How to Handle Your Restaurant’s Reviews
Insights from Main Street Hub, industry experts, and business owners
In a recent Thrillist article, the author talks to business owners about dealing with the influx of reviews that come in on Yelp and how they deal with negative and sometimes, unusual, reviews.
When asked about handling online reviews, business owner, John Seymour of Sweet Chick, a restaurant in Brooklyn, NY, says in the article:
“Everybody has an opinion. Not everyone’s opinion is going to be right, but every opinion is going to have something to it. You can have someone who is totally off-base, who doesn’t know how restaurants work. Maybe they give you one star because you’re not open at 6 in the morning. Not many restaurants are open at 6 in the morning. But if I see that review, I might learn something from it: maybe our hours aren’t posted clearly online. Are they on the door? Are they on the Yelp app? Let’s look into that.”
As a business owner, he recognizes that any feedback can be valuable to pushing his business forward, and responding to that feedback is how business owners can show their customers that they hear them and that they care.
As GrubHub for Restaurants says, “with every less-than-perfect review comes the opportunity to improve your restaurant. Not only can a few words of criticism highlight areas of your restaurant that need tidying up, but they also give you the chance to win over a disgruntled diner.”
Here’s how you can use review responses to win over your customers who may have had a less-than-perfect experience at your business.
Answer reviews in a timely manner
Over 80 percent of consumers say that the most important element of an excellent customer service experience is getting the issue resolved quickly.
Negative reviews on your page without responses only fester — you don’t want to imply to those reviewers that you aren’t listening or that you don’t care about their concerns and input.
On the other hand, if you leave positive reviews unanswered, you’re missing the opportunity to express gratitude, lift up your loyal fans, and encourage anyone else who might be visiting your page to come by for a visit.
Here’s an example of a great response to a positive review:
Engaging with all reviews on your pages is the best way to extend your customer service online. It will go a long way with your customers if you interact with them and assure them that if they didn’t have a positive experience at your business, you will do everything you can so that they enjoy themselves next time.
Be professional
Whether you are responding to a positive or negative customer review on Yelp, Google, or TripAdvisor, it’s important to craft a response that’s sincere and specific. Use the reviewer’s name and reference some of the details they included in their review.
When handling a negative review, remain calm and even-keeled in your response like the owner does in the example above. Show the reviewer that you care about making things right by including a genuine apology, addressing him or her directly, and asking them to give you another try.
Sometimes, it’s necessary for you to defend your business against untrue accusations or misunderstandings, but make sure to do so as politely and professionally as possible.
Don’t miss Main Street Hub’s guide to review responses here.
Jon Trasky, GM at Wright & Company, a gastropub in Detroit, is also quoted in the Thrillist article about Yelp reviews. He says when it comes to responding to reviews:
“Take the emotion out of it. Either thank them for their feedback or offer some insight into why that experience maybe wasn’t what they thought it was going to be — without blaming the customer or venting your own frustrations.”
Ask questions and look into the issue
A complaint or concern playing out on Yelp might not be something you were even aware of in-house. In fact, almost 80% of complaints happen online and not in your restaurant, according to the Washington Post. So, when responding to this kind of review, ask questions like, “what night did you come in for dinner?,” or “can you tell us what you ordered?”
You can also reach out to your staff to get a better understanding of what might have occurred and that will help inform your response to that customer. If it clearly isn’t the norm, then it’s fair to defend your business, but if it really does seem to be an error your business made, then apologize and ask for another chance to show the customer a better experience.
For more on responding to reviews, don’t miss our blog post: A Guide to Review Responses.
Flag reviews that are false, inflammatory, or misleading
Yelp is community-driven, so they will allow most negative reviews to stand, as long as they appear to be honest representations of the business.
However, there are review guidelines that prohibit Yelp users from leaving reviews that prove a conflict of interest, reviews that do not focus on the consumer’s experience in your business, and reviews that contain inappropriate material, such as threatening language or private information about your staff.
If you see reviews like these, you have the option to flag the review for removal to make sure your current and potential customers are seeing a page that is a true representation of your business.
Learn how to flag a review on Yelp in four easy steps on our blog!
It can be tricky navigating online review responses — but Main Street Hub can help. Learn more about how Main Street Hub take care of your online reviews.Then, get started with us today!
More resources for your local restaurant:
5 Facebook Content Tips for Restaurants
Enhance Your Customer Service on Social Media
Wow Your Restaurant’s Instagram Following: 3 Elements to a Great Food Photo
