Over half of US adults read online reviews before purchasing a product or service. Also, businesses with online reviews enjoy higher search engine rankings than those without. These stats prove that positive reviews can contribute hugely to the success of any restaurant brand.
This guide explains what makes a good review, highlights positive restaurant review examples, and features some positive review response ideas that can turn visitors into repeat customers. Positive reviews overshadow negative reviews and that is exactly the goal when attracting happy customers. As a restaurant owner or business owner, this is the blog for you.
A good review goes beyond a five-star rating. A positive restaurant review details a customer's overall experience—from their thoughts about the restaurant's cuisines to their comments about the servers. Good reviews are always:
A good restaurant review would highlight key things a customer enjoyed (or didn’t enjoy) during their visit. No beating around the bush; no generic comments. A good restaurant review features the exact things a customer loved, issues they faced, and other precise information.
Detailed customer reviews stand out. So, unlike one-sentence feedback, excellent restaurant reviews thoroughly explain a customer’s positive experience—right from when they entered the building.
Detailed reviews help prospective customers understand how a restaurant operates and what they should expect. Detailed reviews are always better than bad reviews.
A good review sounds like a conversation between friends. Customers don't hesitate to infuse humour, throw in emojis, and use slang when sharing their experiences. Check out review sites like Google My Business to read examples such as below.
Not sure of how to compose winning responses? Below are some categorized positive restaurant review examples and the perfect response for each situation.
This category of positive reviews expresses customers' total satisfaction with a restaurant’s services. It is not always a 5-star review. favourite they often comprise slang, emojis, and other things that properly communicate their feeling of excitement. From reading these reviews, you can quickly tell that a customer is impressed with your brand's service and will come to visit again—probably with their friends. This is the complete opposite of a bad review.
Ceren’s detailed analysis of the restaurant’s interior design, her take on the food, and her comment about the staff makes her review stand out. It is considered an amazing review. Overall, her review features enough details to compel prospective customers to understand the dining experience and come by for a bite to eat.
Responding to this review
The best way to respond to the positive restaurant review example above is to maintain the customer’s warm, informal tone.
A great response could be:
"Hi {Name},
I'm super pumped by your review. Yes, I almost jumped off my chair while reading this! :)
Thanks for the kind words. I hope you'll stop by some other time (preferably with your friends). Keep being amazing!
{Your name}
{Your job title}"
Customers are free to show their dissatisfaction with a restaurant's cuisine, pricing, servers—you name it. This is not considered a bad review. So, it's not unusual for customers to leave five-star ratings and still point out certain flaws. Sharing these types of reviews gives you restaurant social proof.
The review above sounds very natural—more like a conversation between the reviewer and a friend. What’s more, the reviewer highlights what she liked (positive feedback) and what she feels could be improved and provides some specific suggestions to give the restaurant an idea of changes they could implement.
Responding to this review
When responding to this category of a positive review, start by showing appreciation to the customer for their positive feedback and kind words and then indicate your restaurant's commitment to providing quality services consistently.
Here's a response that'd fit this situation perfectly:
"Hi {Name},
Thanks for taking the time to write this review. And thank you for the five-star rating.
About {mention their complaint}, we've heard you and will communicate your feedback to the appropriate department so that actions will be taken quickly.
Thanks, once again, for your fantastic review, {Name}. Be sure to stop by again.
{Your name}
{Your title}"
Some positive restaurant reviews will directly advertise your business. Customers who leave these reviews may even go as far as recommending their favourite cuisine to prospects.
Here, Michelle describes her experience in detail. She shares the restaurant’s location, highlights some of their cuisines (including her f), and even describes their mode of operation.
Her in-depth review leaves potential customers with valuable details that could compel them to stop in for a meal.
Responding to this review
You can respond to the review above with more recommendations. An ideal response would be:
"You got it, {Name}. We sure offer some of the best {name of food or drink} in town!
Did you get a chance to try out some of our other unique dishes—like {outline some recommendations}? They’re some of our customers' favourites!
I'd advise you to try them out on your next visit!
{Your name}
{Your title}"
Not all four- or five-star review ratings indicate that a customer is entirely pleased with your services. However, when a long-time customer highlights certain issues, it's a sign that they want to keep patronizing your business—if things are fixed.
You can see from the review above that Rick is a regular customer. He gets straight to the point, stating his specific issue with the restaurant.
His forthright comment plus the four-star rating makes the review a good one.
Responding to this review
The best way to respond to these reviews is to acknowledge the customers' feedback and indicate that you’re willing to fix things.
Here's a perfect response:
"Hi {Name},
We sincerely apologize for {the complaint}.
We are committed to delivering quality services and would love to discuss things further with you.
Could you email {you@yourcompany.com} so we can take a better look into this?
Thank you for your time.
{Your name}
{Your title}"
This review often comes when a customer's complaints are addressed and they begin to see improvements.
The spelling and grammatical errors in this review make it clear that the reviewer is likely a non-native English speaker. Notwithstanding, the review is very comprehensive and relevant, with honest feedback and should be given the same attention as any other.
The natural, descriptive tone and the inclusion of many details make the review relatable and useful to potential customers who may intend to charge their gadgets while having their meals.
Responding to this review
Remind customers that your company always acts on customers' feedback and strives for constant improvements.
An ideal response to this review above would be:
"Hi {Name},
Thanks for the kind words.
We always prioritize our customers' satisfaction and don't take their feedback lightly.
You’ll definitely see many more improvements in the quality of our services in the next while.
Thanks, once again, for your fantastic review, {Name}. Make sure you stop by again soon!
{Your name}
{Your title}"
"Hi {Name},
I'm super pumped by your review. Yes, I almost jumped off my chair while reading this! :)
Thanks for the kind words. I hope you'll stop by some other time (preferably with your friends). Keep being amazing!
{Your name}
{Your job title}"
"Hi {Name},
Thanks for taking the time to write this review. And thank you for the five-star rating.
About {mention their complaint}, we've heard you and will communicate your feedback to the appropriate department so that actions will be taken quickly.
Thanks, once again, for your fantastic review, {Name}. Be sure to stop by again.
{Your name}
{Your title}"
"You got it, {Name}. We sure offer some of the best {name of food or drink} in town!
Did you get a chance to try out some of our other unique dishes—like {outline some recommendations}? They’re some of our customers' favourites!
I'd advise you to try them out on your next visit!
{Your name}
{Your title}"
"Hi {Name},
We sincerely apologize for {the complaint}.
We are committed to delivering quality services and would love to discuss things further with you.
Could you email {you@yourcompany.com} so we can take a better look into this?
Thank you for your time.
{Your name}
{Your title}"
"Hi {Name},
Thanks for the kind words.
We always prioritize our customers' satisfaction and don't take their feedback lightly.
You’ll definitely see many more improvements in the quality of our services in the next while.
Thanks, once again, for your fantastic review, {Name}. Make sure you stop by again soon!
{Your name}
{Your title}"
Well-crafted restaurant review responses can turn potential customers into happy customers. So, it's essential you track your reviews. Track your reviews on Google My Business, Yelp, Zomato, and Facebook and respond to them swiftly. Do not forget to respond to negative reviews.
Localyser helps multi-location restaurant brands effortlessly monitor and manage customers' positive and negative reviews from multiple channels. Want to build a huge community of loyal customers and entice those future customers? Schedule for a free analysis of your online reputation and demo today.
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