First, never reply right away. Sometimes a bad review can feel like a direct attack and put us in a negative mind-set, which is never a good place to make decisions from. I have only had two bad reviews and they both kind of rocked my world when I first read them. One of them was completely legitimate and their complaints were 100% valid. We offered them the world with sincere apologies, a free catered event, money back, etc. etc. etc. They took down the review and took us up on about half of what we offered them, as they were very happy to just have us truly listen and try our best to make amends. We were able to turn a negative situation into a positive one, which is best for all involved.
The other one came as a complete surprise to us, with their complaints ranging from the color of my chef coat (emerald green, for my company Emerald City Cakes and Chocolates) to the style of pots the etouffee and gumbo were served in (traditional stainless steel and black ceramic) and the bar not being in the correct place (they decided to move it last minute and didn't tell us). Upon first reading it, we were upset to say the least. We took a day to process it, speak with our staff that were there and gather their opinions, and then composed a detailed, yet polite response to their review, addressing each complaint point-by-point. There isn't anything that we could do to get them to feel differently or change their mind about what happened, but we can control how the public sees that review and our response to it. By responding not in defense or in anger, but in a calculated and thoughtful manner, we can alter or at least direct the perception of anyone who reads that review. Again, turning a negative situation into a positive one, albeit in a completely different way.
