Managing Online Reviews for Restaurants

Why We Don’t Automate Empathy — A Response to a Recent Review A recent review left by a guest accused our restaurant of being “racist” and “biased” in how we seat guests. That’s a serious charge — one we don’t take lightly. Let me first say: we’re sorry you felt unseen. That was never our intention. But I’d also like to offer another perspective — one rooted in lived experience and decades in hospitality. Back in 1982, when I was studying at Madras Catering College, we were asked a deceptively simple question during class: “In a restaurant, a table for two is set with just one chair. Why?” The correct answer? Because one of the guests scheduled to arrive will be in a wheelchair. That moment has stayed with me for over 40 years. It taught me that great service isn’t about rules and routines — it’s about awareness, empathy, and human judgment. At Mylapore, we don’t automate our waitlist because software can’t read body language. An app won’t notice the 90-year-old man in a wheelchair. Or the 80-year-old woman who can’t see or hear clearly. Or the mother walking in with her quadriplegic daughter. Only a human can feel that urgency and act with compassion. And so we train our hosts and hostesses to think critically, observe carefully, and always lead with heart — even when that means a guest may need to wait a few extra minutes. We understand that to someone else on the waitlist, it might appear unfair. But to us, it’s doing the right thing. Because we don’t just sell food. We offer an experience. And at the center of that experience is dignity, kindness, and care. To the guest who shared that review — we’re truly sorry that this was your experience, and we hope someday you’ll see it from our side. To our regulars, supporters, and team: thank you for standing with us as we choose empathy over efficiency, people over process, and humanity over algorithms. Because sometimes, the missing chair at a table tells you everything you need to know about what a restaurant stands for.

Sometimes there’s advice on this platform that drives me a touch nuts - it’s like one step forward, two steps back. Most of the time I just try to repress it - I know, super healthy, right? 😳 This time I can’t. The question was: What do you do when a customer tells you they’re going with another solution because they read negative reviews on yours? The answer provided? “Okay, and how many negative reviews did you see? Were those actually clients of ours or just like somebody negative on the internet who never (used us)?” He added that the point is to make them question their own research. 😩 Nooooooo…. 😩 1) How do you respond to negative reviews? When you’re doing your homework, and see a negative review, then see that the provider receiving the negative review responded by saying something like, “We’re sorry that happened. Here’s how we’d like to make it up to you. Here’s what we’re doing to make sure that doesn’t happen again.” - how does that make you feel about the provider? Good, right? Own the negative reviews. 2) Why is the customer researching and allowing the negative reviews to impact their decision AT THE END of the sales cycle? Because they don’t trust what they’ve heard from you. Own those negative reviews UP FRONT. You’re not perfect. You’re not all things to all people. Share the pros AND THE CONS up-front. Own when things haven’t gone perfectly. Earn the right to share which reviews are unfounded. When they do their own homework and see that it matches, it BUILDS trust. You’ll win faster, but lose faster, too! And you’ll differentiate in the way that you sell. #transparencywins

Everytime I talk to a team looking to get better at feedback - the first place everyone wants training is the mechanics of giving feedback. It’s like we imagine if we can be perfect at giving it, then we’ll magically create a culture of it. It is my experience that you have to create the emotional bandwidth, imagination, and motivation for feedback before you create the skills for doing it right. I generally start by helping people see the contradictions in their desire and relationship to feedback. Their own personal reactions to it. Then you train how to recieve feedback. An appetite to recieve will always go way further than the ability to give. An appetite to receive across your team will relieve the pressure of having to give feedback exactly right. So the next time you or your team want to develop a feedback culture. Find people to train you who get that. I watch so many places waste money on trainings that focus on mechanics and do nothing to change the dynamics of a team.

