How to Gather Positive Reviews for Your Restaurant or Cafe
Celebrations and holidays are a great time to boost your online reviews by tapping into the good mood and holiday spirit – and there are opportunities to ask for feedback at any time. To encourage these, your staff may need to develop new ways to talk with customers – this is not about pressure but being proactive. It’s not dissimilar to suggesting dessert or a second glass of wine.
Ask During Festive Moments and Celebrations – train your staff to ask for reviews when customers share positive feedback. If someone praises a dish or decoration, staff can say, ‘We’re so glad you enjoyed it! Could you leave us a quick review?’ If the guest is unsure how to do this, suggest they use the QR code you have available that takes them directly to the relevant review site – have these prepared in advance on a laminated card. When you identify one or two staff who get great results with this, get them to coach others who are less confident.
Use QR Codes: Add QR codes to menus, table tents, and receipts. Link them directly to your review platforms, such as Google Reviews and others popular with your demographic, eg Facebook for Gen X and Boomers and Instagram for a younger crowd. A simple message like ‘Spread the cheer—leave a review!’ makes it easy for people to respond.
Showcase Good Reviews – display positive customer reviews on a festive board or digital screen. Add a sign that says,’Loved your visit? Leave a review, and we may feature it here!’ This can inspire other customers to share their experiences.
Hand Out Feedback Cards – provide feedback cards with meals. To add a festive touch, include a small treat, like a candy cane or sweet. Write a short message such as ‘Share your experience online—thank you!’.
Run Social Media Contests – encourage customers to share their holiday dining experiences online. Offer prizes like gift cards or festive treats for participation, and set up a relevant #hashtag. If people share on your social site, send them a follow-up message asking for a review. Tread carefully with this – check the rules with different channels (end of this article), about soliciting reviews.
Create Photo Opportunities – set up a decorated photo booth or festive area in your restaurant on special occasions. Encourage customers to take pictures and post them with a specific hashtag. After they share, send them a friendly message asking for a review. Your entire front-of-house team should be confident about taking good photos on request.
Motivate Your Staff – run a competition for your team. Offer a weekly prize for the staff member who gets the most positive mentions by name in reviews or who is easily identifiable – some venues have a specific bonus for this.
Add Thank-You Notes – Include handwritten notes with takeout orders or the bill for dine-in guests. The notes could be printed with a few handwritten words and a name added. Add a QR code or link to your review page with a line like, ‘We’d love to hear about your visit!’
Follow Up With the Organisers – email those who book holiday parties or events. Thank them for choosing your venue, and include a link to your review page. Write something simple, like,’How was your experience? We’d love your feedback!’ This should be part of an ongoing program of building relations with the key people in a business who make the party bookings – there’s always one or two, and you should treat them like your very best friends!
Send Follow-Up Emails – message customers after their visit or event booking. Thank them for their business, and include a link to your review platform. For example: ‘We’d love your feedback – it helps us create even better experiences!’ Systems to automate requests like this are now common with most booking platforms like NowBookIt and SevenRooms.
Give your Suppliers a Positive Review – one Foodie Coaches member successfully did this, generating many great reviews in return. It’s a simple step you can take any time of the year, especially when they’ve gone above and beyond to handle a supply issue.
Respond Positively to Negative Reviews – if you receive a negative review, act quickly. Apologise for the issue, thank the customer for their feedback and offer a solution. For example: ‘We’re sorry to hear about your experience. Please contact us at this number so we can make it right.’ Post this under the review and contact the person privately if you have their details. These reviews can often be ‘turned around’ if a thoughtful response is made.
What are Google, TripAdvisor, Yelp, and Facebook’s rules on asking for positive reviews?
It’s important to be proactive in asking for reviews and aware that each major review channel has specific rules about what is and is not acceptable.
Google has strict guidelines on review solicitation: – Businesses can ask customers for reviews but cannot solicit reviews in bulk. – It’s forbidden to ‘selectively solicit positive reviews from customers’ or discourage negative reviews. – Employees are not allowed to review their own business. – Offering incentives for reviews is prohibited.
Tripadvisor allows businesses to ask for reviews, but with some restrictions: – Reviews should be requested after the customer’s experience is complete. – Requests should be polite, clear, and personalised. – Businesses should not ask for only positive reviews. – Offering incentives in exchange for positive reviews is not allowed.
Yelp has a strict policy against review solicitation: – Businesses should not ask anyone to review their business, including customers, mailing list subscribers, friends, or family. – Staff should never compete to collect reviews. – Businesses should not ask for reviews after requesting customer feedback in other places like surveys or contact forms. – Offering freebies, discounts, or payments in exchange for reviews is prohibited.
Facebook (now Meta) has a more lenient approach to review solicitation: – Businesses can ask customers for reviews or recommendations. – It’s acceptable to send personalised SMS messages or emails asking for feedback (with customer permission). – Physical reminders like cards, stickers, or posters can encourage reviews. – Facebook doesn’t explicitly prohibit asking for positive reviews, but it’s generally considered best practice to ask for honest feedback.
Focus on providing excellent customer experiences rather than pressuring for reviews, but don’t be shy about asking. Encourage customers to leave genuine, positive feedback without violating platform policies.
