Review response guide

How to respond to a fake review for a Restaurant

In hospitality, tone is everything, diners judge how you'd treat them by how you treat reviewers.

First, decide whether it's genuinely fake, off-topic, from a competitor or someone who was never a customer, or spam. If so, flag it to Google (it can be removed for a policy violation) and, if needed, appeal with evidence. A truthful-but-harsh review isn't "fake" and won't be removed.

Removal takes time, so reply in the meantime, calmly and factually, for future readers. State that you have no record of the visit and have reported it, and invite a real customer to reach you. Never get emotional or accusatory in public.

Example

The review

Terrible place, roaches everywhere. (from an account with no other activity)

A reply that works

We take cleanliness seriously and have no record of a visit matching this, so we've reported the review to Google. If you did dine with us, please reach out directly, we'd genuinely want to make anything right.

Tip: State the facts calmly and note you've reported it. Don't rant, future readers judge your composure.

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