google turns a blind eye to such shenanigans. Google’s lawyers scoff at the lawsuit. “The Serbian Crown should not be permitted to vex Google or this Court with such meritless claims,” they wrote in a filing last month."

Read the entire Wired.com story here.