Marketing

How To Write Effective Restaurant Reviews

reviewThere are different reasons why people read restaurants reviews. For some, it’s because going to the right restaurants is good for their social lives, while for others it’s just a matter of eating some good food. Regardless of their reasons, the simple fact is that a lot of people like to read reviews, and because of this, a lot of restaurant owners make it an important point to get good references for establishments. Good reviews ultimately lead to good PR, after all, and good PR leads to more business.

Of course, writing a good review is not an easy task either. Judging the merits and qualities of a particular restaurant involves more than just judging the food or the service. The review must also take into account the smaller details. It needs to take into account the flaws as well as prominent features. It also needs to explain to ordinary people what makes each restaurant different from the rest.

Remember that those who write restaurant reviews are staking their reputations on the line. Although there are plenty of people who write reviews, only the best and most trustworthy get a large audience, and the reason why they get a large audience is because people trust their opinions. So if you want to learn how to write effective reviews, here are several tips to help you get started.

Explain The Background
Every restaurant has its story, so you need to start with a brief explanation of the restaurant’s background. This way, the audience will get a general idea of what to expect from the restaurant, and not just the kinds of food they serve. For example, you could include the following information in your review:

– The restaurant’s contact information
– The hours
– The type of cuisine served
– The restaurant’s location

If you plan to use a restaurant review website, you can also add the restaurant onto the site’s database and fill in any additional information required by the site. But regardless of which medium you use, always start by giving the audience a little background on the restaurant that you’re reviewing.

Pros and Cons
Regardless of how perfect or how horrible a particular restaurant may be, it’s always important to give them a well rounded review. The easiest way to do is by listing its pros and cons. If the food is bad, you can list it as a con. On the other hand, if you like the service or ambiance then you can list both as pros. Giving a list like this will explain to the reader the strengths and weaknesses of each restaurant.

Explain the Entire Experience
Reviewing restaurants is not about reviewing the food. It’s about reviewing the entire experience. Although the food is certainly the most important, you should also explain the decor, service and eating experience. For example, you can describe how quickly your food arrived, or how noisy the entire venue was. Moreover, if something in the restaurant is bothering you, you should describe it, and if the restaurant has a distinctive feature, such as beautiful decorations, you should expound on them as well. This way, the reader will be able to empathize with what you want to tell them.

Use the Right Adjectives
Descriptive adjectives can really help a restaurant review stand out. For example, let’s say that you think that the soup was a little bland. In a review, simply stating that a food was “bland” is not descriptive enough. Instead, try to tell the reader exactly what makes the soup bland, or you can try comparing it with other soups. Giving people these kinds of details will help them understand where you’re coming from.

Write With Your Personality
Finally, it’s important to remember that when people read restaurant reviews, they don’t want something that reads like a technical manual. What they really want is something that has human content. In other words, they want to read how you really feel about the restaurants that you visit. Professionalism is good in the real world, but if you want people to read your reviews then they should be written with emotion. For example, the use of humor, puns or perhaps even a story about your stay at restaurant can help grab people’s attention. So when writing a review of any kind, don’t forget to write it from the heart.

Adam Evans is a team member at Red Stone Catering. He write blog reviews for restaurants, catering business improvement, recipes and more. In his free time he likes to read about new places and tries new recipes.

If you have any questions, please ask below!