A 1-star review. 3 sleepless nights. And the $120,000 lesson every business owner should hear. It all started with a notification: “New Yelp Review: 1 Star.” A CEO of a well-loved restaurant told us about the gut-punch feeling of seeing a 1-star Yelp review from a first-time guest. The complaint? Slow service, the order was wrong & no one seemed to care. The CEO’s first reaction was defensiveness. The restaurant was packed that night. The servers were hustling. Mistakes happen, right? But instead of dismissing the review, he did something unusual: He publicly replied on Yelp, sincerely apologizing and owning the mistake. Privately, he tracked down the guest’s contact information and personally reached out. Invited the guest back, promising a totally different experience. Two weeks later, the guest returned. This time, the CEO personally greeted the table, the staff delivered exceptional service, and dessert was on the house. At the end of the meal, the guest handed the CEO a business card: “I’m actually the executive assistant to our CEO. We host multiple client dinners every quarter, and I was tasked with scoping out new venues. I initially wrote you off, but your personal response changed my mind.” Since then? That restaurant has hosted over $120,000 in corporate dinners for that one company alone. Here’s what the CEO told me he learned: Every complaint is an opportunity in disguise. It’s not about being perfect— it’s about responding perfectly. One genuine apology can open doors a perfect meal never could. Today, he reminds his staff: Hospitality isn’t just about good food or ambiance. It’s about being humble enough to make things right. Because sometimes, your harshest critic can become your best customer. And your biggest opportunities arrive disguised as your worst moments. The best leaders never forget that.

Imagine two restaurants side by side. At first glance, they're identical – same menu, same decor, same staff. But peek behind the scenes, and you'll see a world of difference. Restaurant A runs like most. The waiter takes orders, the kitchen preps food, the maître d' manages ambiance, and the manager oversees operations. Each team works diligently, but in silos, with limited visibility into customer experiences beyond their immediate interactions. Now, Restaurant B? It's a whole different story. Here, every customer interaction is captured and instantly routed to the right team. A comment about the soup? The chef knows before the spoon hits the bowl. Feedback on the playlist? The maître d' is already queuing up the next track. But it goes deeper than that. In Restaurant B, the entire staff – from the dishwasher to the host – has access to customer feedback. This means everyone, not just the waitstaff, is in the business of retaining customers. The chef might tweak a recipe based on consistent feedback. The bartender could create a signature cocktail inspired by a regular's preference. The manager can proactively jump in to help when there is an issue. The result? A restaurant where every team member is attuned to customer needs, constantly adjusting and improving to keep diners coming back. Which restaurant do you think will do better? It's more than just collecting feedback – it's about systematically democratizing it across your entire organization. When every team has a direct line to the customer's voice, they're all empowered to contribute to retention. Are you running your business like Restaurant A or B? The choice might just determine your customer lifetime value. What steps are you taking to make the voice of the customer the driving force for every team in your organization? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Futurety has a 4.8-star rating on Glassdoor. And only one negative review.  (I know, I just tempted fate.) These sites are tough on small businesses. When you’ve only had a few dozen employees, every review moves the needle. When that rare negative one pops up, you know who wrote it, but job candidates and other readers do not. They don’t know the context. They only know what they read. It's your chance to inform and let readers draw their own conclusions. Here is some advice I recently gave someone responding to a negative review: ✅ Use the review to reflect. Is there truth to it? Did that person experience something you can fix or prevent in the future? ✅ Take the high road. No matter what. Responding with bitterness or defensiveness only reinforces the complaint. Keep it professional, kind, and constructive. Please don’t call the person out by name. ✅ Respond as yourself. The reviewer is anonymous. Make your strength being clearly identified by you, as a human being. A real person.  Don’t hide behind HR or legal-sounding language. Identify your role and share the objective context while showing that you are a person: “While we offer flexible hybrid schedule, our client contracts limit our options for fully remote work” lands better than “We refute these claims.” ✅ Encourage candidates to talk to people. Tell job seekers to do more than read reviews. Encourage them to reach out to people who work (or worked) at your company. Talk to their friends. Read the local business paper. In cities like Columbus, no two professionals are more than three degrees apart. Tell readers to ask for the good, the bad, and the real about your company from someone in real life. Overall, build a culture where the experience speaks for itself. And when the occasional harsh review shows up see it for what it is, take what you can from it, and move forward.

A bad review isn’t the problem. How you respond to it is what separates good brands from great ones. Brands screw up all the time when they get a negative comment. 🔻 They panic. 🔻 They get defensive. 🔻 Some delete the comment altogether. Handling negative feedback is a skill. And our clients have mastered it. One of the brands we work with had a genius response to criticism. Context- They sell Tupperware containers designed to keep food hot or cold for hours, perfect for lunch, hiking, or the beach. During a product launch, they got a frustrated comment from a mother: "My 12-year-old son can't even open this. He can't get to his lunch. This has been nothing but a problem." Most brands would get defensive. Some would ignore it. But our client handled it with pure class. Instead of arguing, he filmed his six-year-old daughter effortlessly opening the same container. No sarcasm. No disrespect. Just a simple, clear response: "I hear you. Here’s the proper technique to open it. It’s easier than you think." It was a perfect mix of customer education and damage control without making the customer feel bad. Negative feedback is inevitable. How you respond to it defines your brand. Panic, ignore, or argue and you lose trust. Educate, acknowledge, and respond with grace to win customers. Your choice.

