If you’re a restaurant owner, you’re probably painfully aware of how much a bad Grubhub review from an unsatisfied customer can influence your business.
In this article, we’re going to explore how to manage, respond to, and remove your Grubhub reviews. We’re also going to discuss different strategies and platforms to make sure you get all the positive reviews you deserve.
How to Manage, Respond, and Remove Grubhub Reviews
Proper review management is key to keeping a solid score and driving business. From food quality to food delivery service, restaurants have to make sure their customers have nothing to complain about at every step. Sometimes, however, even that isn’t enough. That’s where we have to make sure we manage our online Grubhub reviews properly.
How to Respond to GrubHub Reviews
Once you decide to partner with Grubhub, your customers will be able to leave ratings and feedback on your Grubhub menu page. You will have 14 days to respond to each review, so make sure to stay on top of things.
You can respond to your customers directly from the Ratings & reviews section. It’s where you can thank your happy customers and straighten things out with the unhappy ones.
- The ratings & reviews section provides you with an overview of your ratings and reviews.
- This section shows you have many reviews you have yet to respond to.
- This is where you can monitor your discount code status.
- You can respond to each customer review in the Respond to reviews section.
- Here, you can report a breach of ToS to Grubhub and ask for the removal of reviews that break the rules.
- On a desktop computer, click on “Reviews” in the left sidebar. On a mobile device, tap the hamburger icon.
- Find the “Respond to reviews” area to see all the feedback left by diners. Click “Respond” next to a recent review you wish to reply to.
- A pop-up will show the customer’s rating, their written review, and their order details.
- Write your reply to the customer in the space provided. For tips on crafting a good response, visit our guide on responding to reviews.
- Make sure you’re satisfied with your response before hitting “Submit.” Remember, your response will be visible to the public, and the customer will be notified via email. You can’t make edits after submission.
- Click “Submit” to post your response. Note: If your response isn’t approved, you’ll lose the chance to reply to that review, so make sure to get it right.
How to Remove Grubhub Reviews
In most cases, a restaurant cannot remove a review on Grubhub. However, under certain conditions, you can contact Grubhub to request the removal of a negative review from your Grubhub page.
- Use profanity, hate speech, or threats
- Mention Grubhub employees or those from your restaurant by name
- Reference competitors or external websites
- Discuss issues beyond the restaurant’s control, like problems with a Grubhub driver or the platform itself
- Are very short (less than three words)
- Have spelling mistakes
- Are repeated reviews
- Share personal information of diners
Unfortunately, you can’t remove negative reviews that don’t qualify for removal. The only thing left to do is to try to make things right with your customers by responding to their negative reviews.
How to Get More Positive Grubhub Reviews
As much as we’d like to give you a magic formula that will always work and get you only the best reviews, there really isn’t one. In the end it’s all about the quality of your service, food, and how you approach your customers. Here are some tips you can use next time to make sure you get the reviews you deserve.
- Provide great service: Happy customers are more likely to share their positive experiences.
- Deliver on time: Nobody likes having their food delivered cold. On-time delivery is one of the key factors in online ordering reviews.
- Review reminders: Sometimes, all you need to do is ask. After a transaction, encourage your customers to leave a review. You can do it through follow-up emails, receipts, or via your website.
- Make it easy: Provide a direct link to the review website in the follow-up.
- Respond to reviews: Responding to reviews shows that you value feedback and can influence others to leave their own reviews. Make sure to be professional and never let your emotions get the better of you.
- Incentivize: Offer small incentives, like a discount or an extra stamp for leaving a review.
- Use signage: QR code signs or QR stickers will remind customers to leave a review.
- Engage with the community: Participate in the events with other local restaurants to show your goodwill.
- Monitor reviews: Keep an eye on what customers are saying about you online to identify areas for improvement using restaurant marketing tools.
- Train your staff: Ensure your team understands the importance of customer service and how it relates to positive reviews.
- Customize delivery packaging: Consider placing stickers on your takeaway bags so that your delivery drivers can ‘carry’ the links to your review sites directly to your customers.
How to Respond to GrubHub Reviews
There are times when, no matter how hard you try to satisfy your customers, you will get a couple of random negative reviews that don’t really make sense. The first thing to do is to check if they don’t break the Grubhub ToS. If they do, contact Grubhub and ask for removal. If not, try responding to the review professionally.
Review 1: High Fees
Customer review: “I was shocked by the delivery fee and service fee on my last order. The total cost was much higher than expected. Not what I signed up for when using food delivery services.”
“We’re truly sorry to hear about your surprise regarding the fees. We aim to provide transparency in our pricing and regret any confusion. Please note that these fees are needed to support operational costs and service. We value your feedback and want to ensure your satisfaction. Could you contact us at our customer service number so we can discuss a possible adjustment or full refund? Your experience matters to us, and we’re committed to offering great customer service.”
Review 2: Wrong Address Delivery
Customer Review: “Absolutely horrible service! My dinner was delivered to the wrong address. By the time I got it, it was cold and unappetizing.”
“We sincerely apologize for the mix-up with your delivery. Delivering to the wrong address falls far below our standards for great customer service. We understand how disappointing this must have been and would like to make it right. Please reach out to our customer care team so we can arrange for a new, hot meal to be sent to you at no additional cost or offer a full refund. Your satisfaction is our top priority.”
Review 3: Poor Handling of Multiple Orders
Customer Review: “I placed multiple orders for a family event through GrubHub, and the experience was disappointing. Mixed-up orders and delayed delivery really put a damper on our evening.”
“We’re very sorry to hear about the issues with your multiple orders. We strive to ensure every order, especially those for special occasions, is handled with care and precision. It seems we missed the mark this time. We’re reviewing our partnership with food delivery companies like GrubHub to prevent future occurrences. Please let us make it up to you. Contact us directly so we can discuss compensation that reflects our apology and commitment to improving.”
Review 4: Confusion Over Fees
Customer Review: “The order food delivery fees were confusing and not clearly explained upfront. Felt like I was overcharged without proper justification.”
“Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We apologize for any confusion regarding the food delivery fees for the order. Our goal is to be as transparent as possible with our pricing. We’d like to understand more about your order and see how we can clarify these charges for you. Could you please reach out to us with more details? We’re here to provide customer care and ensure you feel valued and fairly treated.”
Review 5: Unreachable Customer Service
Customer Review: “After receiving the wrong dish, I called the restaurant multiple times without success. It’s frustrating when you can’t reach someone for help.”
“We’re sorry to hear you had trouble reaching us. Offering great customer service is something we pride ourselves on, and it sounds like we fell short. We’re taking steps to ensure our customer service number is more accessible and that our team is responsive to our valued customers like you. Please email us with your order details so we can address this issue directly and offer a satisfactory resolution.”
Review 6: Delivery Driver Issue
Customer Review: “The delivery driver was rude and careless with my food. It arrived looking like it had been tossed around. Expected better.”
“We apologize deeply for the behavior of the delivery driver and the condition in which your food arrived. This is not the standard we aim for with our delivery partners. We’re addressing this with the food delivery companies we work with to ensure all drivers represent our brand’s commitment to quality and respect. Please allow us the opportunity to rectify this by offering a replacement meal or a full refund. Your feedback is crucial in helping us improve our service.”
Where Else to Get Reviews
You may receive negative restaurant reviews simply because the service you’re using to sell food is not functioning properly. In that case, you may want to consider using other ordering and review services.
Learn more: How to get customer feedback in a restaurant
- DoorDash: Similar to Grubhub, DoorDash connects you to a lot of customers and allows them to order meals and leave feedback right on the platform.
- Uber Eats: Uber Eats is huge for delivering your dishes to people’s doors, offering another space for customer reviews.
- Yelp: More than just reviews, Yelp lets customers rate their experiences and order food, which is especially useful for visibility and feedback.
- Google My Business: This helps you show up in Google searches and on Maps, making it easy for customers to find you and share their thoughts.
- Facebook: Use your business page for direct orders and engaging with your community. Plus, customers can rate and review your service.
- Instagram: Great for showcasing your food with beautiful photos. You can guide followers to order and encourage them to leave feedback elsewhere.
- TripAdvisor: If you’re near tourist spots or want to attract travelers, TripAdvisor is a go-to for reviews and boosting your visibility.
- Your own mobile app and website: Having your own restaurant mobile app and website puts you at an advantage; you can sell food with no commissions and ask for reviews via follow-up emails or push notifications.
The biggest players in business use every platform available. For most small restaurant owners, however, this might be a daunting task. If you were to run your business on ten different platforms, you’d have no time left to manage your restaurant.
Consider using restaurant feedback software to manage your restaurant reviews from every platform in one place.
Key Takeaways
- Managing Grubhub reviews: Ensuring top-notch food quality and delivery service is a start, but managing online reviews on Grubhub is also essential.
- Responding to Grubhub reviews: Restaurants can respond to both positive and negative feedback directly on their Grubhub menu page.
- Removing Grubhub reviews: While you can’t remove most negative reviews, Grubhub may allow the removal of reviews containing profanity, hate speech, or irrelevant content.
- Gaining positive reviews: Quality service and food are key to earning positive reviews. On-time delivery, asking for reviews post-purchase, providing easy access to review links, and offering incentives for reviews can help increase positive feedback.
- Professional responses: Even with the best efforts, negative reviews will happen. Professional, empathetic responses can turn negative experiences into positive outcomes.
- Diversifying review platforms: Using platforms like DoorDash, Yelp, Google My Business, or Facebook can increase visibility and feedback opportunities. A restaurant mobile app and website can also provide direct channels for orders and reviews.
- Efficient review management: Restaurant feedback software can help consolidate review management, making maintaining a positive online presence easier.
