Bars and restaurants
Asking for the review while the dessert is still going well.
The stars decide more than the menu does. They get asked for at the right moment, answered every one, and never bought.
A restaurant’s reviews are worked on by asking the satisfied customer while they still are one, replying to every review — the bad ones included, and coldly — and buying none, because Google’s policies forbid fake and incentivised reviews.
Last reviewed:
The star weighs more than the photo
Faced with two similar restaurants, with similar photos and similar prices, what decides is the number under the name and what the last person to write said. In hospitality that is not part of the marketing: it is the shop window.
When to ask
You ask while the customer is happy and still at the table, not three days later by email. A discreet QR code on the bill, a sentence from the waiter who served them well, a link in the booking confirmation. No insisting and no chasing: somebody who had a good time leaves the review if you put the path in front of them.
Answer every one, above all the awkward one
A calm reply to criticism convinces more than five stars with no text, because whoever is reading is measuring how you handle a problem, not whether you have ever had one. The rule is to always reply, coldly, without disputing the customer’s account, and to offer to sort it out away from the review. And if the criticism is fair, say so: that disarms people more than any argument.
Buying reviews works out expensive
Google’s content policies forbid fake reviews and reviews given in exchange for something. Review packages get detected, removed, and leave the profile flagged; and in a local business, where everybody knows everybody, the suspicion does more damage than the bad score it was meant to cover.
The same thing, explained in general: Google profile
What we do about it
Part of the maintenance: you never have to ask, and it is never billed apart.
- An alert for every new review The same day, so a bad one does not sit a week without a reply.
- Help with replying Above all with the awkward ones, which are the ones people read.
- A way of asking for them A QR on the bill or a link in the confirmation, without being a nuisance.
- Reviews visible on the site The good ones you already have, shown where people decide.
- Reporting the ones that break the rules If a review breaks Google’s policies, it gets reported with an argument.
- No buying stars We do not ask for them, we do not arrange them, and we will not let you get into that.
And this you change with one sentence
You write what you want changed and we publish it.
We have had a really bad review
We tell you the same day and suggest a calm reply before anyone answers in the heat of it.
We want to ask for reviews without pestering
A QR on the bill and a link in the booking confirmation message.
Show our best reviews on the website
Published on the home page, linked to the profile so they can be checked.
Frequently asked questions
Can a bad review be deleted?
Only if it breaks Google’s policies, in which case it gets reported. If it is a sincere opinion, it does not get deleted: it gets answered, which works better anyway.
Can I give away a coffee for a review?
No. Google’s policies forbid incentivised reviews, and it shows. What you can do is ask, which is not forbidden at all.
Do I reply or do you?
Whichever you prefer. Usually we suggest the reply and you publish it, because your own voice shows and is appreciated.
How many reviews do I need?
More than the place next door, and recent. A profile with forty reviews from three years ago reads worse than one with fifteen from last month.
Where all this comes from
Every figure and every rule quoted above, linked to the official text.
- Prohibited and restricted content policies for contributions Google
- Guidelines for representing your business on Google Google Business Profile
The rest of what a website for bars and restaurants includes
Table bookings
Customers book from the site or from Google. It reaches your phone straight away.
Digital menu
Your menu with a QR for the tables, always matching the printed one. Change prices with a sentence.
Google profile with menu
Hours, photos and the daily special in sync. Where everyone looks for you.
WhatsApp orders
A direct button to your WhatsApp for takeaway and large groups.
Neighbourhood SEO
So that you come up when someone searches for somewhere to eat near your place.
Legal, no surprises
Cookies, privacy and allergen information as the rules require.
Backups and security
Your site and your data backed up daily. If something fails, it is restored in minutes.
When did you last reply to a review?
If it was over a month ago, there is work half done there. We will help you catch up.
Write to us