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Get more Restaurant Google Reviews

How to Get More Restaurant Google Reviews (8 Foolproof Strategies)

Most restaurant owners have an avoidant relationship with Google Reviews.

And it’s no wonder—The bad reviews can feel like an attack.

One that publicly hurts your business, reputation, and ability to generate future sales.

All while you’ve assumed tons of risk to build a business that serves the community.

(And what have they done? Just fired up Google, click some buttons, and ruin your day).

So, I get WHY restaurant owners tend to avoid reviews.

But today, I’m going to show you why review generation is the most potent marketing activity you can do to grow your restaurant—and how to do it like a boss.

Why Restaurant Reviews Matter (They’re “Word Of Mouth” On Steroids)

If I had a nickel for every restaurant owner who said the way they grow is through “Word Of Mouth,” I’d be rich!

That’s like saying your car runs on ‘good vibes’ instead of gas—sure, it might feel good to say, but it’s not going to win the race.

But Word Of Mouth IS the most effective marketing message that can be delivered.

According to Invespo, 92% of consumers trust recommendations from friends and family over any other form of advertising. And we’ve all experienced this in our lives—when a trusted friend suggests we try something, we almost always do!

Now take a consistent, steady stream of new Reviews being shared about your business. What does it say to those who find you?

  • “People love this place—and I probably will, too!”
  • “This restaurant is crushing it right now.”
  • “If all these people trust it, I can trust it.”
  • “It’s not just hype—this spot delivers every time.”
  • “Why haven’t I been there yet?!”

Now, you probably had a sense that reviews make a big impact on the perceived sentiment of your restaurant, but there are two forces you may not have considered:

1. More Google Reviews Helps Your Restaurant Rank Higher in Local Search & Maps

One of the more important ranking factors Google looks for at the local level is Review Velocity.

Review Velocity = How consistent and frequently your Google Business Profile receives real, authentic reviews.

Think about it from Google’s perspective—they’re in the business of serving the most relevant, accurate results for whoever is searching. If your business is getting a lot of reviews from happy customers, it means that people are having a good experience with your business.

So of course Google will want to show your business more often—because it ultimately wants people to have a great experience with its platform!

So remember: The more reviews you get, the more visibility local search engines will reward your business with.

2. More Google Reviews Increases Your Conversion Rate (And Makes All Other Marketing Efforts More Effective and Efficient)

As your restaurant gets more attention, higher ratings from more reviews also converts more of that attention into new guests.

So getting more reviews means that ALL your marketing efforts work better.

For example:

  • If you’re running Google Ads to your Google Business Profile, more of those clicks will turn into orders because of your restaurant’s improved reputation
  • If you’re building awareness using Meta Ads, when prospective guests go to look up your restaurant to confirm whether they think they’ll have a good experience, more of them will be compelled by your restaurant’s reputation
  • Each review that comes in is a marketing asset that you can share on your website and in your social media, which will lead to the perception that you have raving fans (because you do)—leading to more guests because of your restaurant’s improved reputation

Now that there’s no doubt that reviews are important, let’s get into the meat of HOW to generate tons of reviews (like a BOSS):

How do I get more reviews for my restaurant—without annoying my guests?

Just ask.

That’s it. Getting more reviews is simply a function of asking for them as often as possible (ideally systematically and automatically).

So how do we ask? Let’s get into it.

1. Prioritize collecting guest information

Most restaurants don’t collect guest information.

This is a big problem—If you don’t capture guest information, you can’t communicate with them.

Here are the places we make sure we’re collecting guest information:

  • Reservations
  • Online Ordering
  • In-House Birthday Program
  • Digital Loyalty Program
  • Website

Once you have their information from these sources, in many cases you can trigger a Review Request automation.

Many restaurants already have Online Ordering and/or a Reservation system in place—so this could be as simple as ensuring there’s a marketing opt-in step in the process.

I recommend keeping Birthday and Loyalty Programs nice and simple.

Begin by thinking about what your big offer is and what your in-house collateral will look like:

A simple visit-based loyalty program will build your restaurant’s database
An irresistible birthday offer helps collect guest information so that you can ask for feedback and reviews later

2. Automate Review Requests

Since we can’t always rely on ourselves to get things done, we build simple “machines” to do it for us.

Automate Review Requests at your restaurant

These messages shouldn’t be the “canned” messages most POS / reservation tools send out automatically. They should feel personal and like they’re from the owner.

A simple restaurant review request email

3. Train your team on WHY reviews matter

Most restaurant employees don’t understand why, exactly, reviews are so important to the health and growth of the business.

Once they understand, and are given the tools + training to ask for reviews, we always see a significant upswing in new 5 star reviews coming in!

