It’s a Friday
and you’re deciding which restaurant to go to for dinner. You narrow down on two restaurants. One of them has many reviews and the other has no reviews at all.
What happens next is pretty obvious: you go with the first option.
It’s human nature — people believe other people. This means when people say good things about your restaurant, it influences your potential customers’ dining decisions.
According to a study, 93% of customers read online reviews about restaurants — more than any other type of business.
Today’s diners do a considerable amount of research before deciding where to eat. The good, bad and the ugly — they want to know it all before they decide to visit a restaurant.
This is where online reviews come in. They have the power to influence, make your restaurant seem more trustworthy and drive decisions.
In short: if you want to attract more people to your restaurant, you need to get online reviews.
Let’s take a look at how you can increase restaurant reviews and boost revenue.
1. Optimise your business profile on Google
When it comes to doing research, Google is one of the first platforms customers turn to. So much so that 63.6% of consumers say they are likely to check reviews on Google before visiting a business.
Not only do Google reviews build trust but they also boost your restaurant’s online visibility and increase conversions.
The good news is that having a business profile on Google makes it easy to collect and showcase customer reviews.
Here’s how reviews appear on a business profile.
An effective way to increase Google reviews is to create a link for customers to write reviews. You can share this link with your customers after they’ve dined with you.
When customers click on the link, they are directed to the page where they can rate your restaurant or leave a review. This removes barriers and increases your chances of getting more Google reviews.
2. Get listed on Quandoo
If there’s one restaurant trend that has emerged since the COVID-19 pandemic and is here to stay, it’s the necessity for reservations.
Customers feel safer and more comfortable dining at restaurants that accept reservations and in turn, this helps restaurateurs control the flow of diners and optimise operations.
This means apart from having a business profile on Google, it’s also important to be present on reservation platforms.
Quandoo is one such leading platform across Europe and APAC that connects you to diners and also lets you collect and showcase customer reviews.
Having seated over 300 million diners, when you sign up to our online reservation system Quandoo for Restaurants, your restaurant gets access to our growing user base and extensive partner network.
3. Ask for customer reviews
The best way to get more online reviews is to ask your customers for them. It’s interesting to note that 72% of customers who were asked to write a review went on to do so.
Here are the different ways to ask your customers for reviews:
- Leave QR codes on tables, directing customers to the review page
- Request them in-person (ask them to scan the QR code or hand over a tablet)
- Personalised email requests
- Text messages
- Social media posts
- Print a message on the receipt
This is an example of an email template you can use to ask for reviews:
You can use the below template if you plan to send a text message review request instead:
Reviews are valuable assets and there’s nothing wrong with asking your customers to rate your restaurant or leave a review. The key is to send a timely and polite review request without being too pushy.
4. Showcase positive reviews on social media
You’ve got positive reviews flowing in and that’s great but what are you doing to amplify those reviews?
Sharing positive customer reviews is a cost-effective way to attract new customers because it helps build trust between potential diners and your restaurant.
And what better way to share these reviews than on social media platforms.
Turn those positive restaurant reviews you receive into beautiful graphics for social media. To save time, you can also create a social media graphic template for customer reviews.
That way, every time you want to showcase a review, you can paste the review in the template and share it across your social media platforms.
Here’s an example of Leon Restaurants sharing a positive customer review on their Instagram page.
5. Respond to positive and negative reviews
Did you know that 96% of customers also read a business’ response to the reviews they receive?
So, don’t treat customer reviews like a one-way street. Regardless of the sentiment, you must respond to all reviews because it shows that your restaurant is listening and it cares for its customers.
Make sure you thank them for their feedback and personalise every response by addressing the reviewer by name.
Here’s a template you can use to respond to positive restaurant reviews:
Here’s a template you can use to respond to negative restaurant reviews:
Whether it’s on Google, third-party websites or your social media platforms, it’s a good practice to respond to reviews within 24-48 hours. This helps boost loyalty, build relationships with customers, and in many cases, win back unhappy diners.
The takeaway: get online reviews for your restaurant
What customers say about your restaurant matters a great deal. As a restaurant owner or manager, you need to actively get online reviews that have the power to attract new customers and influence dining decisions.
These five tactics will help you increase restaurant reviews organically and boost your bottom line in the process.
