how google reviews can cause a restaurant

“Where do you want to eat this afternoon?” »: With family or friends, this innocent question, many of us ask ourselves during the holidays when opting for a restaurant. Meanwhile, Finally, innocent … Meanwhile, for some, No random space.

“Less than four in five stars?” I drop it, ”says from the outset Salomé, confident to actu.fr that she looks “almost every time” the notes left on Google Before deciding. Nevertheless, She is far from being the only one to have this reflex.

In France, 94 % of people declared paying attention to opinions on the Internet, according how google reviews can cause to a recent UFC-Que survey Choose. For example, Behavior to which restaurateurs must adapt to Ensure (new) customersbut which they can also seriously suffer.

“I look at everything” before going to the restaurant – How google reviews can cause

Finding a restaurant. Consequently, for many, here is what is: getting your phone out, opening Google Maps and peeling the establishments that appear around. Meanwhile, Not necessarily to study the menu, but especially to trust the notes (stars) allocated to establishments.

More word of mouth So, but a few clicks on the internet that can make all the difference. For example, Notes, photos of the establishment, comments … Consequently, Juliet “Look at everything” Before opting for a restaurant, while ensuring actu.fr that she ” Gaffe »also to the distribution of comments.

“If there are lots of” 5 stars “but also full of” 1 star “, I take how google reviews can cause the time to think more,” she explains to actu.fr. For example, Less than 4 out of 5 stars on the other hand: Juliette changes plans. Nevertheless, Finally, unless the place “was recommended by friends, in which case, I go with my eyes closed”.

“Never been disappointed. Therefore, because I always look before going to the restaurant” – How google reviews can cause

Edith also admits having “often” this reflex to avoid unpleasant surprises when seated. Therefore, Its criteria on Google Maps? Consequently, “I look at the note, the comments and the number of people who noted,” replied the young woman to actu.fr.

To limit? “Four in five stars, minimum”like Salomé and Juliet. If this is a friend’s recommendation, but the note is bad on the internet? “I would tend to go anyway”, unless the comments mention serious problems “like hygiene problems”.

In summary: Trust the ratings on Google how google reviews can cause is the most effective way to avoid unpleasant surprises. ” In any case, I have never been disappointed because I always look before I go ”promises Edith.

Google notes. between “stake” and “judgment” – How google reviews can cause

Restaurateurs do not deny it either: Google notes are now a “real issue” to attract customersin particular “tourists who go to the internet and rely on the opinions they find”, illustrates Thomas Scelles, employee of a restaurant interviewed by our local editorial staff The Channel Press.

A showcase for the best … as for the worst. Mathilde took over a bistro three years ago in Morbihan. The business was not expensive and above all, it saw it as a “big potential”, she confides in actu.fr. A downside, however: the past of the establishment, renamed the Bigorneau.

Before the recovery, the former owner was out of breath after 20 years in the establishment. how google reviews can cause It had become dilapidated, not super well frequented and he had confused with almost the whole village.

These notes “can really harm a reputation”

So when “we start from nothing to go up a business”. the road is sometimes long. If it can rely on the absence of competition -its bistro is the only one in the town -some. points are essential for Machine relaunch… Including these famous Google reviews.

“I am not very fan of it. because it can really harm a reputation and nothing be worth checking for yourself. But I will lie if I told you that I don’t pay attention, ”says Mathilde. For good reason, “the majority of people take a look at the opinions when they do not know the place”.

Since then, his bistro has restored his image with how google reviews can cause “good opinions”. More “representative” of the current atmosphere of the place. mentioning the change of owner, They are able to make the difference with customers Who, after reading, choose to sit down.

+ 5 euros for four stars and more, -3 euros below

But this appreciation system also has its drifts. Mathilde remembers the period when she worked in an Estaminet in Lille (North).

His boss “rewarded” or “penalized” his teams compared to the numbers of stars that customers put on Tripadvisor. No google stars here, “but it’s still opinions” on which the quality of work was estimated.

Concretely, it was +5 euros for notices of more than 4 stars, and -3 euros for notices of less than 3 stars. This system was a bit scary! You always had to be at the cleat, on everything.

Does it seem crazy to you? The next time you eat at the restaurant. lift your ear: when adjusting, it is not rarer to hear the bosses invite customers to “Leave an opinion on the networks” rather than a tip to the teams.

“Impossible to backtrack”

So, can we trust our eyes closed to opinions on the Internet? “Years that we have faced with this trend, Impossible today to reverse. So we do with. But I remain really shared, ”said actu.fr Franck Chaumès, President of the Restoration Branch of the Union of Hotel Trades and Industries (UMIH).

On the one hand. the notes put pressure on the restaurateurs by encouraging them to make efforts and to go up the level. On the other, I find deplorable that we allow ourselves to judge everything when the appreciation remains personal. We can also come across how google reviews can cause a day when the team is tired, in the juice, less attentive … and that does not reflect the quality of the kitchen.

And to make up for the situation -which can take months. even years -, “managers must take on their working time To meet criticism, ”continues Franck Chaumès. A luxury that some often have to put aside “for lack of time, especially during the holidays”.

At the risk of suffering from it in one way or another. “After a big service, reading certain things, it annoys. The problem, It is for us to be referenced on Google. Otherwise, we shoot ourselves in the foot, ”blows Thomas Scelles to The Channel press.

Watch out for false opinions

So rely on Google reviews “yes, punctually”, decides the president of the Umih Restauration. But also wary (a lot) too. how google reviews can cause Especially since some competitors do not hesitate to write false opinions, sometimes massively, To lead an establishment.

Like this restaurant based in Tours (Indre-et-Loire), whose denigration campaign was reported by our journalists fromActu Tours. 22 False negative opinions, sometimes without comments, which heavily penalized the establishment. The manager has since filed harassment complaint.

“It’s a shame to make an opinion on false negative opinions,” raises Franck Chaumès. The opposite is also worth: nothing prevents a restaurateur from calling 10 friends to leave rave reviews. deceive Google…

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