As you head off for the Easter break, you may well have plans for a meal out or two, and if you do, will you leave a review afterwards? And what difference does that review make for a hospitality business? It could be more valuable than you think…
Restaurant/venue reviews are a critical business building tool these days. Great reviews not only encourage more customers to visit a venue, but, critically, they also push businesses up the search engine rankings increasing visibility. Business owners need to be absolutely on top of reviews on a daily basis, making it easy and straightforward, in a friendly and constructive way, for guests to review and rate the venue after a visit. Creating a simple three-click process is the best way to increase reviews and encourage visitors to leave their feedback.
Reviews also help business owners improve their offering and better their service. Good managers are responsive to reviews, leaving their own thanks for good reviews and jumping on any issues as soon as they arise – taking on board this feedback helps the team spot any service or quality problems as soon as they arise.
What if there is an issue? The best time and place to raise a problem is when you are actually there. Leaving a negative review when you haven’t mentioned it at the time raises suspicions about the authenticity of the problem. Restaurant operators constantly have to balance the needs of their business (for a great reputation) against the thousands of internet fakers. Any genuine issues would usually be followed up by the restaurant team by email or phone, to listen and learn from the concerns you raised and to preserve goodwill.
Post pandemic, independent operators in particular rely on great reviews to keep their business front of mind. Many are struggling to get back on their feet and are faced with hugely rising costs. Leaving a review doesn’t take long, and you might think it doesn’t make much of a difference, but in today’s climate, it really is worth its weight in gold. This Easter weekend do hospitality a good turn and if you enjoy a meal out, leave a great review.