How to Handle Negative Reviews on Social Media

In some industries it may look as if you can keep bad reviews off social media, but in hospitality that is impossible. Even if you give your very best at the fairest price, you will always meet guests who want more.

Whatever the situation, handling bad reviews is vital to the reputation of cafes, restaurants, bars and other hospitality venues. Making sure potential guests still choose you after reading a bad review is also in your hands. To do that, we recommend keeping these 3 basic rules in mind.

Everyone knows unhappy people turn up everywhere in life. It is not a secret only business owners know. So when potential guests read an unhappy guest's review, what they are really curious about is how you replied.

Hospitality promises places where people can relax and have a good time. A reply that is unpleasant, that attacks the guest, or that insists you were right even when you were will only hurt you. Thanking the guest for the feedback, saying you are sorry about what happened and that you would like to make it right will help.

The best thing you can do when faced with a bad review is to stay calm. Remember that the whole world is watching, and there is no need to reply right away. First step away from the keyboard for a while and check whether something really is going wrong in your venue. Negative reviews can give you a chance to make your venue better. Once you have calmed down, open a blank document on your computer. Write a message that expresses your regret and your wish to make things right, without getting into the guest or the details of the problem. Do not spend your time explaining yourself or the cause of the problem, if there was one. Simply saying that you are aware of what happened and grateful they told you is often enough.

The customer is always right.

You may not believe the customer is always right. But this is neither the place nor the time to argue the point. Do not fight that battle online.

Instead of arguing with your guest, you could say something like: "We are sorry for the problem you experienced at our venue. We always aim to give our best, and we would like to ask you to give our restaurant a second chance."

You may think these guests will never come back, or you may not want a rude guest back anyway. But if you reply with something like "If you were a normal customer, you would have explained what you were complaining about first. Clearly you're not normal.", potential guests reading it will conclude that you and your venue are not very normal either.

People want their reviews to be taken seriously. If you invite these guests back and win them over with a few complimentary apology treats, you can turn negative reviews into positive ones.

If restroom complaints keep piling up in your reviews, start by getting your in-house cleaning log in order. The steps are in our restroom hygiene tracking system article.

Related product page: manage your restaurant easily.