Restaurant review websites have a significant impact on how people perceive you. What do you do when a customer is hungry? They look you up on the internet to see what other people say about your restaurant. One study found that 60% of diners read online reviews before selecting a restaurant.
Positive online reviews can dramatically change a restaurant owner’s fortune by drawing more customers through publicity. Additionally, it gives the brand owner a general sense of how their brand is being received, allowing them to tackle problems as they appear.
Therefore, keeping up with the top review sites is essential to the success of your restaurant. Pay attention to what patrons say about you and quickly take care of any issues.
Now, are you curious about the top restaurant review sites that patrons talk on and that you should monitor? Let’s find out!
7 Restaurant Review Sites Owners Can Monitor
Not only do diners converse with one another during meals, but they also discuss the establishment on review and rating sites. Therefore, it is in the restaurateur’s best interest to learn what customers think about their interactions with the venue.
Here are seven websites that provide ratings and reviews for restaurants:
1. Yelp
Although Yelp isn’t just for restaurant reviews – only 20% – it is frequently regarded as the best. One of the most popular review websites online is Yelp, which dominates the search results. It receives 17 million monthly unique visitors, placing it at 189 on the global internet engagement list.
Yelp offers a great platform for business owners like you to market your restaurant, make improvements, and gauge patron perceptions of your food, ambiance, style, and more because it is a dependable source for restaurant reviews and ratings.
Additionally, a lot of map applications have links to Yelp restaurant reviews. If you’re traveling and looking for a place to eat, your map will likely direct you to a Yelp review of several restaurants nearby.
The more control you have over your Yelp listing, the easier it will be for you to manage and address both positive and negative reviews. This encourages loyalty from repeat customers while also luring in potential new customers. A degree of involvement demonstrates your genuine interest in a good product and experience.
You can reply to reviews in public or privately, encouraging customers to leave positive reviews again.
2. Zomato
Zomato receives nearly 1.5 million unique visitors monthly and holds the #1,066 position worldwide for internet engagement. Zomato purchased Urbanspoon in 2015 to increase its American online review market share.
Zomato lets restaurant owners post extra details like menus and hours of operation. You can also display your listing page on your website and social media. Both reservations and your ratings and reviews can be highlighted.
Zomato also offers rigorous review and image guidelines to ensure that feedback shared with restaurant owners and managers (as well as with the general public) is accurate and beneficial.
However, claim your restaurant listing to track reviews and give necessary feedback. Once you’ve done that, you can respond to reviews left by clients, update the information on your company, and promote your listing to attract more clients.
3. OpenTable
OpenTable is a fantastic website for restaurant reviews and online reservations. Your reviews must be favorable because this is one of the most popular websites for making table reservations.
If someone makes a reservation at your restaurant through OpenTable and reads negative reviews, they can quickly find another restaurant on the site. On OpenTable, there are more than 50,000 restaurants.
According to OpenTable, they serve more than 131 million diners each month. It’s safe to assume that many of those customers will likely read the reviews before making their reservation, particularly if the restaurant has a poor rating or receives a low star rating.
OpenTable also provides dining incentives based on how frequently customers reserve and enjoy a meal out. Even though this website is more customer-driven, if you decide to keep an eye on it and incorporate it into your marketing efforts, you can still significantly impact your restaurant.
4. TripAdvisor
While TripAdvisor may be popular with travelers, it is also well-known among websites that list restaurants. Their website receives a lot of traffic from the keywords’ restaurants near me and ‘food near me.’
Your restaurant’s ranking on this enormous website is determined by its ratings, the number of reviews you’ve received, and the date of those reviews.
You can take control of your company through the Management Center’s platform as long as you register there. You can edit restaurant information, reply to reviews, publish public comments, and send private messages.
5. Zagat
Since going on the internet, Zagat has become one of the most reputable and well-known restaurant review and rating websites. It offers users a central hub for the best restaurant directories, reviews, bookings, and menus.
They attract nearly 500,000 unique visitors per month to their website and curate the top eateries in 18 major cities worldwide.
Zagat, which Google purchased in 2011, is integrated into Google+ Local. To claim their listing, restaurateurs must use Google My Business. By doing this, they can update their restaurant’s details, such as its address, menu, operating hours, mobile number, and website.
The review site has in-depth, top-notch content and an unmatched reputation among critics in the restaurant business. It’s also a great resource for people looking to stay up to date on what’s new and fashionable and find local favorites when it comes to eating out.
Zagat also provides a unique chance to research your rivals and peers. Which restaurants in your category are currently ranking? What do they do well, and how can you benefit from their customer service philosophy? Additionally, you can conduct your research and set objectives for restaurant expansion on review websites like Zagat.
6. Google My Business
There are many review websites, including ones dedicated specifically to dining establishments. Google, however, is the one website that most businesses consider to be crucial. It’s crucial to have positive reviews because they appear on Google when people search for your restaurant or other restaurants in the area.
With about 183 million monthly daily visitors and 5.6 billion daily searches, Google is the most popular website on the entire internet. Additionally, more than 58% of online searchers use Google reviews to aid restaurant selection. Google will begin assigning your restaurant a star rating after just five reviews.
Google reviews can affect how frequently and whether a user chooses your restaurant when performing a search. Google also publishes information about peak hours, average stay times, price levels, menus, etc.
Plus, because listing on Google My Business is free, every restaurant should ensure that they are included. Customers will find you more easily, and you can pop up Google Maps searches for restaurants.
7. Facebook
When you think of restaurant review sites, Facebook probably doesn’t come to mind. Nonetheless, this social media powerhouse is vital to many restaurants. Being active on Facebook is essential for your restaurant because it is one of the third most popular websites in terms of global internet engagement. Additionally, with more than 75 million monthly visitors, it makes sense that your restaurant participates actively on a site like this.
Facebook users also have the option to post comments about the customer service and quality of your restaurants on unrelated posts as well as on business pages. Alternatively, restaurant managers can interact directly with their users and promote upcoming events and sales.
You can send a customer a private message to try and resolve any issues if they are dissatisfied. In addition, you can link to other websites, post images and videos, and broadcast live events at your restaurant.
It’s crucial to remember that Facebook recently switched the word ‘review’ to ‘recommendations.’ The 5-star rating system has been eliminated. Users can now simply select ‘yes’ or ‘no’ in response to the query ‘Do you recommend (restaurant name)?’
Conclusion
What does this mean for restaurant owners? It’s crucial to take control of your various listings and maintain consistency when building your restaurant’s online brand.
Whether you like it or not, these websites impact your revenue. Reviews—both favorable and unfavorable—should be taken into consideration. Running a successful restaurant requires keeping an eye on it and reacting appropriately.
