News

News

Peer power writes off the critics

21 September 2010

Hands typing on keyboardConsumer approval is key to maintaining restaurant’s reputation

The influence of the internet on the restaurant industry now means that peer reviews carry more weight with consumers than those of established critics, with one in three (33%) Brits trusting the judgements of fellow diners, compared to 15% who put their faith in recognised reviewers.

According to research from Livebookings, over half (58%) of those polled also said that seeing a bad review of a restaurant online would mean they were likely to avoid it and over one in ten (12%) said they’d definitely look for somewhere else. Only a fifth (20%) said they would ignore reviews and trust their own judgement based on the restaurant’s website and menu.

Forty eight per cent of customers also said they would always check a potential venue’s reputation before making a booking, demonstrating how important it is for restaurants to manage online customer reviews, on websites such as TripAdvisor, and maintain a dialogue with those who post feedback.

Commenting on the findings, David Norris, Chief Operating Officer for Livebookings, said: “In 2010 it’s very easy for anyone to write an opinion and it’s even easier for thousands of others to read that opinion. It seems from our research that Brits are far more likely to trust fellow online reviewers than those they read in newspapers.”

“Restaurateurs can no longer dismiss the importance of the internet in shaping how their business is perceived by the general public, they must take note of the feedback they are receiving and where necessary, act on it.”

The issue of managing online reviews is one currently being debated by the industry, with the BHA looking at how to tackle rogue reviewers who haven’t visited the restaurant they’re rating. Martin Couchman, Deputy Chief Executive from the BHA says: “I think that feedback on websites such as TripAdvisor can be very useful for restaurants and pubs but they need to have the confidence that the review is posted by a genuine customer. The BHA has had a number of meetings with TripAdvisor on this subject and we’re pleased that steps have been taken to ensure that this is this case for our members.”

To help restaurants achieve a better understanding of their customers’ needs, Livebookings, the global online marketing and reservations service provider for the restaurant industry, has introduced Barometer, a unique tool that offers restaurateurs the opportunity to find out what their guests really think about their dining experience – and to benchmark their service against the rest of the industry.

Livebookings’ top tips for managing restaurant reviews: