Case Study: How a Local Restaurant Tripled Their Reviews in 3 Months

When a popular local restaurant came to us, they had 50 Google reviews and a 4.2 average rating. Three months later, they had over 150 reviews and a 4.7 rating. Here is exactly how they did it.

The Challenge

Despite serving hundreds of happy customers each week, the restaurant was only getting 1-2 new Google reviews per month — most of them from dissatisfied customers. Their competitors had 200+ reviews, making the restaurant nearly invisible in local search.

The Strategy

The restaurant implemented a three-phase approach using our platform:

Phase 1: Review Reactivation (Weeks 1-4)

They uploaded their customer email list of 800 past customers. Our system dripped out review requests over 4 weeks — about 30 per day — to make the growth look natural to Google. This alone generated 85 new reviews.

Phase 2: Ongoing Automation (Weeks 2+)

For new customers, the restaurant set up automatic SMS review requests sent 2 hours after their reservation ended. A follow-up reminder went out 3 days later to non-responders. This generated a 32% response rate from new customers.

Phase 3: In-Store Touchpoints (Week 3+)

QR codes were added to receipt holders and table tents with the message “Loved your meal? Scan to let us know!” Combined with an NFC tap card at the front counter, these physical touchpoints added 15-20 reviews per month.

The Key to Their Success

The Bad Review Blocker played a crucial role. By using a simple thumbs up/down sentiment gate, the restaurant routed unhappy customers to a private feedback form. This meant the owner could resolve issues directly, and the public reviews skewed heavily positive — raising the average from 4.2 to 4.7.

The restaurant owner noted that the system essentially runs on autopilot. After the initial setup and review reactivation, the ongoing automation requires zero manual effort.