Andrea AbbondanzaIf you’re a restaurant owner, staying on top of reviews for your business is essential for maintaining a good reputation and building trust with customers.
These days, restaurant review sites have grown rapidly popular as they provide raw, unbiased information on different dining places and menus. From four-star fine dining restaurants to more casual family-style eateries, these websites list the pros and cons of each place so that other users are easier make the best decision.
Therefore, to help your restaurant make the most out of these platforms, we’ve compiled a comprehensive list of the best restaurant review websites you should be tracking. From Facebook to Eat24, we’ll cover all the important review sites your restaurant needs to know about to stay one step ahead of competitors.
So whether you’re looking for an easy way to get noticed or improve customer satisfaction, here are the best restaurant review sites you should be using!
How To Attract More Customers with These Excellent Restaurant Review Sites
Win customers’ hearts by utilizing these tried-and-true methods on restaurant review sites. Here are some of the most useful ways:
Submit complete and correct business information
Local listings management enables you to maintain location data across various sites and social media platforms. Whenever you create a business listing, correctly include your company’s location, name, category, phone numbers, addresses, cuisine types, hours, and other important info.
Also, please ensure the listing is always updated and complete. Usually, each page has the option to edit an existing listing unless the site changes or relocates its location. This way, it will be easier for restaurant owners to make updates.
Manage restaurant reviews
Once your listings have been updated, you must constantly check for any comments you post on restaurants from the customers on your list.
With the help of a comprehensive online review management system and analytics technology, you can quickly see which customers like your business and why they think you should improve your customer experience.
You should also understand how to respond to bad reviews professionally. Refrain from fighting against overly criticizing comments on restaurant review sites. Instead, handle them professionally with some class to show that your restaurant’s management is excellent.
List of Restaurant Review Sites You Should Track
Here, we’ll provide a comprehensive list of the best restaurant review sites you should track to ensure that your eatery stands out and stays one step ahead of competitors. Read on!
When it comes to restaurant reviews, there’s no denying that Facebook is one of the best platforms out there. With its vast network of users and its simple rating system, your restaurant can easily get reviewed by customers.
Moreover, Facebook reviews enable customers to leave detailed reviews with photos and videos, which helps potential customers make informed decisions before choosing to eat at your restaurant. The platform also allows restaurants to respond directly to customer reviews and comment on them to answer questions effectively.
If your restaurant is looking for an easy way to get its products in front of potential customers — while building trust with regular ones — Facebook is a great choice.
Yelp
With its user-friendly interface and wide network of customers, Yelp is one of the best platforms for listing online reviews. Although not specific to restaurant reviews, it is an established platform that is widely known and trusted by many.
On Yelp, users can rate their experience with a simple thumbs up or down, as well as leave detailed reviews with photos to provide further information. This allows other potential customers to make informed decisions before eating at a restaurant.
Plus, Yelp enables businesses to respond directly to customer reviews so that issues can be addressed quickly and help build trust between restaurants and their customers. After all, when users in the area are looking for a great place to eat, Yelp usually pops up first — so you want to make sure you’re making a good impression!
TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor is renowned for its wide range of travel-oriented services, and restaurants are no exception. With TripAdvisor stickers proudly displayed in eateries all over the world, it’s hard to ignore the power of this highly-regarded website.
Plus, with its global reach and high level of credibility, it’s a no-brainer why travelers turn to TripAdvisor when they’re looking for an honest opinion. For restaurant owners, this means striving to maintain a positive TripAdvisor profile — getting more happy customer reviews than negative ones!
Google Business Profile
Google Business Profile listing is simply a must-have for restaurants striving to maximize their online presence. With no cost to list your restaurant on the platform, reviews will show up when someone searches for your restaurant or looks for eateries in the area.
As the internet’s largest search engine, with billions of searches daily, Google should be near the top of your restaurant’s priority when it comes to online visibility and customer reach. Ensuring all details are accurate and that Google Restaurant reviews remain positive can play a significant role in helping customers find your restaurant easily and quickly.
