How to respond to negative restaurant reviews

A well-handled negative review is read by far more future guests than its author. Your reply is written for them.

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The audit shows how many negative reviews still have no reply, which complaints repeat, and which languages your guests write in. €19, PDF within 24 h.

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Ground rules

  1. Reply within 48 hours, in the reviewer's language.
  2. Thank them, acknowledge the specific problem, say what you changed. No long excuses.
  3. Never reveal the guest's details (full name, booking, bill) or call them a liar.
  4. If a review is fake or abusive, reply calmly and report it from your profile; don't argue in public.
  5. Offer a private channel (email or phone) to resolve it.

Template: slow service

Hi, thanks for telling us about your visit. You're right: we were short-staffed on Saturday and the wait was too long. We've added staff for weekend shifts. If you email us at [email], we'd love to have you back.

Template: price

Thanks for your feedback. We understand price matters. Our [dish] uses [ingredient/origin] and is made to order; we also have a [X] € lunch menu if you'd like to try us another way.

Template: allergens

Thank you for flagging this, we take it very seriously. We've reviewed how the team communicates allergens and the menu now marks all 14 EU allergens on every dish. Please write to [email] for details.
Want to know what's wrong with your listing?

The audit shows how many negative reviews still have no reply, which complaints repeat, and which languages your guests write in. €19, PDF within 24 h.

Audit my profile for €19 · See a sample report

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Independent guide by HostStack. Not affiliated with Google. General information; no ranking is guaranteed.