Restaurant reviews: how to get more and handle the bad ones
Short answer: Put a QR code to your Google review form on the bill and the table, ask every guest, and reply to every critical review within a day. Do not offer free food for reviews, and do not ask for reviews on Yelp.
A restaurant gets more reviews than almost any other kind of business, and more of them are written in the heat of the moment. Volume and speed of reply matter most.
Getting more reviews
- On the bill. A printed line and a QR code: “How did we do? Scan to tell us.”
- On the table. A small card works while guests wait for the card machine.
- From the server. “If you enjoyed tonight, a Google review really helps us.”
- On takeaway bags and delivery slips.
Make the code with our free review card maker.
Two rules:
- Ask every table, not only the happy ones.
- No free dessert for a review. It breaks Google’s rules and, in the United States, the FTC’s rule on fake reviews.
Each platform is different
| Platform | Ask for reviews? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | The one most guests see first | |
| Tripadvisor | Yes | Matters where tourists eat |
| Yelp | No | Yelp discourages asking. Keep the page accurate and reply |
| Delivery apps | The app asks | Reply where the app allows it |
Replying to complaints
Guests reading reviews look at how you answered.
- Reply within a day.
- Name the problem: the forty-minute wait, the cold main course.
- Say what you did about it.
- Give a name and a number.
Thank you for telling us, Maria. Forty minutes for a table you had booked is not acceptable. We have changed how we hold Friday bookings. Please call me on 555-0100 so I can make this right. — Dan, manager
Leave out excuses about being short-staffed and anything about the guest’s behaviour.
Reviews you can report
- Someone who never ate with you, or who reviewed the wrong restaurant.
- A former employee, or the place across the street.
- Abuse aimed at a named member of staff.
- A threat: “refund me or I post one star.” Keep the message and report it.
A guest who had a bad night and said so is not reportable. Reply and move on.
Photos and menus count too
On Google, guests look at photos and the menu before they read. Add recent photos monthly, keep the menu and hours current, and mark holiday hours ahead of time.
A routine for the manager
- Daily: read new reviews before service and reply.
- Weekly: tell the team what guests praised and what they complained about.
- Monthly: compare your rating and review count with the places nearby.