Happy customers who heap praise on your cafe are usually good for business.

But for a popular cafe in Surbiton it seems the feedback has been a little too good.

Pickled Pantry, in Central Parade off St Mark’s Hill, has been accused by customer review website Trip Advisor of forging its own reviews – and has been relegated down the rankings of best eateries in Surbiton as a result.

Having once occupied second place in Trip Advisor’s list of 69 restaurants and cafes in the town, the business, opened in June 2012, has now plummeted to 55th place.

Baffled owners George Setchell and Joanna Venn have vehemently denied the claims, and have demanded an explanation from the company.

Mr Setchell, 29, said: “We believe that being placed at number two of all the food establishments in Surbiton is a reflection of the relentless hard work and dedication from each member of staff.

“Being demoted to the bottom of the pile seems very unjust and we would like to know the reason why this has happened.

“In the past some of our customers have come to the Pickled Pantry because of its high ranking on Trip Advisor and told us as much.”

Trip Advisor emailed Pickled Pantry on October 31, saying "individuals affiliated with your organization [sic]" had been posting positive reviews on the website, breaching house rules.

Mr Setchell said it was possible that customers had written the reviews using the cafe's free wi-fi, leading Trip Advisor to think they were being forged.

Since opening in June 2012, Pickled Pantry has proved a big hit in Surbiton, with loyal customers including Kingston Council leader Liz Green and Kingston-based Celtic punk band The Lagan.

Your Local Guardian:

Joanna Venn and George Setchell's Pickled Pantry has proved a big hit in Surbiton

Mr Setchell said: “We have worked very hard over the past 16 months and this has clearly been appreciated by customers who have left some fantastic reviews for us on Trip Advisor.

“We believe that ensuring each individual has an enjoyable experience is key to our success, so we take all feedback very seriously.

“However, the drop from second to 55th in the Trip Advisor ranking has had an unfairly negative impact on our business.”

Trip Advisor spokesman James Kay said: “We are extremely vigilant in our efforts to maintain the integrity of the reviews on our site.

“In the case of Pickled Pantry, our team found evidence that a number of reviews posted to its listing failed to meet our guidelines.

“Those reviews were removed from the site and we issued a warning notice to the owners prior to penalties being applied.

“We are always open to dialogue with business owners, and would welcome the opportunity to assist the owners of Pickled Pantry to avoid similar issues in the future.”

Of the Pickled Pantry’s 45 Trip Advisor reviews online this week, 37 people rated the cafe excellent, three very Good and five rated it average.