Maintaining an excellent reputation is important in the restaurant business. With so many people on social media, one negative complaint about a restaurant , the food or staff can be published and seen by thousands. With Facebook and Google reviews, I can filter through the many comments left by restaurant patrons, positive reviews are great to see, but negative ones can be damaging.

Every restaurant must factor in the importance of immediately responding to reviews, both positive and negative.

Here are some tips:

• Have a social media manager available at all times to monitor any reviews left by customers. Regardless of the time of day a review is left, immediate action should be required
• Address complaints in a respectful and timely manner. Your client’s satisfaction should be key. If a patron was unsatisfied, ask why. Ask how their experience could have been improved. Don’t be afraid to apologize; remember, your response could be seen by anyone: show you care
• Offer a sincere apology and while you’re at it, offer a discount for their next visit, maybe even a $10 or $15 gift card.

Social media can make you or break you, take the proper steps to make your reputation strong. Your business deserves it.