The Hidden Battle of Restaurants: Fighting Back Against Fake and Malicious Reviews
Running a restaurant is hard enough. Dealing with fake, unfair, or malicious reviews makes it even harder.
Some bad reviews come from real customers. Others are straight-up revenge attacks. Maybe an angry customer didn’t get a refund. Maybe a competitor wants to steal business. Either way, one-star reviews can destroy a restaurant’s reputation.
A study found that a one-star drop on Yelp can reduce revenue by up to 9% for small restaurants, which can mean thousands in lost sales. Further, restaurants see a 5-9% increase in revenue for every half-star improvement on review sites.
Here’s how to spot fake reviews, remove them when possible, and fight back when they won’t go away.
Why Fake Reviews Are a Growing Problem
Competitors Are Playing Dirty
Some restaurants pay for fake negative reviews to hurt the competition. Others use fake positive reviews to make their own place look better.
This happens more often than you’d think. A Harvard Business School study found that 16% of restaurant reviews on Yelp are fake.
Angry Customers Want Revenge
Some bad reviews aren’t about the food. They’re personal.
Maybe someone was upset about a wait time or a minor issue. Maybe they wanted a free meal and didn’t get one. Some people leave one-star reviews just to punish a business.
Ex-Employees Stir Up Trouble
Fired employees sometimes post fake negative reviews to get even. They might lie about health violations, bad service, or rude management.
Trolls and Bots Make Things Worse
Some reviews come from people who have never even set foot in your restaurant. Trolls enjoy stirring up drama. Bots post spam reviews to hurt your rating.
If you’re in the food industry, you will eventually get a fake or revenge review. The key is knowing what to do next.
How to Spot a Fake or Revenge Review
1. No Specific Details
Real customers talk about their experience. Fake reviews are usually short and vague.
Example of a real review:
“The BBQ ribs were amazing, but the mac and cheese was too salty. Service was a little slow, but the staff was friendly.”
Example of a fake review:
“Worst food ever. Don’t go here.”
The second review says nothing useful because it wasn’t written by a real customer.
2. Suspicious Timing
A sudden flood of one-star reviews? That’s an attack.
If a competitor is targeting you, fake reviews will usually appear in batches. They might all be posted within a few hours or days.
3. Reviewer Has No History
Click on the reviewer’s profile. Do they have only one review? Have they left bad reviews for multiple restaurants?
Fake accounts often have no profile picture and no real review history.
4. Over-the-Top Claims
If a review says you gave someone food poisoning or insulted them, but there’s no proof, it’s likely fake.
Serious claims usually come with photos, receipts, or other details. Fake ones are all accusations with nothing to back them up.
How to Remove Fake Reviews
Step 1: Flag the Review
Most review platforms allow businesses to report fake or unfair reviews.
How to Report a Fake Review on Google
- Go to Google Maps or your Google Business Profile.
- Find the fake review.
- Click the three-dot menu and select “Flag as inappropriate.”
- Choose a reason, like “Spam” or “Conflict of Interest.”
How to Report a Fake Review on Yelp
- Go to the review on your business page.
- Click “Report Review.”
- Select the violation type and submit your report.
Step 2: Contact Customer Support
If flagging doesn’t work, escalate the issue.
- Google: Use the Google Business Profile Help Center to submit a request.
- Yelp: Contact Yelp’s support team and explain why the review is fake.
- TripAdvisor, Facebook, and other sites all have support options for review issues.
Step 3: Use Web Content Removal Services
If a fake review is damaging your reputation and won’t be removed, you may need a web content removal service.
These services specialise in removing harmful content from search engines and review platforms. They use legal strategies and reputation management techniques to protect businesses.
What If You Can’t Get a Fake Review Removed?
Sometimes, review sites refuse to take down a bad review. That doesn’t mean you’re stuck with it.
1. Respond the Right Way
A smart response can undo some of the damage.
Bad Response:
“This review is fake. You’re a liar and probably work for a competitor.”
Good Response:
“We take customer feedback seriously, but we have no record of your visit. If you’d like to discuss your experience, please contact us so we can make things right.”
The second response makes you look professional and signals to real customers that the review might not be trustworthy.
2. Push Down the Fake Review with Positive Ones
The more real five-star reviews you have, the less impact a fake one-star review has.
- Ask happy customers for reviews. Train staff to remind satisfied guests to leave feedback.
- Use follow-up emails or texts. After a catering event or dinner, send a polite review request.
- Run a review contest. Offer a small prize or discount for leaving a review (without requiring a good rating).
3. Take Legal Action for Defamation
If a review contains false claims that damage your business, legal action is an option.
- Cease-and-desist letters can sometimes scare a fake reviewer into removing their post.
- Defamation lawsuits work if you can prove the review is false and caused financial harm.
This is expensive and time-consuming, but in extreme cases, it might be worth it.
Final Takeaways
Fake and revenge reviews are a serious problem for restaurants and catering businesses. One bad review can push away dozens of potential customers.
Here’s what you need to do:
- Identify fake reviews by looking for vague language, no history, and suspicious timing.
- Report them immediately on Google, Yelp, or other platforms.
- If removal doesn’t work, fight back with professional responses and real positive reviews.
- Use web content removal services if the review is hurting your business.
- Consider legal action if the review contains false and harmful claims.
Reputation is everything in the food industry. Protect yours before fake reviews take a bite out of your business.