How to get customer online reviews for restaurants?

The catering industry has recently been facing an enormous crisis. This holds true of stationary restaurants especially. There are fewer customers. Those who use this type of service usually check the restaurant's reviews before deciding to visit it. On one hand its a setback. On the other hand - websites and internet business cards are currently under a real siege.  And this makes it a good opportunity to promote yourself effectively.

If you offer food with delivery, you've been building your reputation online for a long time. However, now, you are facing much more competition. Do you want to know how to take care of your reputation in order not to lose customers? Get positive recommendations. We will show you how to do it.

Where can the customer leave online reviews for the restaurant?

Your customers can leave a comment on your website. What's equally important is taking care of your presence on Google Maps. The vast majority of consumers interested in the gastronomic offer use this platform. This way they can find places that are the closest to their whereabouts.

Besides that, social media profiles will be also useful to you. Running them takes a bit of an effort. In addition to being a good way to gather reviews, it is also an excellent promotional tool.

Ask for restaurant review at the right time

When a waiter asks for a review after a visit to a restaurant it's considered pushy. A tiny footnote on the menu or a business card attached to the bill with a request for a review looks much better.

It's an even easier task to get feedback from a customer who orders food online. Restaurants can send an order confirmation or information about the acceptance of an order.  The first option is to include a request for feedback right at this moment. It's worthwhile though to add a second option to it and send the customer a short email with a question if the food was to his liking. If that's the case, the road to a positive comment is wide open for you.

Do you gather customer feedback in restaurants? Give a reason

Asking for customer feedback on review site should be polite, short, and concise. A few sentences are enough. The reason for collecting reviews should be mentioned though. Stress that the customer's review is important to you. Explain how it will influence the running of your restaurant. Use this moment for a promotion. Mention that your restaurant tries to appeal to the tastes of customers and offer them tasty food and professional, friendly service.

Specify how much time it will take for the customer to leave a review

Time is greatly valued nowadays. People don't want to waste it on other people's businesses. Demonstrate your professionalism and specify how many minutes or seconds it will take to leave a review. Of course, you cannot count it precisely. But even an estimate will help the customer evaluate if it's really a great sacrifice on his part.

Ask supporting questions to get more positive reviews

Consumers often shy away from leaving reviews because they don't know what to write about. Therefore, create a few questions that will capture their imaginations. Ask if the restaurant's decor met their expectations. With an online order, ask a similar question about the delivery time. Remember to add a question about the taste of the dish and the behavior of your staff. This is already more than enough to create a reliable review about a restaurant. And remember - negative reviews are also valuable for your restaurant.

Make leaving reviews easy

First of all, the customer needs to know that leaving a review is a choice. Therefore, asking for a review about a restaurant or a catering company should be discreet and tactful. Wherever reviews are to be left, the process can be simplified. Creating a short link that takes you to the reviews page form is worth trying. You will save your customers time and you will show proper respect.

How to encourage leaving a review?

There's nothing wrong with helping consumers a little bit in making a decision about leaving a review. How to do it? Offer a small incentive.

Do you deliver pizza? Offer a discount for the next online order. Do you sell takeaway? Add a drink for free. Free delivery is also a great idea. It doesn't take extensive research to know that people are more likely to cooperate if they see the benefits of it. Use it to your advantage and enjoy a higher reputation than ever before.