Seamless
As a part of GrubHub since 2013, Seamless provides restaurant delivery service and reviews for people who crave good food in almost every state in the USA, including NYC, Washington DC, Chicago, LA, and more. Plus, it is also available for personal orders in London.
After its merger with GrubHub in May 2013, Seamless became even bigger and known for its ‘seamless’, easy navigation. Besides ordering food, people can also drop reviews on the platform to express their satisfaction with each restaurant’s menu as well as to help other future new customers make decisions. That’s why getting good reviews in Seamless is important since most people look up to past reviews before making decisions to buy food at your restaurants.
OpenTable
It’s essential to keep an eye on the OpenTable app for restaurants owners as customers are encouraged to share their experiences through the platform. After eating at your restaurant, customers will receive an invitation by email to leave a review.
However, if you wish to be included in OpenTable’s directory, you must first sign up for their service, which comes with a monthly fee. Reviews can not be replied to directly, but it is possible to contact the reviewer privately via message to settle down the concerns or answer some questions.
FourSquare
Although Foursquare is not bringing as much traffic as some more popular review sites, such as Yelp or Google Business Profile, it should still be included in your restaurant’s online presence.
Take the time to claim your business and make sure all details are accurate and up to date; not only will this create a positive image, but it can also help boost your search engine rankings. Having good reviews is also beneficial, so do whatever you can to keep reviews of your restaurant positive.
The Infatuation
The Infatuation is a reliable source of real, honest reviews from regular users, as it’s owned by the renowned dining directory Zagat. While not everyone can leave reviews, frequent users who are allowed to drop some reviews take them seriously.
However, they have a limited reach in terms of locations and restaurants, so make sure to check if your restaurant is listed before even claiming your listing on the site. This way, you’ll establish a positive reputation for your restaurant online and attract more potential customers.
Zagat
Founded in 1979, Zagat is one of the oldest restaurant review sites and is still highly regarded today. Unlike other review sites, Zagat reviews use a 30-point score system to rate restaurants so that it is not based solely on customer feedback.
Furthermore, Google’s 2011 acquisition of Zagat has made its reviews more visible on the search engine, especially on Google Business pages. This means that your restaurant’s reputation on this site is also crucial, as positive ratings can help influence search rankings for your restaurant. Therefore, it’s important to ensure that your restaurant has good reviews and ratings on Zagat.
TheFork
TheFork is no newbie — this restaurant review site was founded back in 2007 and taken over by TripAdvisor in 2014. It’s one of the most popular restaurant review sites in Australia and Europe. Basically, this site’s mission is to ensure both restaurants and customers get what they need — restaurants will be full, and visitors can reserve a table that meets their needs.
Plus, TheFork gives you numerous ways to improve your restaurant, including online reservations, reservation buttons, customer databases, special offers, digital dining room plans, CRM, credit card guarantees, and, most importantly, online reviews.
Through TheFork, you can give direct feedback to all customers’ reviews by replying to their inputs. On top of that, you can also manage bad reviews, making your restaurant appear better online.
Zomato
This well-known review site aims to help people find restaurants near them. You can claim a listing to ensure your restaurant is found on Zomato. Also, take part in online ads to boost your visibility.
Plus, you can showcase your listing page on your website and social media outlets, including ratings and reviews, as well as reservations.
And when customers leave negative reviews, Zomato allows you to respond while encouraging you to take constructive feedback. Please remember that you won’t be able to edit your response after posting it, so make sure you’ve double-checked your response before submitting it.
Conclusion
Now that you know about the best restaurant review sites, it’s time to get started winning customers over. These platforms are essential for not only connecting with potential diners but also enhancing reputation management for restaurants.
Also, this is a good step to do marketing strategies for restaurants besides implementing SEO for Restaurants. And with the tips we shared, you’re well on your way to doing just that. So what are you waiting for? Get a listing at one of these online restaurant reviews sites to put your restaurant on the map!
