“How-To” Tips for Restaurants Seeking Online Reviews
There’s no business that can benefit more from a steady flow of reviews and customer feedback like a restaurant! (Ok, maybe car mechanics and Broadway shows too. If you’re in those fields, feel free to eavesdrop.) You all know that your investment in training, marketing, public relations and community work comes down to one thing – did the customer leave happy?
The big challenge here is how best to encourage those happy customers to become your greatest supporters online. This all has to be done while protecting secret recipes and whipping up a superior marinade. It’s a daily challenge.
Thankfully, RocketReviews can help and we’ve compiled this list of tips, tricks and ideas specifically for our friends in the restaurant world.
Start by Offering Options
People respond to different stimuli. Offer up multiple ways and opportunities for your customers to give feedback and reviews with ease through a link, text or QR code. This could be:
- Your Mailing List – Reaching out to your curated mailing list, text list or reservation list. (Feedback through RocketReviews helps you build this list for future use.)
- Confirmations or receipts – Whether its printed or by email, a request with a link directly to your feedback system could be placed there. This works with text messages also.
- Your website – Provide links on your site’s testimonial page for those who wish to go ahead and leave a review while visiting.
- Social Media – Rotate requests in with your regular posts directing fans to share their experience with your business on Google and other review sites. Be sure to include a direct link to your account profile on that particular review site.
- Signs requesting feedback – This could be a sign or tent card on tables, entrances/exits, at registers with a QR code and number to text to leave feedback.
- Train servers, bartenders, managers and hosts to point out signs and request feedback from customers daily, especially your “regulars” who will be your biggest fans.
- Take out bags – A printed flyer including a link can be dropped in with the purchase along with a thank you and reminder of restaurant hours or upcoming specials. Double duty!
- Set up a kiosk with a secure tablet in your coat check/register/mint area so that diners may leave feedback on their way out. If a host is available, they could make requests to those leaving after a meal.
Endear Your Customer
Endear the Customer with a personal request. Sometimes it’s best to simply… ask!
Train your staff to always ask for feedback and reviews with the understanding that it helps them to build the business along with you. Online reviews will encourage more diners and thus more opportunities for them.
Start with the regulars or those who request a specific server. It’s always great when a reviewer mentions a server or special by name in their review. That gives insight to out-of-towners or those who have never experienced your establishment before. It’s perfectly fine to train and motivate your staff to make these requests when handing over the check for example. However, it’s best not to incentivize the customers themselves to leave reviews. You want your ambassadors to be sincere and inspired.
Excellence, Served Hot!
Always strive for excellence! Yes, it sounds obvious, we get it. Anyone can have an “off” day, too.
However, those who give reviews say that they are more likely to give them when they experience excellence in service, atmosphere and surprising food quality. Thus, motivating them to share teh experience with others.
Understand Your Odds
Procuring reviews is a numbers game. Not everyone will see your request or honor it.
Studies have shown that only half of people regularly give reviews. (Those who do tend to be women!) This is why consistency and multiple avenues of feedback are of incredible importance to put the odds in your favor.
It’s a recipe you have to perfect!
Ultimately, keep it simple – ease of use is important. Make sure that all requests are highly directed. People are busy and easily distracted, but they want to help.
You’ve got this! Do these things regularly and you’ll have a steady stream of online ambassadors for your business!
We hope all of these ideas prove to be helpful to our restaurateur friends.
RocketReviews Helps Grow Your Business
RocketReviews, our feedback-first customer review management system, makes it easy to gather and promote customer feedback. Schedule a demo to see how easy it is to build your brand and grow your business.
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