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One restaurant owner’s approach to dealing with negative reviews is attracting a lot of attention. Owner Alice Cheung reportedly claps back at certain kinds of negative reviews left about her shop online.
In one example, a reviewer claimed her food was “terrible.” In response, the restaurant said: “You ordered a Vegetarian Munch Box and then called the shop to complaint there was no MEAT in it.” Another reviewer claimed the food was "[t]oo expensive" for what he received. The restaurant replied, "I'm sorry the food was not good for you, you should cook your own, thank you for [the] review."
The restaurant owner says that if her restaurant “messed up, we’ll reply seriously.” But, if a reviewer makes unfounded criticisms, they should “expect some banter.”
Her advice to reviewers: “If you’re writing a review just be honest about the situation.”
Ms. Cheung’s advice for potential reviewers is solid. But before trying her approach to responding to negative reviews, business owners may want to talk to their attorney or a communications professional first.