Celebrations and holidays are a great time to boost your online reviews by tapping into the good mood and holiday spirit – and there are opportunities to ask for feedback at any time. To encourage these, your staff may need to develop new ways to talk with customers – this is not about pressure but being proactive. It’s not dissimilar to suggesting dessert or a second glass of wine.
Ask During Festive Moments and Celebrations – train your staff to ask for reviews when customers share positive feedback. If someone praises a dish or decoration, staff can say, ‘We’re so glad you enjoyed it! Could you leave us a quick review?’ If the guest is unsure how to do this, suggest they use the QR code you have available that takes them directly to the relevant review site – have these prepared in advance on a laminated card. When you identify one or two staff who get great results with this, get them to coach others who are less confident.
Use QR Codes: Add QR codes to menus, table tents, and receipts. Link them directly to your review platforms, such as Google Reviews and others popular with your demographic, eg Facebook for Gen X and Boomers and Instagram for a younger crowd. A simple message like ‘Spread the cheer—leave a review!’ makes it easy for people to respond.
Showcase Good Reviews – display positive customer reviews on a festive board or digital screen. Add a sign that says,’Loved your visit? Leave a review, and we may feature it here!’ This can inspire other customers to share their experiences.
Hand Out Feedback Cards – provide feedback cards with meals. To add a festive touch, include a small treat, like a candy cane or sweet. Write a short message such as ‘Share your experience online—thank you!’.
Run Social Media Contests – encourage customers to share their holiday dining experiences online. Offer prizes like gift cards or festive treats for participation, and set up a relevant #hashtag. If people share on your social site, send them a follow-up message asking for a review. Tread carefully with this – check the rules with different channels (end of this article), about soliciting reviews.
Create Photo Opportunities – set up a decorated photo booth or festive area in your restaurant on special occasions. Encourage customers to take pictures and post them with a specific hashtag. After they share, send them a friendly message asking for a review. Your entire front-of-house team should be confident about taking good photos on request.
Motivate Your Staff – run a competition for your team. Offer a weekly prize for the staff member who gets the most positive mentions by name in reviews or who is easily identifiable – some venues have a specific bonus for this.
Add Thank-You Notes – Include handwritten notes with takeout orders or the bill for dine-in guests. The notes could be printed with a few handwritten words and a name added. Add a QR code or link to your review page with a line like, ‘We’d love to hear about your visit!’
Follow Up With the Organisers – email those who book holiday parties or events. Thank them for choosing your venue, and include a link to your review page. Write something simple, like,’How was your experience? We’d love your feedback!’ This should be part of an ongoing program of building relations with the key people in a business who make the party bookings – there’s always one or two, and you should treat them like your very best friends!
Send Follow-Up Emails – message customers after their visit or event booking. Thank them for their business, and include a link to your review platform. For example: ‘We’d love your feedback – it helps us create even better experiences!’ Systems to automate requests like this are now common with most booking platforms like NowBookIt and SevenRooms.
Give your Suppliers a Positive Review – one Foodie Coaches member successfully did this, generating many great reviews in return. It’s a simple step you can take any time of the year, especially when they’ve gone above and beyond to handle a supply issue.
Respond Positively to Negative Reviews – if you receive a negative review, act quickly. Apologise for the issue, thank the customer for their feedback and offer a solution. For example: ‘We’re sorry to hear about your experience. Please contact us at this number so we can make it right.’ Post this under the review and contact the person privately if you have their details. These reviews can often be ‘turned around’ if a thoughtful response is made.
What are Google, TripAdvisor, Yelp, and Facebook’s rules on asking for positive reviews?
It’s important to be proactive in asking for reviews and aware that each major review channel has specific rules about what is and is not acceptable.
Google has strict guidelines on review solicitation:
– Businesses can ask customers for reviews but cannot solicit reviews in bulk.
– It’s forbidden to ‘selectively solicit positive reviews from customers’ or discourage negative reviews.
– Employees are not allowed to review their own business.
– Offering incentives for reviews is prohibited.
Tripadvisor allows businesses to ask for reviews, but with some restrictions:
– Reviews should be requested after the customer’s experience is complete.
– Requests should be polite, clear, and personalised.
– Businesses should not ask for only positive reviews.
– Offering incentives in exchange for positive reviews is not allowed.
Yelp has a strict policy against review solicitation:
– Businesses should not ask anyone to review their business, including customers, mailing list subscribers, friends, or family.
– Staff should never compete to collect reviews.
– Businesses should not ask for reviews after requesting customer feedback in other places like surveys or contact forms.
– Offering freebies, discounts, or payments in exchange for reviews is prohibited.
Facebook (now Meta) has a more lenient approach to review solicitation:
– Businesses can ask customers for reviews or recommendations.
– It’s acceptable to send personalised SMS messages or emails asking for feedback (with customer permission).
– Physical reminders like cards, stickers, or posters can encourage reviews.
– Facebook doesn’t explicitly prohibit asking for positive reviews, but it’s generally considered best practice to ask for honest feedback.
Focus on providing excellent customer experiences rather than pressuring for reviews, but don’t be shy about asking. Encourage customers to leave genuine, positive feedback without violating platform policies.
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