The online component of owning a restaurant has been the most significant change in the industry over the past ten years. Websites encouraging guests to post reviews and feedback, like Yelp, Urban Spoon, and Open Table, have grown exponentially and are influential for many potential guests. This is the case anywhere, especially in cities dominated by transient guests and out-of-towners, who are more likely to be swayed by online restaurant reviews.
The frequency with which potential guests read online restaurant feedback before making decisions means that managing a business’s online reputation is essential. This trend has spawned a new parasitic sub-industry – online reputation management. Few restaurants have the time or inclination to pay someone to manage an online reputation. But bad online reviews can be costly, inaccurate, and influential. The collection of a few of them – especially when they repeat the same message – is a serious red flag to many guests.
Restaurant managers must tackle bad reviews like they do most everything in this business – by getting out in front of the problem. Here are a few tips for dealing with bad reviews online:
Pay Attention
It’s worthwhile to make spending time on review websites a once-a-week routine. It’s imperative to know what people say about you, whether good or bad. This is especially true in the restaurant business, governed by subjective standards and emotional responses.
Google Alerts is a good option for any restaurant because it will send reports on any online content covering your business. Maintaining a Facebook page, which offers guests the chance to post feedback and reviews, is also worthwhile. Some bad reviews are meaningless, such as a negative comment on the hostess’s wardrobe or the ice content in the daiquiris. But some undermine a core product of a restaurant – like a critique of the steaks at a steakhouse. It’s essential to know these exist and to spend time learning how to find them.
Respond to Your Guests
Dialogue with guests about their experiences demonstrates that you care and are responsive to feedback and criticisms. Moreover, it shows you don’t hide from problems and value input. Most people recognise these traits as the foundation of a good business owner, even when they’re responding to a bad online review.
Bad reviews don’t have to be followed up with a treatise on good taste and decorum (as can be found on some review websites – it’s worth a look). Instead, follow-ups should be succinct and fact-based. They should be the product of background work on the specific problem and your work to resolve it. Finally, they’re strictly positive and grateful toward the guest (easier said than done, I know).
It’s also worthwhile to thank guests for positive feedback, online and in personal correspondence. Email discounts or offers to people who give feedback is a great and simple way to win a lifelong customer.
Post Your Reviews
Is it ethical? Probably not. Does it save you a massive headache? Yes. Getting a known fan of your restaurant to post a review takes the spotlight away from mediocre reviews, especially when they’re listed first on a review site. The internet culture reduces attention spans, making most sites’ top couple of reviews essential.
It’s also essential to leverage Facebook and Twitter, perpetuating positive reviews, special events, and discounts. This is what online reputation management enterprises do.
The Online Game
It’s important to remember that not all online reviews are bad. Good reviews on multiple websites offer free advertising that every business can use. Something about the restaurant industry motivates people to respond in writing. It’s worth remembering the value of paying attention to those responses.
