The art of responding to restaurant reviews

Reviews are gold when it comes to marketing your restaurant online. Potential guests will trawl through online reviews as they often say more about your venue than any website, menu or social media post.

Taking all reviews seriously, replying promptly, and sorting out any complaints will have a positive impact on your business and reputation. Read on for some easy tips on how to respond to both positive and negative reviews.

How to respond to reviews

Replying to guest reviews is a key part of your online marketing tool kit. Whether they’re good or bad, or even just a simple star rating, responding is a great way to extend your hospitality, get insight into where there’s room to improve your guest experience and persuade future guests to make a reservation.

Here are 6 things to keep in mind when managing your guest feedback:

1. Be on top of your reviews: Responding promptly to all reviews, not just the positive ones, tells your guests that you are listening and willing to improve your service. If you use a reservation management system like Dineplan, ensure that your review notifications are turned on so you know when someone submits a review.
2. Be personal: Address your guests by their name, thank them for taking the time to leave a review, and make it clear that you value their feedback.
3. Be specific: Make sure that any questions are answered, and concerns are acknowledged, and always thank people for their compliments!
4. Be proactive: Show your guests that you’re willing to go the extra mile by resolving any issues before they escalate and put your reputation at risk. This won’t go unnoticed by potential diners.
5. Be open to constructive criticism: Unfortunately, most reviews are negative, and some diners would rather head to the keyboard to voice their concerns than handle their feedback privately. If so, ask if you can contact them directly to resolve the issue and make amends for their poor experience. If they’re open to it, you could ask whether they’d be open to changing their review online.
6. Be professional: When a reviewer isn’t impressed with their guest experience, use it as an opportunity to change their opinion and turn a bad review into a good experience. Remember, your response speaks volumes about your restaurant and guest service. Be friendly and invite them back to give you a second shot.