When your restaurant is listed on Grubhub, customers can leave a review on their experience. While it’s great to receive a 5-star rating, negative reviews will inevitably pop up. Responding to your critics is an important part of maintaining your restaurant’s reputation and showing your customers that you care about their dining experience.

Premium level restaurant partners have the ability to respond to negative reviews on their Grubhub menu page. Take a look at our tips on how to address criticism.

How to address negative reviews

A diner might leave a bad review for any number of reasons, but typically they stem from poor customer service. Issues with long wait times, food quality and missing or wrong items are bound to pop up. That’s why it’s important to monitor your restaurant’s reviews to demonstrate to customers that you take every complaint seriously.

When addressing criticism, it’s important to include these points in your response:

• Apologize for the issue they encountered
• State that you strive to provide a high level of service
• Offer a way to make up for the issue
• Invite the customer to give your restaurant a second chance
• Thank them for bringing the issue to your attention

Brush up on how to manage reviews on your Grubhub page, and use these templates to address common issues.

Missing items

A customer leaves a review mentioning that there is something missing from their order.

Response: We sincerely apologize for the oversight and inconvenience caused by the missing items in your order. We understand how frustrating this must have been for you. Please know that this is not the level of service we strive for. 

We’d like to make it right for you. Kindly reach out to our customer support team at [contact information] so we can arrange for a prompt replacement or a refund. We value your feedback and will use it to improve our processes to prevent such incidents in the future. Thank you for bringing this to our attention.

Cold food

A customer leaves a review saying their food arrived cold.

Response: We’re truly sorry to hear that your food arrived cold. We understand how disappointing this can be, as we take pride in delivering hot and fresh meals to our customers. Our team is investigating what may have gone wrong during the delivery process to prevent this from happening again. 

We’d like to make it up to you and ensure you have a positive experience with us. Kindly get in touch with us at [contact information], and we’ll be more than happy to arrange a replacement or a refund. Thank you for your feedback, as it helps us improve and serve you better in the future.

Bad quality

A customer leaves a negative review about the quality of your food.

Response: We’re  deeply sorry that the food you received did not meet our usual high standards of quality. Your satisfaction is essential to us, and we are disappointed that we let you down on this occasion. We take your feedback seriously, and our team is already investigating the matter to identify the issue and implement necessary improvements. 

We would appreciate the opportunity to make things right for you. Please contact us at [contact information] to discuss how we can best rectify the situation and regain your trust. Thank you for bringing this to our attention.

Late delivery on self-delivery orders

A customer leaves a review about slow delivery service.

Response: We offer our sincerest apologies for the delayed delivery of your order. We understand that time is of the essence, and we deeply regret any inconvenience this may have caused you. We are currently reviewing our delivery processes to ensure such delays are minimized in the future. 

If you’d be willing to give us another chance, we’d like to make it up to you. Please reach out to us at [contact information], and we’ll be happy to discuss a suitable compensation or arrange a timely redelivery. Your feedback is invaluable to us, and we appreciate the opportunity to learn and improve.

Wrong order

A customer leaves a review saying they received the wrong order.

Response: We’re truly sorry that you received the wrong order. This is certainly not the experience we want for any of our valued customers. Our team is investigating how this mix-up occurred and taking steps to prevent similar incidents in the future. 

We understand the frustration you must feel, and we’d like to make it right. Please contact us at [contact information], and we will do our best to ensure you receive the correct order as soon as possible. We appreciate your understanding and thank you for bringing this to our attention.

Get more tips on how to respond to negative reviews on The Feed.