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If you’ve never read a restaurant review online before deciding on a place to eat, you’re one of the few. Most people check online reviews of restaurants and even post reviews themselves.
What this means for you as a restaurant owner is that you should monitor and reply to these reviews to show customers that their experience is of the utmost importance to you. Well-optimized profiles on restaurant review sites will also boost your off-page SEO.
Below are ten restaurant review websites you should have a presence on.
The Best Restaurant Review Sites to Be on
This list of restaurant review sites is a great start for launching your business online. Ensure you create a complete profile on all that are active in your area and fit your needs to get more new customers.
1. Google Business Profile
Google Business Profile (GBP) is not just one of the most popular restaurant review sites around but also a potent tool that can help you rank high and get more visibility in search results. Filling out your GBP profile with information like opening hours, location, photos, online ordering links, and so on is necessary for any restaurateur.
81% of customers check Google for reviews before they visit a business, so it’s easy to see why having many positive reviews there can help you boost your sales. Constantly read your Google restaurant reviews and reply to all of them, addressing issues and complaints as they arise.
Get access:To claim your business on Google Business Profile, go to their homepage and click on “Manage now.” If you can’t find your restaurant, that means you have to add it yourself.
Extra tip:Encourage your customers to leave more positive reviews on Google, so you can convince other interested people to become your clients.
2. TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor may be an online travel site that features all kinds of businesses, but restaurants are one of the main attractions on the platform. Travelers check TripAdvisor restaurant reviews when out of town. To rank high on TripAdvisor and be featured in tops like “Best Restaurants in [Location],” you need many recent, positive reviews.
Besides monitoring and replying to reviews, you can and should enrich your TripAdvisor profile with photos and vital information like opening hours, website, phone number, etc., in addition to interactive elements such as a flipbook or digital menu.
Get access:To claim your listing on TripAdvisor, go here. If you can’t find your restaurant, get it listed here.
Read our guides to TripAdvisor for restaurants to learn everything you need to know about the platform:
3. Yelp
Yelp is somewhat similar to TripAdvisor, except it’s not explicitly designed for travelers but for everyone looking for a particular business in their area. Yelp restaurant reviews are very popular, and a one-star increase in your rating can lead to a 9% increase in your revenue.
Again, fill out your Yelp profile in its entirety and make sure all the information coincides with what you’ve added to other platforms. Conflicting data like opening hours can really damage your business.
Get access: Claim your Yelp business page by going here and clicking on the “Manage my free listing” button. If your restaurant isn’t on Yelp, you will have to add it.
4. Facebook
Facebook might not be the first platform that crosses your mind when thinking of restaurant review sites, but it’s one of the most valuable. If you don’t already have a restaurant Facebook page, it’s long overdue. Every business should be active on Facebook if they hope to gain new customers.
72% of consumers use Facebook when choosing a place to eat. Do your best to collect positive reviews and show your page visitors that they have every reason to want to dine with you.
Get access: You can use Facebook for Business to set up your restaurant’s page and add location, photos, a link to your website, and more.
Tip: Facebook’s call-to-action buttons allow you to add a “Start Order” button on your restaurant’s Facebook page. Do that to redirect customers to your online menu where they can place an order. Here’s how.
Turn your positive Facebook reviews into new orders
Allow people to order your food directly from social media
5. Foursquare
You might remember Foursquare as a check-in app, but now, it’s one of the most popular restaurant review sites out there. It works similarly to Yelp by helping people find local businesses according to reviews and recommendations.
Their tool is called a “city guide,” and the people who contribute are “local experts.” Foursquare boasts an impressive 75 million tips that can help people find what they’re looking for.
Get access: Go to this page to search for your restaurant on Foursquare and claim it. Then, it’s just a matter of filling out your profile and getting access to tools like Analytics to get to know your customers.
6. Yell
Previously the Yellow Pages, now Yell is mainly a directory for all businesses in the UK, but has all the features of a restaurant review site. You can add your restaurant and people can leave star ratings and reviews to describe their experience.
As a restaurant owner, you can also reply to said reviews, be they positive or negative to get a chance to increase customer loyalty.
Get access: You can get both a free listing and a paid one by accessing this page. The paid feature gets you increased visibility and access to an analytics dashboard.
7. HappyCow
HappyCow is one of the restaurant review sites dedicated to vegetarians, vegans, and people interested in plant-based cuisine. It allows people to leave comments, ratings, and reviews for their vegetarian-friendly experiences worldwide.
Get access: If you offer a variety of plant-based options, you can add your restaurant by accessing this page.
8. TheFork
TheFork is both a restaurant reviews website and a restaurant table reservation system. If you want to get more reviews from customers in the UK, you must also use their booking system.
The platform is quite popular in England because while browsing the restaurants in their area and looking over scores and reviews, clients can easily book a table when they’ve decided.
Get access: You’ll have to create an account on this page and go through the setup process of using a reservation system.
9. Gayot
Another restaurant review site that relies mainly on reviews from food critics and experts but also includes some from customers, Gayot stands out due to its unique 20-point-based rating scale that looks at more than just food but also ambiance, service, and more.
With a long tradition behind it and named after a famous French food critic, it might not be every restaurateur’s cup of tea, but it’s worth taking a look.
Get access: Unfortunately, you cannot get listed on the website or claim your listing. What you can do is advertise with them to become more visible on the site, but that will, of course, cost you.
10. AllergyEats
Finally, because not all restaurant review websites offer users the possibility to filter restaurants based on allergies and intolerances, this is one you should be on if you hope to cater to everyone. It’s only available in the US, and it allows people to find allergy-friendly restaurants based on user submissions.
Get access: Add your restaurant on AllergyEats by filling out this form.
Attract good reviews by offering the best experience possible
Install an online ordering system to your website for free
Bottom Line
Reviews are the bread and butter of your restaurant. You can’t survive without them and, if handled properly, they can skyrocket your profits and help you build your brand. To be where your potential customers are, you need to sign up for the restaurant review sites above or get in touch with them for an individual review.
As an extra tip, if you want to encourage people to leave you more positive reviews, add the links to all the review platforms you are on your website.
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