Here’s a simple script you can use to get the ball rolling:

A simple message to begin training your restaurant team on how to ask for Google Reviews
Get started generating more reviews by helping your team understand WHY reviews and review velocity are crucial to the growth of the restaurant—and how everyone will benefit

4. Make it EASY for servers, bartenders, and baristas to ask for reviews

Far away the most simple and effective “Review Enablement” tool is a QR code card like this:

A QR Code Review Card makes it easy for staff to ask for reviews

The QR code takes guests right where they can leave a review:

Send restaurant guests directly to Google's Review link to generate more reviews

This method is powerful because it leverages the built-in rapport that servers / bartenders have with guests.

5. Get More Restaurant Reviews by Giving a Gift First, Followed by the Ask

The most effective review ask I ever experienced went like this:

  1. We had great service throughout
  2. When the server dropped the bill, he also dropped this little doughnut hole covered in chocolate sauce and said, “It’s been great to serve you tonight. If you could scan this QR code and leave us a review and mention my name, Pedro, I would be so grateful. I also just might win a prize if you do.”
Get more Restaurant Reviews: Give gifts first and then ask for reviews

My girlfriend and I both left reviews right away.

6. Build a Review Reactivation Campaign

If you have a list of past guests, you can send all of them an email asking for feedback.

You may not know when they last visited, in which case, sending them to a Feedback Form is a good idea.

Restaurant Feedback Form creates a feedback loop that will lead to restaurant growth
Sending ALL guests to an incentivized survey form like this kills two powerful birds with one stone: 1) Creates a feedback loop, which will help your restaurant grow, and 2) Encourages the next visit with a little offer

You can then choose to ask those who filled out the survey to go ahead and also leave their feedback on your review platform of choice.

Of course, you can always simply send them directly to your Google Review link.

7. Embrace Transparency (Avoid “Review Gating”)

Many restaurants will ask what guests would rate their experience and ask for the review only if they say they’ll give 5 stars.

This is “Review Gating” and is against Google’s Terms of Service.

Based on research by GatherUp, businesses looking for authentic feedback and valuing ALL experiences saw a 31% greater review conversion than those trying to “game” the system.

8. Reply to Every Online Review

Whether positive or negative, respond promptly to every review.

Aim to have a member of your team monitor and respond to online reviews promptly

This does a few things you may not have considered:

  1. It’s a positive sentiment signal that Google will reward with better rankings, over time
  2. It shows prospective guests that you care
  3. It gives you an opportunity to address negative feedback

Turn Your Online Reviews into a Guest Magnet

As a restaurant owner, you know that word-of-mouth drives traffic. The same principle applies online—your reviews can make or break a first impression. Take control of your reputation, attract more guests, and keep them coming back.

The Easy Yes Menu

The Easy Yes Menu

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The Guest Getter Podcast
The Easy Yes Menu
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In this episode, we explore a sales strategy inspired by a conversation with Dean Jackson about a promotion used by Olive Garden.

Discover how offering enticing, low-cost items at the point of sale can directly impact your revenue. We discuss creating a menu filled with irresistible, value-driven offers that servers can introduce strategically.

These ‘Easy Yes’ items, like $5 cocktails or take-home entrées, not only encourage immediate purchase but also enhance customer satisfaction by providing them with exceptional value.

Tune in to learn how this approach can leave your guests with a ‘warm and fuzzy’ feeling, increasing their likelihood of returning and transforming them into raving fans. Perfect for restaurateurs looking to elevate their customer experience and boost sales!

00:00 Introduction and Olive Garden Promotion

00:41 Creating a Menu of Easy Yes Offers

01:42 Psychological Triggers and Value Perception

02:47 The Warm and Fuzzy Feeling

03:03 Conclusion and Podcast Outro

Tim Chermak podcast episode

“Cheap CPMs Make Dumb Marketers” with Tim Chermak

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The Guest Getter Podcast
“Cheap CPMs Make Dumb Marketers” with Tim Chermak
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I saw Tim Chermak speak at Seven Figure Agency back in November 2023. He blew my mind.

His talk was called “Cheap CPMs Make Dumb Marketers.”

Reach thousands of people with a message for just a few bucks? Great! But the stakes are low.

Before the internet, businesses had to invest heavily to get their message seen, heard, read.

So advertising was better.

It was art!

Tim’s helping realtors put the same level of thought into their marketing. Behind the scenes, he helps them craft essays that are intellectually interesting.

Instead of optimizing for clicks, opens, CPMs, opt-ins, etc—he helps clients optimize for RESPECT.

They’re like a marketing employee that has ten years of experience in the real estate niche and a massive catalogue of “Greatest Hits.”

And I believe this is a missing key in many restaurant’s marketing mix.

Thoughtful, intellectually interesting, and optimizing for respect (and trust).

