Customer reviews are one of the most powerful tools to attract new customers. Yet, asking for reviews can often feel awkward or pushy, leading to missed opportunities. Fortunately, there are seamless strategies to collect glowing reviews from your diners without the discomfort. Below, we outline proven methods that will help you gain authentic and positive feedback for your restaurant effortlessly.
Why Customer Reviews Matter for Restaurants
Before diving into how to get reviews, it’s important to understand why reviews are crucial for your restaurant’s success. The hospitality industry tends to be the most dependent on reviews. It’s the most common industry both to receive reviews and have customers who make a choice to visit purely based on reviews from other customers.
Customer reviews serve multiple purposes. Reviews:
- Boost Online Visibility: Reviews influence your local SEO ranking, helping your restaurant appear higher in search results on platforms like Google, Yelp, and TripAdvisor.
- Increase Trust and Credibility: Prospective customers are more likely to visit a restaurant with a wealth of positive reviews. The more reviews you have, the more credible and trustworthy your business appears.
- Provide Valuable Feedback: Reviews give you direct insight into what you’re doing right and areas where you can improve, ensuring customer satisfaction and operational excellence.
The Key to Getting More Reviews
1. Make It Easy and Convenient for Customers to Leave Reviews
One of the simplest ways to gather more reviews is to make the process as straightforward as possible. Give them a clear path to share their thoughts. A direct link or a scannable QR code makes it easy peasy. Remember, the less friction, the more likely they’ll take action.
Customers are busy, and if it’s too much of a hassle to leave a review, they won’t bother. Here’s how to streamline it:
- Use QR Codes: Include QR codes on receipts, menus, or table tents that link directly to your review pages on Google, Yelp, or TripAdvisor. Diners can scan the code with their smartphones and be taken directly to the review page in seconds.
- SMS and Email Follow-Ups: Send a polite and friendly follow-up via SMS or email after a customer dines at your restaurant. You can use customer management tools to automate this process. Include a direct link to your preferred review platform to remove any guesswork for the customer.
- Social Media Links: Post on your restaurant’s social media accounts, encouraging satisfied customers to share their experiences. Provide direct links in your bio or posts so followers can easily leave reviews.
2. Train Your Staff to Encourage Reviews Naturally
Your front-line staff has direct contact with your customers, making them key players in collecting reviews. However, it’s important that staff ask for reviews naturally, without being pushy or awkward. Consider these strategies:
- Positive Feedback Cues: Train staff to ask for a review when customers give verbal compliments. If a diner says, “That was the best meal I’ve had,” the server can respond with, “Thank you! We’d love if you could share that on Google or Yelp.”
- Timing Matters: The best time to ask for a review is right after the customer expresses satisfaction. For example, when serving dessert or the check, staff can mention, “If you enjoyed your meal, we’d love your feedback online.”
- Incentivize Without Being Pushy: Staff can gently encourage reviews by mentioning a small incentive, like being entered into a monthly drawing for a free meal, but this should be presented casually to avoid making the customer feel pressured.
- Personalize the Ask: If possible, have the server who made their evening special ask for the review. It’s that personal touch that transforms a transaction into a relationship.
3. Display Review Requests in Your Restaurant
Visual reminders can be a highly effective way to generate reviews without the awkwardness of directly asking. Consider the following:
- Signage Near Exits: Place tasteful signs near the restaurant’s entrance or exit with messages such as “Had a great experience? Let us know by leaving a review on Google!” along with QR codes.
- On Menus and Receipts: Include a short message on your menu or printed receipt asking customers to leave a review if they enjoyed their meal. This subtle yet effective method reaches all customers without making it feel forced.
4. How to Get More Reviews with Incentives (While Following Platform Guidelines)
Offering incentives for customers to leave positive reviews, such as a discount or gift, is strictly against Google policy and can result in the business losing all of their reviews. If you offer an incentive for a review, don’t condition it, explicitly or implicitly, on the review being positive.
While platforms like Google and Yelp prohibit directly incentivizing reviews, there are ways to offer perks that don’t violate guidelines:
- Monthly Drawings: Offer entry into a monthly raffle for all customers who leave reviews. The prize can be something small like a gift card, dessert, or a free meal, encouraging participation while keeping it ethical.
- Feature Reviews: When you restaurant is in the habit of sharing customer reviews on it’s social media profiles and website, it signals to other customers the opportunity to be featured as well. In the same way showing gratitude and responding to all customer feedback tends to boost the amount of reviews given.
5. Respond to Reviews (Both Positive and Negative)
When customers see that you actively respond to reviews, they feel more encouraged to leave their feedback. Responding shows you care about their experience and appreciate their input.
- Respond Promptly to Positive Reviews: When a diner leaves a glowing review, thank them for their patronage, and encourage them to return. A personal touch in your responses makes customers feel valued and encourages repeat business.
- Handle Negative Reviews Gracefully: Instead of ignoring negative reviews, take the opportunity to show professionalism. Apologize for the diner’s experience, offer to make it right, and outline any steps you’re taking to improve. Your thoughtful response may inspire others to give your restaurant a chance, despite any isolated negative feedback.
6. Use Social Proof to Encourage More Reviews
When potential diners see that others have had great experiences at your restaurant, they’re more likely to visit and leave their own reviews. Leverage social proof as part of your marketing strategy:
- Highlight Customer Reviews on Your Website: Display snippets of glowing reviews directly on your homepage or a dedicated “Testimonials” page. Link these reviews to their original sources to show they’re legitimate.
- Share Reviews on Social Media: Turn positive reviews into engaging content by sharing them on your social media accounts. You can post screenshots of particularly great reviews with a caption thanking the customer, subtly encouraging others to leave their feedback as well.
7. Partner with Influencers or Local Bloggers
Influencers and local bloggers often have a strong following within your community. Partnering with them can boost your online presence and encourage their followers to leave reviews.
- Offer Complimentary Meals in Exchange for Exposure: Invite influencers or bloggers to dine at your restaurant and share their experience. While they might not leave a formal review, their posts can drive traffic to your review pages as their followers visit your restaurant.
- Host Events or Tastings: Consider hosting exclusive tasting events or media nights where influencers and bloggers can try new menu items. This creates buzz around your restaurant and leads to more online feedback.
8. Use AI Tools for Review Management
If you want to learn how to get more reviews with AI powered tools consider finding a good review management software. Many task such as replying to reviews, requesting reviews, and sharing reviews and can automated. Platforms like Table Hype make it easier to monitor, manage, and collect reviews. These tools automate much of the follow-up process and can help streamline how you gather customer feedback.
- Automated Email and SMS Requests: AI tools can send out review requests shortly after a customer’s meal, making the process automatic and non-intrusive.
- Social Media Sharing: Table Hype makes it easy to automatically share any reviews above 4 starts on social media channels that you set up.
Reviews are Simply a Way to Share Stories
Generating customer reviews for your restaurant doesn’t have to be an awkward experience. By making it easy, training staff to ask naturally, incentivizing ethically, and leveraging technology, you can effortlessly collect positive reviews that help boost your restaurant’s credibility and attract more diners. Focus on providing excellent service, and the reviews will naturally follow.
Don’t overcomplicate things. A simple, heartfelt request is often the most effective. Something like, “We’d love to hear your thoughts. Your feedback helps us create even more magical moments for our guests!”
The key is to be gracious, genuine, and make it effortless for your guests to share their stories. With a little bit of heart and the right tools, you’ll create a hundreds of positive reviews that will fill your restaurant with happy diners for years to come.
Ready to turn those empty tables into a full house? Sign up for Table Hype today and start serving up digital success!
