Maximizing the impact of customer reviews: A practical guide for restaurateurs

In today’s highly competitive restaurant industry, managing customer reviews is key to building and maintaining a strong online reputation. Reviews on platforms such as TripAdvisor, Google, or Yelp directly influence booking decisions, making it essential for restaurateurs. So, how can you effectively manage both negative and positive customer reviews, leverage review platforms, and turn feedback into growth opportunities for your restaurant?

Customer reviews play a decisive role in your restaurant's online reputation. According to a TripAdvisor study, 94% of potential customers check online reviews before making a reservation. Proactively managing reviews can not only improve your establishment’s reputation but also boost your bookings.

By regularly monitoring reviews, you can quickly identify your restaurant’s strengths and areas for improvement. Additionally, responding to reviews shows customers that their opinions matter, encourages positive feedback, and builds loyalty.

Example: The restaurant Le Bistrot du Coin saw a 20% increase in bookings after implementing a policy of systematically responding to reviews, both positive and negative. This practice enhanced their online reputation and demonstrated to potential customers that their feedback is valued.

Positive reviews are instrumental in a restaurant's success. They help:

Boost online visibility: Positive reviews improve search engine rankings, placing your restaurant higher in results, thereby reinforcing your online presence.
Enhance reputation and brand image.
Strengthen competitiveness and increase profitability.
Identify improvement areas: Positive reviews highlight appreciated strengths, while negative feedback pinpoints weaknesses, helping you make adjustments based on customer expectations.
Increase credibility: Positive reviews from satisfied customers validate the restaurant’s professionalism, attracting new customers and fostering loyalty.

Using customer review platforms

Review platforms like TripAdvisor, Google, and Yelp are essential showcases for your restaurant, allowing you to reach a broad audience and gather valuable feedback.

Selecting the right platforms

Focus on the platforms most relevant to your target customers. For example, if your restaurant primarily attracts tourists, TripAdvisor will be your best ally. For a local clientele, Google My Business and Yelp may be more effective.

Strategies for encouraging positive reviews

To maximize positive feedback, encourage satisfied customers to leave a review after their visit. You can gather and highlight customer feedback in several ways:

Ask customers verbally if they enjoyed their experience and if they’d be willing to leave a review, explaining how to do so.
Place printed cards saying, “Your feedback matters,” visibly on counters or tables.
Send personalized emails or SMS messages to thank customers for their visit and invite them to leave a review.
Display a QR code in strategic areas (on receipts, tables, checkout counters, or business cards). Scanning the code redirects customers to your Google My Business page to leave a review.

The immersive Japanese ramen restaurant Mizuki Ramen in Toulouse provides post-its for customers to pin on a wire, like a deconstructed guestbook. In Montpellier, the Italian restaurant Bambino Rocco offers chalk in the restrooms where customers can write on the walls. While these reviews are harder to translate to Google, they retain an authentic charm that can be shared on social media.

Testimonial: “Since we started using QR codes to simplify access to our review pages, we’ve seen a 30% increase in positive feedback on Google. Customers appreciate the ease of the process.” — Restaurant Le Petit Gourmet.

Zenchef Tip: Boost your positive reviews with Zenchef’s features, including automatic QR code generation and follow-up emails to encourage customers to leave a positive review.

Top 8 customer review platforms for restaurants Here’s our shortlist of the most useful review management platforms to boost your restaurant's online reputation.

Google My Business: A must for boosting local SEO.
TripAdvisor: Essential for restaurants targeting tourists.
Yelp: A leading site for online reviews.
Michelin Guide: The famous gastronomy guide.
Yellow Pages: The reference web directory.
Petit Futé: Great for attracting passing customers.
Foursquare: A collaborative mobile app.
Uber Eats: The top food delivery platform.

Managing negative reviews

Negative and fake reviews are inevitable challenges for restaurateurs. However, with the right tools and strategies, you can manage them effectively to minimize their impact.

Responding to negative reviews effectively

Respond promptly and constructively to negative reviews. Acknowledge the customer’s concerns, apologize if needed, and offer a solution.

Zenchef Tip: Zenchef provides features like customizable response templates for handling negative reviews. Our online reservation module also gives you access to the customer’s email, allowing you to follow up with them and invite them back.

Top 5 reasons for customer dissatisfaction in restaurants

Analyzing negative customer reviews reveals five main causes of dissatisfaction:

The price is perceived as too high.
Limited menu choices.
The restaurant is too crowded, leading to long wait times.
Excessive noise.
Some menu items are unavailable.

Turning negative reviews into an advantage

Negative reviews can be an opportunity to demonstrate your professionalism and commitment to continuous improvement. By addressing constructive criticism and adjusting your practices, you show that your restaurant is responsive and attentive to feedback.

