How to get more Google reviews for your café or restaurant, honestly
Published
Before they visit, many guests check your rating and reviews on Google. Plenty of recent reviews reassure them; an empty or neglected profile puts them off. The good news is that most happy guests will leave a review if you ask at the right moment and make it easy. Here is how to do it honestly.
Start the free trialThe golden rule: never buy or fake reviews
Do not buy reviews, do not ask friends and family to write fake ones, do not post from fake accounts, and do not offer a gift in exchange for a good rating. These practices mislead guests, break Google's rules, and can get reviews removed or your profile penalised.
Do not filter either: asking only happy guests and hiding the link from everyone else is a form of cheating. Ask everyone, and fix what is not working.
A complete, up-to-date Google profile
Before asking for reviews, check your profile: exact name, address, map pin, phone, opening hours (including Ramadan and holiday hours), category, and recent photos of the room, the terrace and the food. A guest who finds the door shut because of wrong hours rarely leaves a kind review.
Add real photos taken in daylight. A profile with recent photos makes people want to come, and shows there is someone looking after the place.
Ask at the right moment
The best moment to ask is when the guest is happy: while paying, when they thank the waiter, or when they compliment a dish. One simple sentence is enough: 'If you enjoyed it, a quick Google review helps us a lot.'
Avoid asking in the middle of a rush or right after a long wait. And do not push: one friendly request is plenty.
Regulars are your best reviewers and often never think of it. The guest who has had a nus-nus on your terrace every morning for a year will gladly write two lines if you simply ask once. Takeaway guests can get the same request in a short WhatsApp message after their order.
Make the review easy to leave
Every extra step means fewer reviews. Guests will not search for your name on Google Maps once they get home. Give them a direct link to your profile: a QR code on the table or the counter, on the receipt, or in a WhatsApp message for takeaway orders.
Google lets you create this link from your business profile. Test it on your own phone before you print it.
Reply to every review, especially the bad ones
Thank positive reviewers with a short, personal note. Answer negative reviews calmly, without long excuses and without blaming the guest: thank them, acknowledge the problem if it is real, and say what you changed. Future guests read your replies as closely as the reviews.
A bad review is also information. If several guests mention slow service on match nights or the state of the toilets, that is where to act first.
Brief your team
Your waiters are best placed to ask. Explain why reviews matter, give them the sentence to say, and tell them clearly when not to ask. Repeat the rule: nothing is ever promised in return for a review.
Share positive reviews that mention a waiter by name. They motivate the whole team.
With Tablilo
With Tablilo, after paying, every guest can rate the visit and open your Google page in one tap, on the phone they are already holding. When a rating is low (3 stars or less), you get a private alert, so you can find out what happened and fix it quickly.
The tool makes asking easier, but the rules do not change: no fake reviews, no gifts for ratings, and a reply for every guest.
Related features
- QR code menu for restaurants and cafés in MoroccoA QR code menu on every table: guests scan, choose and order from their phone, no app needed. Digital menu in French, Arabic and English.
- Reports and anti-theft alerts for your tillRecorded cancellations, tables closed unpaid, cash difference, accountant export and a manager login: see what happens in your café, even when away.