Protected by the anonymity of the Internet, customers sometimes write reviews that can be harsher than what they would be comfortable saying in person. Restaurants, cafes, breweries, and other food service establishments can be seen as solely a business, without any thoughts of the people who work at it. Behind every restaurant is the owner, manager, and staff who put their heart and soul into each dish. How do you handle bad restaurant reviews? Should you respond to negative reviews online?
Why Online Reviews Are Important
First, it’s important to be aware of what customers are saying, both the negative and positive. Negative reviews can be disheartening, but are helpful if little changes can be made to improve your restaurant. If multiple customers are complaining that the fries are too salty, try them yourself and see. Customer complaints can alert you to little problems that may have slipped your notice, like unclean bathrooms. Bad reviews can also hurt potential business. New customers who are debating whether or not to dine at your restaurant may do a quick “Google Search” to see what the reviews say. Bad reviews and poor ratings can lead them to choose a competitor.
Where to Find Your Restaurant’s Reviews Online
Popular restaurant review sites are Yelp, Google My Business, Zomato, Zagat, and Trip Advisor. You can also check the comments on your restaurant’s social media page. If you don’t have any social media pages for your restaurant, read why your restaurant needs an online identity.
How to Respond to a Negative Review
It can be hard not to take bad reviews personally. Customers can be rude and your first instinct will be to refute the negativity and defend your restaurant. According to the National Restaurant Association, that’s the wrong move and can make the situation worse. Read the review without the emotions and see if there is any room for improvement. If you’re too emotionally charged, consider having an employee to respond to the customers instead.
Entrepreneur.com recommends responding regularly to customer complaints online. Some sites like Yelp let you choose to leave a public comment or privately message the customer. Polite public responses expressing concern may be more helpful, as it will show other customers that you care, are listening, value their feedback, and are trying to fix the issues. Don’t forget to respond to the positive reviews too!
Yelp’s 3 Things to Keep in Mind as you respond to customers:
- Your reviewers are your paying customers
- Your reviewers are human beings with (sometimes unpredictable) feelings and sensitivities
- Your reviewers are vocal and opinionated (otherwise they would not be writing reviews!)
Negative reviews online can be discouraging and aggravating. Sometimes it can feel like a thousand things can go right, but reviews tend to highlight the one thing that went wrong. Regularly checking online reviews can give a better indication of how customers are feeling, than checking for happy faces and going up to customers after their meal and asking “how was everything toinght?” Many customers feel more awkward voicing their opinion in person, and would rather post negative comments online. Respond politely to reviews (the positive ones too) to show customers you value their opinion and are working on making changes whenever posisble.