Grubhub is on a roll, and there’s no stopping it from doing so! Perhaps you have learned about the news that Grubhub has started distributing the nearly $23 million settlement it has promised to those aggrieved by misleading advertising, and that’s wonderful, and imagine that!
Meanwhile, over on the official website of Grubhub for merchants, the food delivery app has shared valuable information on how businesses can respond right to bad reviews.
Bad reviews can take their toll on your business, and they are not merely side dishes. You have met delivery drivers who go up to the point of personally contacting customers if they see the customer has left them a bad review, only for the review to be deleted, or asking them why they left that bad review.
“The art of taking criticism isn’t an easy one to master. But here’s the thing: When you work in the restaurant industry, negative feedback comes with the territory,” Grubhub told Ridesharing Forum. “Whether you’re a Michelin-starred restaurant or a brand-new business, bad restaurant reviews are inevitable. That’s a tough pill to swallow for any restaurant owner, but what’s important to remember is that each and every positive or negative review is also an opportunity to improve.”
So, why do customers leave bad reviews? They are doing so not to tarnish the reputation of a restaurant or business, but they are doing so for a reason. Some of these, according to Grubhub, are long wait times, issues with restaurant workers, ignored messages, and complaints that are not resolved or taken seriously. Especially since these people are paying, you cannot blame these guys.
And, reviews are not there as decoration, since other people could be reading them. An HR professional from USA and Germany’s Merck, Zildjian Yaneza, always tells her friends to first read reviews of a restaurant they are visiting before they actually order, and she couldn’t be more right.
Customer reviews, each of them, impacts your business as they may drive away potential customers, damage reputations, lower brand trust, and hurt your exposure.
So, should your restaurant take bad reviews seriously? Absolutely! Here’s how to respond right to bad reviews:
First, never ignore a bad review
So, those delivery drivers calling and confronting customers who left them bad reviews, especially if they think they shouldn’t have gotten those bad reviews, are right. Every online review matters, no matter how good or bad they sound.
Respond right away
You cannot personally delete a bad review from your end, it’s like a tattoo on your skin, only the reviewer has the power to delete it. The best thing you can do is to respond to that review to clarify things.
Learn from your mistakes
Since these reviews leave an indelible mark, unless the reviewer has deleted them, the next thing you should practice is to learn from your mistakes. Take their terms by heart.
Don’t forget to say, 'Thank you!'
Okay, so while it is right that delivery drivers ask the reviewer why they did so, they may be partly wrong here, as the next best thing is to say, “Thank you!” Like what you say to your parents when they correct your mistakes.
Invite your customers back with a commercial gesture
When you are done recognizing the review, airing your side, and saying, “Thanks!” you can then invite your customers back with a commercial gesture. It’s like saying, “Don’t go away.”
Some of the places where to look out for bad reviews, aside from your Grubhub account, are Yelp, Google Business, and online ordering marketplaces. Because bad reviews may be bad, but that does not mean they shouldn’t be talked through!