The Importance of the Restaurant Review

Everyone has been in an awful restaurant situation that made them want to leave a one star review on Yelp. Some people even go out of their way to let the business know they’ll be leaving them a one star review. But why is this such a threat?

Restaurants need good reviews to stay afloat. Though not everyone looks at reviews to determine where they eat, a large enough percentage does, which causes stress on restaurants. If their neighboring restaurant has .1 star more than them, they won’t see as much business. So how do they increase restaurant reviews?

For starters, restaurants can ensure they have a clean, safe, and delicious atmosphere. They should hold themselves to the same standards they would hold other restaurants to. Restaurant owners should focus on making a succinct, friendly restaurant and best restaurant marketing campaigns. Once they’ve done that, they can really hone in on increasing their reviews.

There is a crucial thing each review needs: a person to write them. Restaurants can come up with clever tactics for getting frequent, and highly-rated, reviews. For instance, they can put the link to the review site on the receipt. Then all customers have access to the review site immediately following the dinner when it’s fresh in their head.

Restaurants can also use email or text marketing to request guests review their stay. If a restaurant has a Buzzy Booth photo booth, they can collect customer data from that system. They can then send out an automated text to everyone asking them to post a review. This system is great because the restaurant doesn’t have to share the review online if they don’t want to. They can share all five star reviews and keep one star reviews to themselves.

Something restaurants should consider is most people would do anything for free. They can submit those who review to win a discount to the restaurant or a free appetizer card. Anything that will get them to fill out the review will work.

Additionally, restaurant owners should use word of mouth to get others to review their restaurant. They can tell their friends and family and they can encourage servers to tell their tables about it. For the most part, a decent restaurant won’t struggle with low reviews; they’ll struggle with a lack of reviews.

By maintaining a delicious, clean, and friendly restaurant, restaurant owners should have no problem increasing restaurant reviews with these marketing strategies. To restaurant owners who use this advice: best of luck getting those reviews and best of luck getting those brand new customers.