Ways to get your customers to write a restaurant review

There’s no doubt that good reviews are vital to the success of any restaurant. Today’s customers are on the move and they search for the best restaurant review to make their dinner plans. 5-star reviews are worth their weight in gold, but how do you get them? This post will give you some helpful hints on how to encourage your diners to leave rave reviews.

#1. Be the best at what you do 

The easiest way to encourage your guests to leave a positive restaurant review is by making sure they’re happy. Strive to be the best that you can be and impress every guest with your service, your food, and your atmosphere. Little things go a long way. Make sure that your restrooms are clean and your employees are using high-quality cleaning products to keep it that way. Many people correlate the cleanliness of your restroom with the cleanliness of your kitchen. If you focus on making sure that every guest has a great dining experience, the 5-star reviews will quickly follow.

#2. Improve your customer service  

Restaurants rely heavily on their staff to keep their customers smiling so be sure they’re trained and properly equipped to handle common issues. Keep in mind that people are more likely to leave a negative review than a positive one, so you need to approach each customer with that in mind. When your staff is at its best, your customers will be smiling, and so will the people who read your reviews. 

#3. Create social media profiles

Now that you’ve impressed your guests with your great food, service, and cleanliness, you need to make it easy for them to leave a review. One of the ways you can do that is by setting up social media or business review platforms. Make the time to create an account and list your restaurant on the following platforms. (And if you’re looking for ways to optimize your online presence, here are some tips.)

1. Google My Business
2. Yelp
3. Facebook
4. OpenTable
5. TripAdvisor
6. Zagat
7. Zomato
8. Foursquare
9. Gayot
10. The Infatuation

These websites were designed for customer reviews so making your restaurant visible is a necessity. Not only will your guests post their reviews, but they will also use one of these popular sites to read other reviews as well. Take the time to create these accounts and interact with your guests. This is time well spent.    

#4. Ask for a positive review  

Customers are more likely to leave a 5-star restaurant review when they are asked. Few people are compelled to review a building, but when they’re asked by someone they’ve interacted with, they take the request personally. If you operate a larger restaurant, you could have your server write something on the bottom of their check, but that might seem impersonal if you own a small restaurant. In that situation, you could ask your customers for a review and explain how important they are. Regardless of how your customer is approached, if they’re satisfied with their food, your staff, and your presentation, they’ll be happy to help.

 #5 Make leaving a review quick and easy

Now that you have your customers chomping at the bit to give you a great review, you need to make it easy. Remember, they’re doing you a favor, and they have busy lives. Be sure that all of the links from your website to the review platforms work. Next, make the review process quick and simple, and thank them when they’re finished. Don’t forget to invite them to follow your social media accounts. That little trick is a great way to build repeat clientele. Remember, these are your VIP customers and you want them coming back.

If you follow these blog tips, your guests will not only be happy to donate five minutes of their time to give you the great restaurant review, but they’ll become your regular customers as well. Good restaurants and good reviews have one thing in common. They’re both built on great customer service.