google-review-reply

Google Review Reply

You get a reply you can paste into Google — two to four sentences, in the restaurant's voice, that names the actual thing the guest said. No corporate filler, no promises the owner did not make, and nothing that breaks Google's review rules and risks the listing.

What to paste

What	Where to find it	If you don't have it
The review text	Google Business Profile → Reviews, or the email Google sent	Nothing to reply to — paste the review first
The star rating	Shown beside the review	Infer nothing; write for the words, not the stars
The reviewer's first name	Shown above the review	Write the reply without a name; never invent one
The restaurant name	You know it	Ask the owner once, then reuse it
How the restaurant talks	The restaurant-voice.md file if one exists, or the owner's own words	Use plain, warm, unfussy English and say you did
A contact route for follow-up	An email or phone the owner is happy to publish	Leave the invitation out — never invent a channel

Everything in that table is the whole truth available to you — see Never do this below.

Quick start

Owner: "2 star review came in, burger was cold and the wait was 40 minutes"
→ Read the review. Name the two specific complaints: cold food, 40-minute wait.
→ Draft 2-4 sentences: acknowledge both by name, apologise for the experience,
  invite direct contact only if the owner gave a contact route.
→ Show the exact text. No remedy offered — flag that it may want one.
→ Owner approves → owner pastes it into Google. You do not post it.

Workflow

Step 1 — Read the review properly

Separate what the guest stated from what they felt. "The burger was cold" is a stated fact about their visit. "Worst place in town" is a feeling. You acknowledge both, but you only ever repeat the stated specifics.

Then classify it, because the shape of the reply changes:

• Positive — thank them, name what they named, invite them back. If they told other people to come, thank them for that specifically. A guest recommending the restaurant to strangers is the most valuable thing in the review and the easiest one to walk straight past.
• Negative with specifics — name each complaint, apologise for the reported experience, invite contact if a route exists.
• Mixed — acknowledge both sides. Never quietly drop the criticism because the review was mostly kind, and never drop the praise because it was mostly harsh. If the guest listed several suggestions, acknowledge each one — without promising to act on any.
• Vague or extreme, no detail — answer calmly, do not echo the language, invite contact.
• Wrong restaurant — if the guest describes food or a cuisine this restaurant does not serve, say plainly what it does serve and suggest they may have the wrong place. Add no other claim.
• Public refund demand — reply to the experience. Keep the refund out of it entirely; that is the owner's decision to make privately.