How to use customer reviews to drive more bookings in your restaurant

Positive customer reviews are one of the most valuable tools in your restaurant’s marketing arsenal and best of all, they’re totally free.

There are plenty of ways to encourage your customers to leave a review on your TheFork page, whether that’s a friendly in-person reminder at the end of a meal or a follow-up email asking them to share their thoughts.

Once you’ve delighted diners with your tasty food and top-notch service and prompted them to leave a rating and review for your restaurant, that’s a powerful nugget of social proof you can use in your marketing to attract more customers. At TheFork, we’ve ensured that only verified diners can leave a review for your restaurant, giving them an extra robust layer of credibility. But more often than not, these reviews are left siloed on your reviews page, meaning you’re not using them to their full potential. 
Some restaurateurs like to share their glowing reviews on their social media channels, but there typically hasn’t been an effective way to show off this feedback besides sharing a screenshot of the reviews page. While these positive sentiments will still resonate with users looking at your social media channels, a plain screenshot isn’t very eye-catching or personalised. At a time when most social media platforms are visual-first — and 30 per cent of 18-35-year-olds would avoid a restaurant with a weak Instagram presence — appearance matters.

So we’ve brought out a brand-new feature to help you turn your dazzling customer reviews into a marketing goldmine. On the TheFork Manager app, you can share your 10/10 reviews (including the rating and comment) on Instagram or other social media channels in just three easy clicks.

Simply go to ‘Reviews’ in the app, click ‘Share’ next to the review you’d like to spotlight and decide between using a default background or customising it with an image, such as one of the photos from your restaurant’s TheFork listing. Then select ‘Instagram Story’ to open the photo on Instagram, or choose another platform where you’d like to share the review.

In just a few clicks, you can add high-quality content to your social media profiles and demonstrate invaluable social proof from your happiest diners. Chat with your Account Manager to learn about TheFork Manager’s other new features or, if you’re not yet signed up to TheFork, get in touch to discover how we can help you drive more bookings and grow your revenue sustainably