(Kevin Kyle and Ross Lavigne/CHAT News)

By Adrian St.Onge

How Medicine Hat’s ‘roast and toast’ pages are impacting businesses

Jan 22, 2024 | 5:01 PM

Medicine Hat’s multiple “roast and toast” pages have over 35,000 combined members and that many voices can have an impact on the small businesses that call the city home.

Logan Harris, an administrator for Medicine Hat Roast and Toast Uncensored on Facebook, started the group seven months ago as a place where people can voice opinions without fear of censorship and prohibits anonymous posting.

“Businesses should be open to the posts,” Harris said.

“Keep thriving to do better, Don’t become one of those people that shrugs off a bad post or a bad day. Sometimes you have to take the posts with a grain of salt, other times you have to take the bull by the horns and fix yourself.”

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Most social media groups are created to bring people together, bring light to issues or raise awareness.

Roast and toast pages, however, can have both a positive and negative effect, experts told CHAT News.

Miranda Davies, a business instructor at Medicine Hat College, said that 68 percent of social media users follow influencer recommendations and are three times more likely to trust a positive review over a negative one.

Also, 73 percent of users trust local business if they interact with the reviews.

Darlene Meyer, owner of Teas R Me, said that online groups and messaging proves to be a challenge for business owners.

Meyer has been on the receiving end of negative comments in the past, impacting her mental well-being, and says that customers should be more up front with complaints and issues.

“Most people are going to listen to the negative,” Meyer told CHAT News.

“They aren’t going to talk about the positive. The person that’s running it, their self-esteem is getting beaten up and they’re doing the best they possibly can. Just come and talk to us and we’ll help you.”

Medicine Hat and Disctrict Chamber of Commerce shared the sentiment.

Treasurer and board member Davis Griscowsky said that social media has given a voice to individuals, but can have a significant impact on businesses.

“Positive reviews are obviously fantastic. We love to see that for our small businesses and we love to see poeple spreading the good word,” he said.

“Negative messaging is a little bit more challenging because it only tells one side of the story and leaves little room for businesses to clarify or rectify issues.”

“There’s no simple solution, but customers should take issues to the owner’s directly or the Better Business Bureau,” Griscowsky said.

Statistics provided by Medicine Hat College says that negative posters are less likely to be regular customers, but that businesses should address cyberbullying head on.

Meyer had a request on behalf of small business owners.

“Please be kind,” she said.

“We’re really, as businesses, as humans, as anybody, we’re really struggling in life. Let’s try to be a little kinder to each other. That’s the best advice I can give.”