Every restaurant gets a bad review sooner or later. This is how we suggest handling one:
- Reply within a day or two. Other customers read the reply more than the review.
- Keep it short. Thank them, apologise for the specific issue, and say what you changed.
- Move the details offline. Give a phone number or WhatsApp so the conversation doesn't happen in public.
- Don't argue about facts in the reply, even if the review is unfair.
How quickly should you reply to a bad review?
Within a day or two. The guest who wrote the review may not change their mind, but everyone who reads it afterwards will see your reply. An unanswered complaint looks like nobody is paying attention. A quick, calm reply shows that someone is.
What should the reply say?
Keep it to three or four sentences. Thank the guest, apologise for the specific problem, and say what you have changed. A specific apology ("Sorry your order took so long on Saturday night") reads far better than a general one ("Sorry for your experience").
For example: "Thank you for letting us know. We're sorry your food took 45 minutes on Saturday night. We've added a second cook on weekends so it doesn't happen again. Please message us on WhatsApp at [your number] so we can make it right."
Why move the conversation offline?
A long back-and-forth in public helps nobody. Give a phone or WhatsApp number in your reply and sort out the details privately: a refund, a mistake on the bill, or anything to do with food safety. Then follow through on what you promised.
What if the review is unfair?
Don't argue about the facts in your reply, even if the guest has the details wrong. Future customers can't tell who is right, and a defensive reply makes the restaurant look worse. If something needs correcting, do it in the private conversation.
What if the review breaks Google's rules?
That is a different case. Google's review policy does not allow reviews that aren't based on a real experience, harassment or hate speech, or reviews from someone with a conflict of interest, such as a competitor or a former employee. You can flag these for removal through your Google Business Profile. A review that is negative but genuine can't be removed, so a good reply is the only answer to it.
Should one bad review change how you run the restaurant?
Look for patterns. One complaint about slow service may be a bad night. Several complaints about the same thing over a few weeks point to a real problem worth fixing. Reading your reviews together once a month makes these patterns easier to see.
Why the number of good reviews matters
One bad review hurts less when it sits among many recent good ones. Most restaurants don't have that, because happy guests rarely think to leave a review.
That's what we built TableReview for: a QR code on the table so guests can leave a review before they leave. For more, see how to get more Google reviews for your restaurant and our restaurant reputation management guide.