Restaurants, here’s how to respond to online reviews
Review sites have become the lifeblood of the restaurant industry and the rest of the small business world. With a whopping 96% of review readers paying attention to businesses’ responses to reviews, people care about how you handle criticism. Claiming a business page on platforms like Yelp allows you to interact with potential customers as they make critical assessments around your restaurant before deciding to visit you in person (and hopefully leaving Yelp reviews after).
Everyone understands that not every customer experience will be perfect. Learning how to respond to negative experiences is as important, if not more important, than responding to positive experiences.
Knowing how to respond to reviews tactfully and constructively will help customers empathize with you and can spin the situation in your favor. Consider these tips when thinking about how to respond to online reviews about your restaurant.
How to respond to online reviews: the do’s
When it comes to managing your online reputation, negative experiences are often the first thing that comes to mind. For small businesses and national chains alike, mistakes happen, customers may have unrealistic expectations, or your business may simply have an off day. Knowing how to respond to online reviews when they’re less than stellar will set you apart from the competition.
Thank the customer
When the circumstances warrant an apology for a negative experience, your first sentence when responding should contain a “thank you.” Even if you believe the reviewer was somehow at fault, it’s important to empathize with their situation and show them you appreciate their feedback. “I’m sorry” can also go a long way here. Expressing your gratitude that they’d take the time to share their thoughts will create a sense of goodwill not only with the reviewer, but among future readers as well.
Communicate clearly
Think critically about the situation that led to a negative experience, taking the time to speak with any team members who may have been involved. Clear up any misconceptions and reflect on how you can learn and grow from what happened. Identify what went wrong and what will be done to reflect the level of customer service you hope to provide.
If there was a miscommunication or your customer was at fault, this is your chance to share in a polite way what expectations typically are on your end, and how you’ll be mindful of needs like theirs moving forward.
When you reply publicly to reviews, you’re not necessarily trying to win the reviewer over or get into a back-and-forth dialogue about their experience. But rather, reflect your customer service practices to all potential consumers who are looking at your online listing.
Offer transparency
Responses should be empathetic and genuine, but nevertheless brief and to the point. Offer transparency, which can include providing your contact information at the end of your response, such as your restaurant’s phone number or a manager’s work email, for the customer to follow up. If you’re communicating on Yelp or social media, you can also send the user a private, direct message.
Fix the problem internally
As the business owner, anything that happens within your restaurant can reflect on you, whether you were involved or not. Take responsibility for each bad experience, and go the high road rather than call out the customer or a staff member.
Based on the customers’ constructive feedback, address any growth opportunities immediately with your general manager and the rest of your management team. It’s a best practice to quickly resolve processes, procedures, and standards to prevent issues from happening again. This is another great opportunity to let a reviewer know that swift action was taken by management based on their feedback.
How to respond to restaurant reviews: the don’ts
Online reputation management across review platforms isn’t easy, and the temptation to fire back at every negative customer review can be overwhelming at times. Remember to take negative feedback in stride, and address all customer reviews with composure.
Don’t take too long to respond
All online reviews should be addressed in a timely manner. Yelp users are 33% more likely to upgrade their review if a business responds with a personalized message within a day, according to Yelp data, so it’s well worth your time. You can also take the conversation offline.
Responding publicly and directly to reviews on Yelp can increase customer loyalty with existing customers and also show potential new customers how you handle positive feedback and criticism.
Don’t make excuses
The best thing you can do after receiving any type of review is to make an effort to understand what you can do better or acknowledge what people loved. Reviews may bring up situations that may or may not be within your control. When addressing critical reviews, communicate clear next steps that you and your team will take to ensure a positive experience moving forward.
Hopefully, they’ll give you a second chance if they see a great response where a restaurant owner or employee takes responsibility for anything that went wrong.
Don’t lose your cool
With reviews regarding negative experiences, take enough time to cool off and craft a tactful response, but not more than a few hours after it goes live. A public comment to the review shows that you addressed their concerns and appreciate customer feedback. You don’t want to appear argumentative or closed off to customer feedback.
Be proactive about these situations by drafting response examples for how you’d respond to feedback around long wait times, food quality, service, and pricing. Use these review response templates as a foundation only, making sure to customize them to the reviewer. Consumers like to know that your business takes their reviews seriously, that you care about how the customer feels, and that you have high standards for customer satisfaction.
When review platforms become a trusted partner
Chances are you’ve got happy customers who had an amazing dining experience, and that positive feedback far outweighs the negative.
Review sites play an important role for local restaurants and other small businesses. Learning how to respond to online reviews (both positive and negative) will boost your online reputation and your word-of-mouth marketing. And while there are a plethora of review sites that provide opportunities to promote your business, Yelp is the only platform that also helps restaurants with their operations.
Yelp Guest Manager lets restaurateurs manage online reservations and waitlists all in one place, making operations simple and seamless. Save countless hours and reduce stress for staff while improving your customers’ experiences. Get started with Yelp today.