To respond to the 5 main causes of customer dissatisfaction in restaurants, here are some sample responses:

Reply to customer concerns about high prices:
"We choose to work with high-quality ingredients to offer our clients the best possible taste experience. We also want to remind you that we prepare everything in-house (except the bread, but we do opt for a seeded baguette, which costs more than a regular baguette). The choice of quality reflects our values as restaurateurs and not just our location. The prices on our menu reflect our commitment to supporting French heritage and small local producers." (Les 3 Toqués)

Reply for limited menu options:
"Hello, thank you for your kind words about the food. Please note that our current menu is only offered in this format temporarily for lunch. We work with fresh products, which takes time to prepare. We’ve decided to reduce the number of dishes to cut down on lunchtime wait times, hence the chalkboard-style menu. As you mentioned, we’re still working on optimizing our lunch menu rotation. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, and we hope to welcome you again soon! Sincerely, The Timsam Team" (Le Timsam)

Reply to a busy restaurant complaint:
"Hello, and thank you for the comment. Yes, weekends are busier for us, and we do our best to seat guests quickly while also respecting those already seated. We’re delighted you enjoyed your time with us and the Big Breakfast! Looking forward to seeing you again soon. Best regards, The Loulou Team" (Le Loulou Friendly Diner)

Reply to noise concerns:
"The entire team thanks you for this nice review. You’re right, the bistro fills up quickly, especially with all the lively conversations. But this is exactly the atmosphere we’re aiming for – the cozy and bustling vibe of a traditional French bistro. We hope to see you again soon!" (Le Bistrot du Quai)

Reply to unavailable menu items:
"We apologize for running out of our aged ribeye yesterday... It was a big hit on Friday, and we’re still fine-tuning our inventory management. We’ve only been open for two weeks and appreciate your patience as we work out these kinks. As for ice cream, it’s something we’re considering, but we don’t yet have a freezer on-site! But rest assured, our products are delivered fresh daily. Thanks again, and we’ll do our best to refine things quickly." (Big Ben)

→ It’s best to focus on the positives, remain professional, and apologize when necessary. As Matthieu Nassif points out, “When we mess up, we apologize. When a review goes a bit too far, we address it. When there’s no solution, humor can sometimes be the best response.”

There’s also a more humorous route you could take, which might entertain future customers and work to your advantage:.

Handling and identifying fake reviews

Fake reviews pose a serious threat to your restaurant's reputation. Report them quickly to the respective platforms to minimize their impact. Fake reviews on Google My Business often aim to skew a restaurant's reputation, either positively or negatively. In fact, 92% of French customers report having doubts about reviews left on platforms like TripAdvisor.

Fake positive reviews are crafted to make a restaurant look better (e.g., paid reviews). Fake negative reviews are created with the intent of damaging the restaurant’s reputation, often from malicious competitors, disgruntled former employees, or people simply seeking discord.

One reviewer was even fined €7,500 (€2,500 for the fine and €5,000 in fees) for leaving a fake negative review for a Michelin-starred restaurant in Dijon. They published their critique on Pages Jaunes five days before the restaurant had even opened to the public (difficult to have tried it in that case!). Impunity is becoming less common.

9 indicators for spotting a fake customer review

Here are some common indicators of fake reviews on Google:

Ratings with no accompanying comments;
Reviews posted from fake accounts with new profiles and no history;
Vague comments without any specific details;
Several similar reviews with repeated phrases and arguments;
Similar reviews posted for other restaurants;
Comments filled with exclamation marks;
Multiple reviews posted in a short time frame;
Extreme and exaggerated ratings, whether positive or negative;
Profiles with histories that don’t align with the reviewed restaurant.

What are the consequences of fake Google reviews for a restaurant?

Fake reviews on Google have real consequences for a restaurant. They can damage its online reputation and harm its business. The impact of fake Google reviews for a restaurant can include:

A distorted public image of the restaurant;
Damage to the establishment’s reputation;
Erosion of public trust in online reviews;
Decreased reservations;
Loss of customers;
Lower revenue;
Potential suspension or even deletion of the restaurant’s Google account.

Leveraging positive reviews to attract more customers

Positive reviews are a powerful asset for your restaurant, enhancing potential new customers' trust and serving as a valuable promotional tool.

Highlighting positive reviews

Feature the best reviews on your website, social media, and internal communications. Positive customer testimonials, displayed on your site, can significantly impact reservations.

Online reviews are indeed powerful marketing tools that showcase the establishment's reputation and customer satisfaction. When a potential customer reads favorable, enthusiastic comments, their interest is piqued, and they’re more likely to visit the restaurant.

Here are some best practices for highlighting positive reviews:

Before sharing or promoting a review, it’s best to ask permission from the customer who wrote it.
Choose the best, most relevant reviews that highlight the unique value and quality of your restaurant.
Use a design tool like Canva to make the positive reviews visually appealing.
Select short excerpts of positive reviews and share them on your restaurant’s website or social media, paired with beautiful food photos.
Create a “Testimonials” section on your restaurant’s website.
Regularly update positive reviews on your restaurant’s site and social media.

Testimonial: “We created a dedicated reviews page on our website and saw a 15% increase in online reservations. It highlights the impact of positive reviews on customer decision-making.” — Restaurant Chez Marcel.