If your feedback isn’t landing, you’re not leading. Most leaders say: “Let me tell you what went wrong.” Great leaders ask: “What would you do differently next time?” That’s the shift — from criticism to clarity. From telling to teaching. And it changes everything. Especially in the food industry, where timing and tone matter. Great leaders don’t wait for reviews — they give feedback like clockwork. Not loud. Not harsh. Just fluent. Quick Scripts: What to Say (future-focused) → “What would you like to do more of?” → “How do you feel that went?” → “What could we tweak next time?” → “Here’s what I noticed — does that land?” Stop saying: “Stop doing that.” Start saying: “Let’s do less of this.” Quick Scripts: How to Respond (build trust) → “Great insight — let’s build on it.” → “Thanks for sharing. One small shift…” → “Want feedback on one part of it?” → “Let’s map the next step together.” Make It a Weekly Habit → Pick one person → Prep “more of / less of” notes → Let them speak first → Ask a “how” question → Review your own delivery Feedback isn’t about being soft. It’s about being clear. That’s how feedback becomes culture. And culture drives performance. Every floor. Every shift. Every team. Needs fluent feedback. Start this week. You’ll see the difference. 🔁 If this hit home, repost to inspire someone else. Like this? I share one leadership habit a week. Follow me here ➡️ LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/eaBdN_yu ___ All our Thought Leadership content is Powered by UniPro Foodservice and our Leadership Development Program

You say "guests come first.” It sounds great on paper. It’s even printed on your mission statement, slapped on training room walls, probably shouted during team meetings. But let me ask you this: when was the last time you actually proved it? Because here’s the truth nobody wants to say out loud, your guests don’t magically have five-star experiences. Your people create them. And if your staff feels undervalued, overworked, undertrained, and barely seen, don’t act surprised when the guest experience suffers. You can't build exceptional hospitality on a foundation of neglect. 💥 Want loyal guests? Start by earning loyal staff. 💥 Want viral reviews and raving fans? Start by treating your team like humans, not labor. 💥 Want higher revenue per available room, stronger F&B sales, better upsell conversions? Invest in your people like they’re revenue drivers, because they are. 🛑 Stop spending more on influencer fam trips than on staff development. 🛑 Stop bragging about your culture when you haven’t sat down with your frontline in months. 🛑 Stop using the phrase “we’re like a family” if your HR policies treat them like disposable numbers. Here’s what tactical respect actually looks like in hospitality: ✅ Build feedback loops that don’t just exist, but create change. If your team’s input never makes it to the C-suite, you don’t have a culture, you have a dictatorship. ✅ Rethink your internal comms. Is it top-down only? Or are you encouraging bottom-up ideas that fuel innovation? ✅ Create real growth pathways. Not everyone wants to be GM, but everyone wants progress. Map out skill trees, not just job titles. ✅ Pay people properly. Not competitively. Properly. You’re in the business of luxury, but you’re nickel-and-diming the housekeepers? ✅ Show up. Walk the property. Know names. Know stories. Respect isn’t a program, it’s behavior. You can buy marketing. You can redesign rooms. But if your team doesn’t feel seen, safe, and supported, you will never build a brand that lasts. And here's the kicker: when your people feel like you’ve got their back, they’ll go to war for your guests. They’ll go the extra mile, solve the unspoken problem, notice the detail that no tech can. And that’s when guest experience actually becomes magic. So before you shout “guest first,” ask yourself: Do your employees feel like they come second? Because if they don’t, it’s not a guest-first culture. It’s a performative one. --- I’m Scott Eddy, keynote speaker, social media strategist, and the #15 hospitality influencer in the world. I help hotels, cruise lines, and destinations tell stories that drive revenue and lasting results through strategy, social media workshops, content, and unforgettable photoshoots. If the way I look at the world of hospitality works for you, and you want to have a conversation about working together, let’s chat: scott@mrscotteddy.com