How to Respond to Negative Restaurant Reviews: 5 Examples

It came in at eleven on a Friday night. Two stars. “Waited 50 minutes for the food, and it was lukewarm.” You feel it in your stomach and you want to reply right away. Don't, not yet. Your reply isn't really for her. It's for the next hundred people who read your reviews before they choose where to eat, and nearly everyone does that (BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey).

Short answer: Reply to a negative review in three to five sentences. Name the specific thing the guest complained about, don't explain it away, and give one next step: what you are changing, or how the guest can reach you. Sign with your first name.

Who the reply is really for

The guest who wrote the review has already made up her mind. The one who hasn't is standing on the pavement with her phone, reading. She doesn't just read the stars. She reads how you behave when something went wrong. A calm, specific reply to an angry review is often more convincing than ten five-star ratings with no text, because it shows what happens if something goes wrong for her too.

Three rules that hold every time

1. Acknowledge the specific thing. Not “sorry you didn't have a good experience”. Name it: “50 minutes is too long.” Then both she and the next reader know you actually read what she wrote.

2. Don't explain it away. “We were full” is your problem, not hers. One sentence of context is fine if it explains what you are doing differently. Two sentences is an excuse.

3. One concrete next step. What you are changing, or how she can reach you. Not a gift card in the comments (more on that below).

And keep it short. Three to five sentences. Sign with your first name, so a person is replying and not “The Management”.

Five negative review replies you can adapt

The reviews below were written for this article. You can use the replies as they are, with your own details.

Notice the last one. You don't argue about facts in public, and you don't admit to something you don't know. You say what you know, and move the conversation somewhere you can find out the rest.

What makes it worse

• Replying the same night, angry. Wait until the morning. But don't wait a week. A reply that arrives after the next ten guests have read the review is late for half its job.
• Arguing about facts. Even if you are right. The reader doesn't see the facts, she sees a place that argues with its guests.
• A gift card in the comments. It reads as buying your way out of the review, and Google does not allow offering anything in return for reviews. If you want to make it right, do it in a message.
• The same reply to everyone. The next reader sees all your replies one after another. Five identical replies are worse than none.
• Not replying. Silence is a reply too, and it is the one readers remember.
• Asking her to change or delete it. It is her review. Many update it themselves after a good reply. Nobody does after being asked to.

Can I get a bad review removed?

Not because it is negative. Google removes reviews that break its policies: spam, hateful content, conflicts of interest, or text that isn't about a real experience with you. If it breaks the rules, report it from your Google Business Profile. If it doesn't, your reply is the only tool you have. Google itself lists replying among its tips to improve your local ranking, so use it well.

See how we would reply to yours

Type your venue's name on our front page, and we find your Google profile, pick the review that most needs a reply, and write the reply while you watch. No login, and nothing is sent to the guest. It is an example of what the app does every day, for every review, comment and message.

Read next: How to get more Google reviews for your restaurant and How to reply to Google reviews in another language.