Negative reviews of your restaurant can be a frustrating problem. Especially when you have a great chef and you know the food is good. Yet there are still people writing negative reviews and giving you only a couple of stars on Yelp.
What’s going on? And how can you put a stop to it?
Many restaurant owners are very conscientious about the quality of the food (and rightly so), yet don’t pay as much attention to the dining atmosphere. This is a mistake, especially in New York City, where there is so much competition. It doesn’t take much for an unhappy customer to choose the restaurant around the corner next time.
A great dining experience is not only about the food. There are many additional factors that can make or break a customer’s experience. If you want to put a stop to negative reviews, it pays to fix these issues once and for all.
5 Problems to Fix If You Want to Stop Negative Reviews
1. DINING ROOM TEMPERATURE
The temperature in your restaurant can drive diners away in a hurry, and lead to those negative reviews that are plaguing you. If it’s icy cold, people don’t want to eat dinner with their coats on. A dining room that’s too warm can be uncomfortable enough to make diners lose their appetites.
Certainly you’ve tried turning the thermostat up or down with little change. Chances are, you are dealing with a temperature variance problem, where some parts of your space are too warm while others are too cold. And the problem may be compounded by staff and even customers tampering with the thermostat setting.
What To Do: First, install a programmable thermostat that you can lock to prevent tampering. Then deal with the temperature variance problem. Have you done renovations or inherited your space from another tenant without updating your HVAC system? Your heating and air conditioning may not be properly designed for the layout and usage of your space, causing those temperature variance problems (and ultimately, those negative reviews). It’s possible that simple ductwork changes can make a big difference in your restaurant’s comfort level.
2. DRAFTS
Even if the temperature is ok, people will not be happy when a large HVAC vent is blowing directly on their table while they try to eat. Or when gusts of wind blow their napkins off the table every time someone opens the restaurant door.
What To Do: The wind gust problem is caused by negative air pressure, which is probably created by inadequate ventilation in your kitchen. You may need a supplemental HVAC system to provide what’s called “makeup” air to replace the air that’s sucked out by your kitchen exhaust system. You might also have an issue with improperly placed air conditioning registers. Both problems can be fixed by consulting with an HVAC company that’s experienced at designing systems for restaurants.
3. UNPLEASANT ODORS
This one is a biggie, and is a common cause of negative reviews. Diners can lose their appetites in a hurry when nasty odors from the kitchen garbage or even the restrooms find their way into the dining room. This issue often unnoticed by owners and managers, since we acclimate to odors very quickly when we spend a lot of time in a space.
What To Do: When your ventilation system is not correctly designed, odors can migrate to places where you don’t want them. Again, an HVAC consultation can fix this once and for all.
Learn more: Your HVAC System Could be the Cause of Your Smelly Building
4. NOISE
There are two types of noise that diners complain about: the mechanical noise from HVAC systems, and the loud conversations from the surrounding tables. These problems are interrelated. Older HVAC systems can be very loud. Yet many restaurants have upgraded to newer, quieter systems such as VRF systems, and uncovered a new issue. Now that the “white noise” of the HVAC system is removed, people can easily overhear conversations from nearby diners. Now what?
What To Do: Replacing your old, noisy HVAC system is a great start, but correctly designing your new system is a must. An HVAC company that’s experienced in working with restaurants will include acoustical design in the plan. That means properly placing vents and registers, and even installing acoustical panels to absorb sound.
Learn more: 4 Reasons You Need HVAC Design for Your Air Conditioning Install
5. REFRIGERATION PROBLEMS
Even if people are happy with your food, you might have underlying food storage issues that are causing people to be less than happy once they get home. If your refrigeration equipment is not reliably keeping food at safe temperatures, you could be making people sick. If that happens, negative reviews might be the least of your problems.
What To Do: Refrigeration maintenance is a must to prevent negative reviews of your restaurant, or worse, a downgrade of your NYC health grade. Regularly inspecting, cleaning and tuning up your equipment keeps it working reliably and keeps your food safe.
Related article: 6 Ways You’re Jeopardizing Your Restaurant’s NYC Health Grade
A refrigeration maintenance plan pays for itself in energy savings, preventing breakdowns, as well as increased customer satisfaction. Not to mention stopping those negative reviews. Learn more about it from our free guide.
