Responding to Reviews

Best practices for engaging with diner feedback.

Why Respond?

Responding to reviews:

• Shows you value feedback
• Builds trust with future diners
• Addresses concerns publicly
• Encourages more reviews

How to Respond

Accessing Response

1. Navigate to Reviews
2. Click on a review
3. Click Respond
4. Write your response
5. Click Send

Response Visibility

• Response appears under the review
• Visible if diner returns to check
• Shows other diners you’re engaged

Response Templates

Positive Review Response

Thank you for the wonderful feedback! We're so glad you enjoyed
your experience with us. We hope to see you again soon!

Neutral Review Response

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. We appreciate
your feedback and are always looking for ways to improve. We'd love
to welcome you back soon.

Negative Review Response

Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We're sorry your
experience didn't meet expectations. We take this feedback seriously
and will use it to improve. Please reach out to [contact] if you'd
like to discuss further.

Allergen Concern Response

Thank you for your feedback about our allergen information. We take
allergen safety very seriously. We've reviewed your comments with our
team and [action taken]. If you have any further concerns, please
contact us directly at [contact].

Best Practices

Do

1. Respond promptly - Within 24-48 hours
2. Be professional - Polite, never defensive
3. Acknowledge the feedback - Show you read it
4. Take responsibility - When warranted
5. Offer resolution - For issues
6. Keep it brief - Concise responses

Don’t

1. Get defensive - Even if unfair
2. Make excuses - Take ownership
3. Argue publicly - Move to private if needed
4. Use canned responses - Personalize each
5. Ignore negative reviews - Address them
6. Delay too long - Stale responses feel hollow

Handling Different Scenarios

Glowing 5-Star Review

Response approach:

• Thank them specifically
• Mention what they praised
• Invite them back

Example:

Thank you for the kind words about our salmon! Chef Marco will be
thrilled to hear it. We look forward to serving you again!

Constructive Criticism

Response approach:

• Thank for honesty
• Acknowledge the issue
• Explain what you’ll do

Example:

Thank you for the feedback about wait times. You're right that
Friday evenings can be busy. We're adding staff during peak hours
to improve this. Hope you'll give us another chance!

Harsh Negative Review

Response approach:

• Stay calm and professional
• Apologize for the experience
• Offer to make it right
• Move to private channel

Example:

We're truly sorry to hear about your experience. This isn't the
standard we strive for. We'd like to make this right - please email
us at [contact] so we can discuss further.

Allergen Safety Complaint

Response approach:

• Take very seriously
• Don’t dismiss concerns
• Explain your process
• Offer direct contact

Example:

Thank you for bringing this to our attention. Allergen safety is
our top priority. We've immediately reviewed this with our kitchen
team. Please contact our manager directly at [phone] to discuss
your experience further.

Fake or Unfair Review

Response approach:

• Stay professional
• State facts calmly
• Don’t accuse directly
• Flag if truly fake

Example:

We don't have a record of this visit in our system. If you did
dine with us, we'd like to make it right. Please contact us at
[contact] with your visit details.

Response Timing

Ideal Timeline

Why Speed Matters

Fast responses:

• Show you’re attentive
• Can prevent escalation
• Demonstrate accountability
• Encourage future reviews

Tracking Responses

Response Metrics

Monitor:

• Response rate (% responded)
• Average response time
• Responses per team member

Goals

Aim for:

• 100% response to negative reviews
• 80%+ response to all reviews
• Under 24 hour average response time

Private Follow-Up

When to Go Private

Take it offline when:

• Issue requires investigation
• Personal details involved
• Compensation discussion
• Escalating situation

How to Follow Up

1. Public response acknowledging issue
2. Provide contact method
3. Follow up privately
4. Optionally update public response after resolution

Example update:

Update: We connected with this guest privately and resolved their
concerns. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to make things right!