Best Practices

Guide - Responding to Online Restaurant Reviews

Online reviews wield immense power in influencing potential diners' choices. Whether on Yelp, TripAdvisor, Google, or social media platforms, restaurant reviews can significantly impact a restaurant's reputation and business. Consequently, it's crucial for restaurant owners and managers to master the art of responding to online reviews effectively. In this blog, we'll guide you through the do's and don'ts of responding to online restaurant reviews, helping you build a positive brand image, foster customer loyalty, and turn feedback into opportunities for growth and repeat business.

Embrace the Power of Online Reviews

Online reviews have become the modern-day word-of-mouth, greatly influencing diners’' decisions. Encourage satisfied guests to share their experiences on popular review platforms such as TripAdvisor, Google Reviews, or Yelp. Respond promptly and professionally to all reviews, addressing both positive feedback and concerns. Show appreciation for positive reviews and take the opportunity to showcase your commitment to guest satisfaction.

Monitor and Analyze Online Mentions

Keep a pulse on what guests are saying about your restaurant across various online channels. Utilize reputation management tools and social listening platforms to monitor mentions of your name, staff, and services. Analyze the sentiment of these mentions to identify areas of strength and improvement. Actively engaging in monitoring helps you promptly address any negative feedback and identify opportunities to surprise and delight your guests and improve future guest visits.

Provide Exceptional Guest Experiences

The foundation of a strong online reputation lies in consistently delivering exceptional guest experiences, as operations will be the largest driver of reviews. Train your staff to provide personalized service and go the extra mile to exceed guest expectations. Surprise and delight your guests with thoughtful gestures, such as personalized notes, complimentary items, or special treatment. With GoTab’s restaurant POS, operators can have tailored rewards and loyalty segments that delight guests and make them feel appreciated as customers. These memorable experiences are more likely to generate positive reviews and drive repeat business amongst guests.

Engage and Respond on Social Media

Social media platforms are powerful tools for engaging with your audience and shaping your online reputation. Maintain an active presence on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Regularly share engaging content, such as behind-the-scenes glimpses, staff spotlights, and guest stories. Promptly respond to guest inquiries, comments, and direct messages to showcase your commitment to guest satisfaction and build a sense of trust and accessibility.

Address Negative Feedback Proactively

Negative feedback is inevitable, but how you handle it speaks volumes about your commitment to guest satisfaction. Respond promptly and professionally to negative reviews, addressing concerns and offering solutions. Take the conversation offline whenever possible to resolve issues privately. Demonstrating a genuine willingness to rectify problems can turn dissatisfied guests into loyal advocates. Try to respond within 48 hours and encourage future engagement.

Personalized Engagement Example

At (Your Restaurant Name), we take our customers' feedback seriously, as it helps us continuously improve. We would like to personally connect with you to gain deeper insights into your particular visit. Please feel free to reach out to us directly at (Your Contact Email). We are eager to hear more about your experience and work together to ensure that your next visit meets and exceeds your expectations.

Sample Prompts for Negative Review Responses-

Thank you for sharing your feedback. We're sorry to hear that your recent experience didn't meet your expectations. Could you please provide more details about your visit, such as the date and time, so we can investigate further and make improvements?

We apologize for any inconvenience you encountered during your visit. Your satisfaction is our top priority. Please contact us at (Your Contact Email) so we can better understand your concerns and take appropriate action.

Responding to restaurant reviews is an integral part of managing your restaurant's reputation. When done right, it can turn negative experiences into opportunities for improvement and transform satisfied customers into loyal advocates. By following these guidelines and approaching each review with professionalism and empathy, you can enhance your restaurant's online presence and contribute to its long-term success. Remember, every review is a chance to show your commitment to excellence and to elevate your dining operations.

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Situated “in the heart of it all, yet tranquil enough to make you feel away from it all too,” The Limelight Hotel Snowmass offers 99 hotel rooms and 11 residences, as well as footsteps-to-gondola access in winter and summer — right in the middle of Snowmass Base Village.

The Situation

Especially over the last few years, the Limelight Hotels IT team had witnessed a significant shift to contactless technology in the hospitality industry. After evaluating friction points in the guest journey, aligning with modern technology platforms in their restaurant was determined to be an effective way to offer elevated contactless dining experiences to their guests while also evolving their technology platforms to continue to support long-term company goals. Limelight Hotel partnered with GoTab to provide an enhanced on-demand dining experience on par with the brand’s reputation for exceptional guest service.

The Solution

Reducing Staff Touch Points Without Sacrificing Guest Experience

Guests are now able to begin a tab from their room or the property’s restaurant by scanning a QR code, texting a link to friends or family members on the ski slope to add in their orders, then meeting up together at the patio or lodge to enjoy their meal and après ski festivities without interruption. By streamlining tasks like inputting orders and processing payments, this eliminates friction for hotel staff and allows them to focus on delivering renowned guest service for a memorable experience. Since partnering with GoTab, Limelight Snowmass has consistently seen higher check averages and sales.

“We found the Point of Sale platforms we were looking at offered the guest and staff limited opportunities to further reduce touch points or improve the traditional restaurant experience. The GoTab platform enabled the guest to take an active role over the flow of their experience while simultaneously reducing touch points and further streamlining restaurant operations.”Nick Giglio, Manager of Hotel IT Operations, The Little Nell Hotel Group

According to the Limelight Hotels team, some of the other platforms that were evaluated were either missing some of the pieces they were looking for, had weak customer support models, or had little willingness to develop integrations to existing hotel platforms already in place. To that end, GoTab integrated with cloud-based platform, Infor. Together, GoTab and Infor are providing dynamic solutions to support central, efficient service across hotel amenities and deliver exceptional guest experiences.

“Previously, guests would call down to the restaurant to begin an order from their room or while they were out enjoying the ski slopes. Using GoTab, guests can now place orders from anywhere on the resort, giving them the on-demand service they want without interrupting their day. GoTab empowers us to give control to the guest, reducing touch points and streamlining overall restaurant operations, making Limelight Hotel the resort of choice for Snowmass.”Nick Giglio, Manager of Hotel IT Operations, The Little Nell Hotel Group

Since introducing GoTab, The Limelight Hotel has seen a consistent level of upsells and items sold per check resulting in additional revenue capture. They have been able to maintain service levels in their restaurants during periods when there was reduced staffing available without significantly diminishing the guest experience.

The Benefits

Eliminate Phone Orders – Take Orders from the Slopes. Guests can start a tab from their room or on the mountain without interrupting the flow of their day.

Future-Proofed Technologies – Delivering elevated contactless ordering via integration with the Infor hotel management platform.

Eliminating Friction in the Guest Journey – Maintaining service levels during periods of reduced staff without diminishing the guest experience.

Eliminating Friction in the Guest Journey – Maintaining service levels during periods of reduced staff without diminishing the guest experience.
Eliminating Friction in the Guest Journey – Maintaining service levels during periods of reduced staff without diminishing the guest experience.
Eliminating Friction in the Guest Journey – Maintaining service levels during periods of reduced staff without diminishing the guest experience.
Eliminating Friction in the Guest Journey – Maintaining service levels during periods of reduced staff without diminishing the guest experience.

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