How to reply to reviews,
good and bad.

The reply is for future readers

Replies are mainly read by prospective guests, not the reviewer. A calm, specific reply shows you listen and fix things. A defensive one suggests the reviewer was right. No reply suggests nobody's paying attention. Core rules: reply to everything, keep it brief, never argue in public, move complex issues offline.

Negative reviews: five steps

1. Thank the reviewer by name.
2. Apologise for the specific problem — "sorry your mains took an hour" beats a vague apology.
3. One line of explanation if it helps. Never blame a named staff member.
4. Say what you've changed or are changing.
5. Move it offline — direct email or phone, signed with your name.

Draft it, step away, reread before posting. But don't wait days either.

Worked situations

• 1★ late food — apologise without excuses, name the cause (two large bookings at once), describe the scheduling change, invite contact.
• 1★ wrong order — a vegetarian dish arrived with meat: apologise for a serious error, describe the team review and the new plate-checking step, make it right privately.
• 1★ rude staff — apologise, say guests shouldn't feel that way, note the team has been spoken to. Don't name, defend, or announce discipline publicly.
• 1★ allergen scare — this is a food safety incident first, review second. Don't debate the dish contents publicly; no medical details. Internally: pull the order, allergen matrix, recipe spec, supplier specs, section records. Move the guest to a named person by phone. The public reply stays very short.
• 3★ mixed — often the most useful feedback. Thank them for the positives, accept the criticism without arguing the score, explain what changes.
• 5★ — reply too: two or three personal lines, mention something specific, credit the person who made it, never reuse the same text.

The template

Do's and don'ts

• Do — reply within a day or two · use their name and their words · sign with your name and role · fix legitimate complaints and log them to spot patterns.
• Don't — argue or call the reviewer a liar · name or blame staff · offer free meals publicly · offer anything for changing a review · reply late at night after a hard service.

Using AI for the first draft

The value is a calm first draft when you're tired and irritated at 23:40. Paste the review plus a few past replies so the Front of House & Guest zone matches your voice; it drafts, you edit and post. Over time the complaint log shows the recurring problems.

Questions