There are a lot of bizarre things that appear on Facebook – improbable fake news stories, weird memes, and outlandish political views. But setting aside time to create Facebook pages to trick Houston diner takes the meaning of "troll" to a whole new level.
According to the Houston Press, more than sixty fake Facebook profiles have been created for nonexistent Houston restaurants. The pages are populated with photos snagged from legitimate spots in Clutch City and beyond. For example, a page has been created for an "A10 Cafe," a restaurant that has never existed, using photos from Los Angeles’ Banh Mi My Tho.
Facebook user Karen Williams made the connection between the imaginary restaurants by Googling a phone number from "A10 Cafe," and found nearly thirty different fake pages associated with the same contact information.
The Press takes a stab at a couple of theories behind the influx of fake pages, and the prevailing thought seems to be that the URLs are being claimed so that they can attract fans of the hypothetical new spot and then be re-sold. Facebook pages can be renamed (only once!) after creation, so the ownership of A10 Cafe’s page could easily be sold and rebranded as literally anything else.
Moral of the story: don’t trust Facebook to make your evening dining plans. If you see a new spot you want to try, make an old-fashioned phone call and see what’s up.