Importance of Responding to Restaurant Guest Reviews | Last updated: May 1, 2024
Accumulating positive reviews alone is not enough to thrive in the competitive restaurant industry.
Embracing some negative reviews can humanise and make restaurants more relatable, particularly when client concerns are promptly addressed by restaurant managers.
In fact, research shows that 30% of diners feel that seeing management responses to reviews demonstrates a genuine care for customers. Additionally, 72% of diners view open communication as an essential aspect when choosing a restaurant, hence the importance of responding to reviews.
Why Restaurants Struggle to Respond?
Many restaurants face challenges in responding to customer reviews, primarily due to time constraints and the fear of addressing negative feedback. Some restaurateurs hesitate to engage with negative reviews, fearing that it might worsen the situation.
However, promptly and consistently replying to both positive and negative reviews is crucial for building trust and transparency.
Research indicates that 70% of diners find reviews with management responses to be more trustworthy, highlighting the significance of engaging with customer feedback.
Building trust and transparency with review responses
Responding to reviews demonstrates attentiveness to customer feedback, fostering a sense of appreciation and loyalty.
By acknowledging their feedback and addressing their concerns, restaurants showcase their commitment to communication and improvement, ultimately building trust with potential customers browsing online.
Restaurants that implement a streamlined review management system, such as customisable reply templates or AI-generated responses, will ensure response consistency and enhanced customer engagement.
The benefits of an AI Review Reply Assistant
Using a tool such as an AI Reply Assistant enables restaurants to generate professional and personalized responses to customer reviews in seconds, saving operational time and cost.
The AI Review Reply Assistant created by Mozrest allows restaurants to edit responses generated by the AI Assistant.
It analyses the restaurants’ previous replies to maintain a cohesive brand voice, showcasing their commitment to customer service for enhanced trust and loyalty, and is programmed to detect customer review language and sentiments.
This is the perfect solution for restaurants to reply promptly within 24 hours.
Example of response generated by Mozrest’s AI Reply Assistant to a negative client review:
Example of response generated by Mozrest’s AI Reply Assistant to a positive client review:
Key figures
- 77% of diners rely on peer reviews over critic reviews.
- 70% of consumers are more likely to use a business that responds to reviews.
- 70% of consumers say that reviews that include management responses feel more trustworthy.
- 30% of diners say that seeing management responses to reviews makes them feel like the business really cares about customers.
- 72% of diners consider open communication a vital factor when choosing a restaurant.
- 89% of consumers read businesses’ responses to reviews.
- 53% of customers expect businesses to respond to reviews within a week.
- Restaurants that respond to reviews have 12% more reviews and see an average increase of 0.12 in their ratings.
- A one-star increase in a restaurant’s rating can lead to a 5-9% increase in revenue.
- Online reviews can improve Google rankings by up to 10%.
Sources: ReviewTrackers, Harvard Business Review, Yelp, MOZ
