How to get guests to remove their own bad reviews

These two simple formulas will get you better online ratings and unmatched guest recovery: 

1. Politeness + time = FORGIVENESS. 

2. Public response + private response = WIN! 

Let me explain. 

Even great restaurants occasionally get bad reviews, and we've found you can almost always win those detractors back and look great doing so. On negative reviews, we recommend waiting 24 to 48 hours after the review is posted to reply. This lets the guest calm down. Then post a public reply owning the problem if you created it, and being friendly with the response. When possible, supplement the public response with an even more personalized private message where you ask for a second chance. 

This combination almost always brings the guest back to the restaurant, where they usually have a good experience and amend their initial negative review. Even the most upset guest can forgive you and they will go from critics to advocates!