7 Tips for Using Online Reviews to Grow Your Restaurant Business

Word-of-mouth is one of the most effective marketing tools you have, and happy customers will often want to share their excitement about your restaurant.

In person, it’s easy to tell if a customer is satisfied with their meal. If they are, drawing new traffic to your business will be simple. But what if you’re fulfilling more orders online these days? How can you tell if your customers are still loving the food if you can’t see them enjoying it? Not to mention - how can you boost your reputation online to reach more people?

Even virtually, there are plenty of ways to elevate the customer experience. You know your customers best, so get creative! What can you do that will be meaningful to them? How can you show them that you care? These posts may help you get started:

How to Reassure Your Customers in Troubling Times

Today, we’re going to focus on that other big question: how can you boost your reputation online and reach more people? Keep reading to learn about the importance of developing a strategy for online reviews and sticking to it!

Why Reviews are Important

Especially when it comes to choosing a new restaurant to try, reviews are very influential. Check out these statistics from Bright Local:

• 82% of consumers read online reviews for local businesses, with 52% of 18-54-year-olds saying they ‘always’ read reviews
• The average consumer reads 10 reviews before feeling able to trust a business
• Only 53% of people would consider going to a business with less than 4 stars
• The average consumer spends 13 minutes and 45 seconds reading reviews before making a decision
• Among consumers that read reviews, 97% read businesses’ responses

Are reviews important? YES! Your customers trust and are influenced by the reviews they read. Next, we’ll share some tips for encouraging customers to leave reviews and how to handle any negative comments.

How to Encourage Positive Reviews

Online reviews can affect your search ranking, strengthen your reputation, and help you better understand your customers. So, how can you get more positive online reviews for your restaurant?

Here are three tips for encouraging satisfied diners to leave positive comments:

1. Monitor third-party sites like Google, Yelp, and Open Table.

To work on growing reviews for your business, you first have to know where customers are talking about you. Here some good sites to check:

• Google
• Yelp
• Open Table
• Facebook
• Zagat
• Zomato

Your customers may often write reviews for your restaurant on sites like these, along with your own website. Keep an eye on as many of these as possible to keep in touch with your customers and better understand their experiences.

2. Ask for feedback.

This is a critical step that may seem obvious, but don’t forget to ask customers for their feedback. Here are some ways you can do this in an online environment:

• Include a link to a survey or review site with their order confirmation.
• Add a “Submit Feedback” button to your website.
• If you currently do not have a website, and are looking to get started, you can learn more about the best web hosting services here.
• Send an email requesting feedback a few days after their meal.
• Create a post on social media asking for customer feedback.

There are plenty of different ways to ask for customer feedback, but be careful not to incentivize reviews. Giving customers something in exchange for a review can lead to persuasive, misleading, and at times, fake online reviews. This is prohibited per the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) Endorsement Guide.

3. Respond to all reviews, whether positive or negative.

When someone leaves a review about your restaurant, they are giving up time out of their day to write their thoughts down. Although not quite as fun to respond to, even negative reviews (when tactful and constructive) can help you improve your business.

It is both courteous and very important that you or a team member respond to each review. Thank the customer for their time, show your appreciation for their patronage, or express a sincere apology for a disappointing experience.

When current and potential customers see reviews with personalized responses, they will be encouraged to share their experiences too. Plus, as we noted earlier, 97% of customers who read reviews also read business owner responses.

How to Take Negative Reviews in Stride

Discovering four- and five-star reviews for your restaurant is like opening a huge birthday present: exciting and awesome!

However, when you receive reviews like the ones below, a wave of dread may wash over you:

“If I could give this place zero stars, I would. Our server was SO RUDE. Never coming back.” – Oscar G.

"Go here if you want to have worst meal and experience of your life. One star just doesn't seem low enough to represent my recent visit." – Ron S.

Yikes!

Navigating the waters of negative online reviews can be tricky. We find it is best to follow a simple, 4-step plan when responding to reviews like these.
 

1. Determine if the review is real or spam.

Unfortunately, not every review comes from an actual customer. Here are a few tips to help you spot fake reviews:

• Check for glaring spelling and grammar mistakes.
• Look for overuse of verbs and the word “I” or “me”.
• Be wary of generic names, fake names, or numbers only and profiles without a photo.
• Look for phrase repetition across multiple reviews.

While most social media and review sites won’t let you immediately delete a fake review, you can report spam comments. It can take up to two weeks to hear back on a fake review report, so be patient.

2. Create a list of common responses to begin the conversation.

Negative reviews can be incredibly disheartening, especially if you feel you’ve been inaccurately represented. Before crafting your response, take a deep breath and perhaps step away for a moment. The worst thing you can do is respond out of anger.

We recommend creating a running list of initial generic responses you can use when you aren’t sure where to start. Make sure these express genuine concern for their poor experience and a willingness to make things right. Here are a few examples to help you get started:

“I’m very sorry to hear about your negative experience. That was never our intention. We appreciate your feedback and want to make it right.” 

“Thank you for bringing this to our attention. I’m very sorry to hear that we did not meet your expectations and would appreciate the opportunity to make things right.”

“We strive to only deliver the best to our customers, so I’m sorry to hear that you were not satisfied with your meal. What can we do to make it right?”

One of your goals here should be to engage the customer in a conversation that may lead to another chance to serve them. Keep in mind that it IS possible for the customer to go back and change their review. If you’re able to improve their second experience, they may feel inclined to bump up their star rating.

3. Personalize responses when you can.

More often than not, a disappointed customer just wants to be heard.

If you receive a detailed review and understand why the customer is dissatisfied, do not pass on the opportunity to make things right.

Carefully craft and personalize your message to respond to the customer’s specific grievances. Most customer reviews are left under the customer's actual name, which means that when you respond, you should use their first name.

Let's pretend we are responding to the first negative review from above. An appropriate, personalized response could be: 

"Oscar, I am so sorry to hear about your recent visit. We strive to provide high-quality experiences and service to all our guests. Please send us a direct message or call in so we can make it right and your next experience better."

Addressing your customer by name shows that you truly care for their personal experience. Always apologize, even if you feel it was not your fault. The way you handle negativity will show Oscar and your other customers how to truly feel about them.

4. Explain how you are fixing the problem or addressing the issue.

Whether you’re responding with a public comment, private message, or phone call, you should explain what steps you are taking to fix the issue. And truly take those steps.

If a customer took the time out of their day to leave a review and express dissatisfaction, it’s likely that they just want to see the issue fixed. So, have that tough conversation with an argumentative employee. Address those ingredient quality issues. Review those prices to make sure they’re fair, and let your customers know that you are committed to serving them better.

Customer satisfaction is the key to the success of your restaurant business. It may be challenging at first to monitor and maintain satisfaction in an online environment, but with a little bit of practice and the right strategy, you can keep customers happy and boost your online reputation.