Why Most Restaurants Hate TripAdvisor

I was in Marbella at last weekend and had a great Sunday lunch on the beach. There was live entertainment, the food and company was amazing. Everything was perfect.

While paying the bill I talked to the owner, thanked him, and said I would be writing a great review on TripAdvisor. He gave a half-hearted smile and sort of thanked me.

My emotional radar spotted a challenge.

It turns out that he doesn’t like TripAdvisor. It wasn’t that his restaurant didn’t get good reviews—they had plenty—it was the ‘unfairness’ of the system.

He explained that in their locale, a kebab shop was No. 1—for restaurants!

He was frustrated because the kebab guys ask everyone to rate them, and in doing so, they’ve shot to the top of the charts.

‘So why don’t you ask all of your customers to rate you?’ I enquired.

And then I saw it. He was frightened. Scared to ask.

Una cerveza pequeña later and a quick bit of Heppell-ing, he had a plan. He was going to ask every customer to rate him—good or bad.

The humility in asking for good OR bad opinions gave him the confidence to ask.

If you're giving great service, ask for a review, rating, or testimonial. Bet your competitors are.

Be Brilliant!

Michael