Do restaurants care about reviews?

A glance at some of the multiples in the restaurant sector of the hospitality industry might indicate that the answer to the question posed by the title of this article is a resounding 'No'!

Why? Let's first look at the Google scores of two high-profile restaurant groups:

Group 1

Group 2 

Notes:

These bald numbers, shocking - and damaging to trade - as they are, hide even more damaging detail:

Google rich snippets...

  

This restaurant's online reputation has been left in the hands of 99 out of a footfall of tens of thousands of customers - the restaurant needs to engage its happy customers

...even one of which has the power to deflect custom:

 Comments like these - which any restaurant with a Google score of less than 4.5 will have, by definition, will harm business

We can say, without equivocation, that if these restaurants were hotels with similar scores they would be struggling for custom. We predict that, at the first signs of an economic ill-wind, restaurants - and restaurant chains - that fail the Google filter will suffer.

Action needed:

There is now now doubt whatsoever that potential customers are influenced by reviews. Restaurant businesses need to be proactive in encouraging their guests to engage with reviews.

HelpHound for restaurants

We will enable you to invite reviews from all your customers - simply and efficiently. Positive reviews will be posted to your own website and then the reviewers will be automatically invited to copy their review to Google. Negative reviews will be managed pre-publication - either by your in-house CRM team or by HelpHound (through Feedback Manager™).

Your aim should be for all your restaurants to be scoring 4.5 or higher. With HelpHound working alongside your dedicated team in-restaurant they will.