08 March,2025 08:39 AM IST | Mumbai | Phorum Pandya
Representational image. Pic/iStock
In a case of extreme measure, the owner of ramen shop Toyojiro, in Kyoto, Japan, put a bounty of 100,000 yen (R58,000) on Instagram to hunt down two male customers who left him a one-star review. He also threatened them with a nasty comment: "I'll deal with you." The comment was later pulled down after it was received with harsh criticism.
The era of online reviews in India kickstarted when social media forums and travel websites offered a platform for users to voice their opinions. Over time, review systems were formalised and customers began to rely on them to make their decision - to buy a product, visit a restaurant or take a holiday. For the hospitality industry, the practice of handing out customers feedback forms was an old tradition of taking feedback.
Today, reviews and ratings make or break the image of a restaurant. We spoke to chefs and restaurateurs on their tryst with online reviews, especially the ones that leave a bad taste (pun intended).
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Sumit Gambhir, co-founder, Woodside Inn
We study reviews across our brands on Google every week to understand what went wrong. The good reviews are always nice to read but negative reviews need responsible action. It helps when a customer explains in detail what went wrong - the reason a dish went wrong, service not being up to the mark, etc. We immediately put it on our operations group and try to find out the reason. When a name is familiar, we put it on Instagram or Facebook, and track the person. We invited them back. Most are surprised at this gesture. In hospitality, it is important to be responsive. For Burger Shop and The Pantry, which are delivery models, we get the reviews on food ordering apps like Zomato and Swiggy. The apps allow us to send them a message, cancel a billing and refund a sum. Last week, a tourist group, tired after walking around Colaba, dropped by Woodside Inn. The server requested them to wait at the bar. This group felt the server could have been warmer. Such a review helps us with internal training.
Sameer Uttamsingh, co-founder and spokesperson, Donmai
Unfortunately, things do go wrong at times in a restaurant. You can't have a perfect day every single day. It comes at the cost of bumping off a bill, but that's what it takes. We want everyone to be happy. That's what hospitality is about. With an online review, we ask them for their contact details, and try to resolve the issue starting with an apology. We don't want people talking about a bad experience at our restaurant. So, it becomes important to address a review.
Shahrom Oshtori, owner, Sixteen33
We tackle a bad review at the root cause - which is identified by checking CCTV, body language, behaviour and direct feedback if any. Hospitality industry is run by people, not machines. Mistakes happen. We learn to rectify. An online review does affect the image of a restaurant. The effect is similar to online shopping - we always check reviews before buying a product. While there is no way to determine if a user has visited the restaurant on Google, food apps only allow people who have ordered the food to comment. A bad review is a Catch-22 situation. We respond mindfully, as it's read by so many.
Devika Manjrekar, head chef and owner, Toast Pasta Bar & The Doughnut Shop
Online reviews cannot be ignored as people who don't know about the chef or restaurant will check them before visiting. Most of our bad reviews are centred on people feeling they've paid too much, not gotten a reservation or that they didn't have enough vegetarian options. That is not a critique, but it brings down your rating. Some reviews can be untrue. I am tempted to respond, but my team doesn't allow me. We report harsh comments by people who haven't even visited us. For us, good service comes first. We focus on ensuring the guest leaves happy. I have stopped getting notified of reviews because it ruins my day.
Aditya Jain, marketing head, Blah! Santacruz
Half the battle is won when a human speaks to a customer instead of a bot. In case of a bad experience, the staff usually makes note and informs us. A negative review by a customer can be because of multiple reasons such as they might have not liked the taste of a dish, overall service or the music was too loud. Today, customers check reviews, photos and overall social media comments on a place.
AD Singh, managing director of the Olive Group of Restaurants
If people are happy, they rarely write a review. If they have a bad experience, they do write it and people tend to remember them and spread the word. Word of mouth is a powerful tool. For us, the customer is king. We're in business because of them and their happiness is crucial. Online, there are all kinds of people saying all kinds of things, so the teams try to assess everything on merit. If it's reasonably fair, then we'll offer all measures to make up where necessary. It could be another meal or a line of credit to show that the place cares and wants to have moved past the bad experience. The tricky time is where we feel a review is unreasonable. Customers sometimes are unreasonably unfair. Then, we try to sort out the problem, and not let the situation blow up.
Rachel Goenka, CEO, TCSC Hospitality
Our team takes first-hand feedback from guests while they're dining with us. This helps us gauge their experience. We can pre-empt a response to a negative experience such as a drink coming late to the table, or a dish not being up to their liking. Customers are more vocal about negative experiences than a good one, whether it's at the restaurant or on online platforms. When we receive a negative review online, our first priority is to try and respond within 24 hours and get the customer's details so that our manager can reach out and speak to them. Our service recovery is based on the nature of the review - for genuine concerns, we invite the customer back for a meal to the restaurant or send them a meal on the house.