Connect with Tim Chermak

🌐 Check out Platform Marketing

🤝 Connect with Tim on Facebook

Neil Patel's digital marketing playbook for restaurants

+$100M Founder Neil Patel Gives Away The Digital Marketing Playbook for Restaurants

Neil Patel is a digital marketing titan and founder of the +$100M agency Neil Patel Digital.

Today, we’re bringing Neil Patel down from the mountaintop to help restaurants win big at the local level, and scale up the mountain. He etches out a playbook to kick the crap out of competition in search rankings and double revenue over 1-3 years.

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The Guest Getter Podcast
+$100M Founder Neil Patel Gives Away The Digital Marketing Playbook for Restaurants
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Some of the gold nuggets we cover in this episode:

🧠 The biggest mistake Neil sees restaurants make again and again that keeps them from growing

🧠 Neil’s advice on the “right” way to look at organic social media as a restaurant growth tool

🧠 The one “hack” you can use to get way more traffic out of your Google Business Listing.

🧠 The fun way to get backlinks to your site so that your website is trusted—leading to more traffic and sales

Listen to this episode now to get these insights (and many more).

🤝 Connect with Neil on LinkedIn and Instagram

🔍 Check out Neil’s incredible research tool Answer The Public

💼 Learn more about Neil’s agency Neil Patel Digital

The Red Ocean and Blue Ocean of Getting Attention for Your Restaurant

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The Guest Getter Podcast
The Red Ocean and Blue Ocean of Getting Attention For Your Restaurant
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Attention and awareness is like oxygen to a business.

It creates revenue and opportunity. And if you suffocate it, you’ll notice that revenue dwindles as well.

Maybe not tomorrow, next month, or even the month after that, but several months down the line, you’ll see that sales are down and you won’t know why, but chances are it’s because at some point in the past, you stopped prioritizing, generating attention and awareness.

There are two places we can go to get attention and awareness.

One is shark infested and a bloodbath that is a red ocean.

Red ocean.

Or, you can go where there is no competition, the water is nice and clean, and that is a blue ocean.

Now for bars and restaurants, the red ocean is, you guessed it, organic Facebook and Instagram.

Look to your left, look to your right. Every restaurant is on there and for many that’s almost all they’re doing and a lot of it just looks the same.

This is good news because there are incredible opportunities in the Blue Ocean.

The Blue Ocean is SEO because it’s boring and not sexy but it works. Most of your customers come from Google Search and Maps. It is billboards.

It’s social and search ads.

It’s direct mail.

It’s email, and it’s S M S.

The question you might want to ask is if you have to deliver a message or offer to grow your restaurant sales, how would you do it without using organic social media?

Get insights to grow your restaurant in your inbox below. 👇

Opening a Brand New Restaurant Where No One Knows Who You Are with FouZan Beg

The Guest Getter Podcast
The Guest Getter Podcast
Opening a Brand New Restaurant Where No One Knows Who You Are with FouZan Beg
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In the dynamic world of restaurant entrepreneurship, success stories often involve overcoming significant challenges. This blog post delves into the fascinating journey of FouZan Beg, the innovative mind behind Thaifoon Restaurants, as he shares his experiences in opening a new restaurant in unfamiliar markets.

The Unconventional Path to Restaurant Success:

FouZan Beg’s story is a testament to the power of determination and adaptability in the restaurant industry. With no formal background in culinary arts or business management, FouZan took over Thaifoon Restaurants and transformed it into a thriving brand. His journey highlights the importance of passion and hard work in restaurant entrepreneurship.

Key Insights from FouZan Beg’s Journey:

  1. Embracing Challenges: FouZan discusses the hurdles he faced, from learning to cook authentic Thai cuisine to managing business operations, all while balancing family life.
  2. Customer-Centric Approach: At the heart of Thaifoon’s success is FouZan’s view of guests as more than customers. This perspective has been crucial in building a loyal customer base.
  3. The Role of Mindset: FouZan emphasizes the significance of a positive mindset. Drawing inspiration from mentors like Bob Proctor, he underscores how a strong vision can guide entrepreneurs through uncertainties.
  4. Expansion and Growth: FouZan shares insights into Thaifoon’s expansion into new markets, revealing strategies for gaining traction in places where the brand was previously unknown.
  5. Learning from Experience: Reflecting on his journey, FouZan advocates for learning through experiences, both successful and challenging, as a cornerstone of growth in restaurant entrepreneurship.

Conclusion:

FouZan Beg’s journey in the restaurant industry is a compelling story of resilience and innovation. His experiences offer valuable lessons for aspiring restaurateurs and seasoned business owners alike. FouZan’s story underlines that with the right mindset, dedication, and customer focus, success in restaurant entrepreneurship is attainable, even against all odds.