Guide
Answering the bad ones.
The reply is not for the person who wrote it. It is for the fifty people who read it before deciding.
In short
Reply to every negative review within a few days, briefly. Acknowledge the specific complaint, avoid excuses, say what has changed, and offer to continue offline. Short and calm reads as competent to future readers. Long and defensive reads as guilty regardless of who was right.
Updated 28 August 2026
Who you are actually writing for
The reviewer has already had their experience and is unlikely to change their mind. The audience is everybody who reads the review while deciding whether to order. That reframing solves most of the hard cases: you are not trying to win, you are trying to look like somewhere that handles a problem well. Future customers weigh the reply heavily, and a good one can make a bad review a net positive.
The shape of a good reply
Four short parts and no more. Name the specific issue so it is clear you read it. Do not argue the facts even when you could. Say what you have changed or checked. Offer a way to continue it privately. Then stop. Three or four sentences is plenty and anything longer starts to read as a defence.
- Acknowledge the specific thing, not a generic apology
- No excuses, no explanations of how busy you were
- State the change or the check you made
- Offer an email or a phone number and move it offline
What never to do
Do not dispute the account in public, even when you have the till receipt. Do not mention the customer's behaviour. Do not copy and paste the same reply, which is obvious at a glance when the replies sit in a column. And do not reply while angry: write it, leave it an hour, then send. Almost every reply that damages a business was written within ten minutes of reading the review.
Patterns matter more than individual reviews
One bad review is noise. The same complaint three times in a month is data, and it is the most useful free feedback you will get. Read your negatives quarterly as a set rather than individually. If delivery times or a specific dish keep appearing, the reply is not the fix. The fix is the fix.
When to report instead of reply
Some reviews breach platform policy: no actual visit, abuse, or a competitor. Report those and reply briefly anyway, because reporting often fails and an unanswered accusation reads worse than a calm answer. Budget your energy: report, reply once, move on. Fighting a false review at length costs you more than the review does.
Questions, answered straight.
Not covered here? Just ask us.
Should I reply to positive reviews too?
Yes, briefly. It signals an active business and it makes the negative replies look less like damage control. A sentence is enough.
How fast should I reply?
Within a few days. Same-hour replies are often too emotional and nobody expects them. After a fortnight it reads as neglect.
Should I offer a refund in the reply?
Offer to sort it, not a specific remedy. Publicly offering money invites people to complain for money, and the specifics belong in a private conversation.
Does replying help my ranking?
Indirectly. Active profiles with recent engagement signal a trading business, and replies encourage more reviews. Treat the ranking effect as a bonus rather than the reason.
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