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Responding to a negative trip advisor comment
Hi guys.
I manage a busy pub and recently had a look at reviews given to us on Trip Advisor, all were really positive which is good however one review was quite negative.
I want to respond to it as I was the manager on duty during the visit by the reviewer but I was looking for advice on how to do it so I don't come accross as cheeky.
So here is my side of the story of what happened:
It was a Friday night and a family of six came in around 8pm looking for a table to order food. We were starting to get really busy with the Friday night drinkers and we were able to find the group a table. We have a rule where children have to be off the premises after 9pm, I informed the group of this and were happy with it as they just wanted food.
They ordered later and the father of the group attempted to purchase an alchopop for his daughter who was 17. I informed him that I would have to refuse the order as she was underage. He got upset at this but I informed him it was the law and anyone under the age of 18 can not consume alchohol in a public house.
As they were eating their food there was a group of twenty somethings came in and sat at a table next to the family. They were quite rowdy and were swearing quit a lot. The mother from the family came and asked me could they be moved to another table but unfortunately the rest of the pub was busy and there were no tables free. I apologised to her and told her I would speak to the rowdy group. I went over and asked them to keep it down, which they did but began getting rowdy again about 10 minutes or so later.
The father asked me again could I do something about them but I noticed that it was now 9.15pm and his children should not really be on the premises now at that stage. They had finished their meal so I had to remind them the rule and he took offence to it, I reminded him that they were told of this when they arrived and he ranted that it was a disgrace how his children were subjected to rowdy people swearing in his childrens presence. I apologised again but they left about 9.30 and I thought that was the end of the matter.
Well I thought it was until I saw the review on Trip Advisor, I'll copy and paste it for you to read :
"We were here as a family and came on a Friday night around 8ish and they serve food until 9. Although the good was fine, the pub was incredibly noisy to the point where we couldn't hear eachother speak which is not really the ideal setting for a family pub serving food. It seemed the noise was coming mostly from a group of rowdy locals and when we asked the manager about the noise he was rude and unapologetic and said that it wasn't a family pub after 9, however they served food up til that point so you would have expected them to make some effort maintaining a nice environment until this point. The bar staff also refused to serve the 17 year olds that were with us even though they had ID and it's legal to have a drink with your meal at this age. "
So how should I respond?
What do you think? How do you think I dealt with the situation?
The "rowdy" people in my opinion were just a group of friends enjoying themselves on a Friday night, I asked them to keep it down once yes but I don't feel I can tell people not to swear in a pub amongst themselves on a Friday night, if it was earlier in the day then yes of course I would probably have refused service.
Your thoughts please.
I manage a busy pub and recently had a look at reviews given to us on Trip Advisor, all were really positive which is good however one review was quite negative.
I want to respond to it as I was the manager on duty during the visit by the reviewer but I was looking for advice on how to do it so I don't come accross as cheeky.
So here is my side of the story of what happened:
It was a Friday night and a family of six came in around 8pm looking for a table to order food. We were starting to get really busy with the Friday night drinkers and we were able to find the group a table. We have a rule where children have to be off the premises after 9pm, I informed the group of this and were happy with it as they just wanted food.
They ordered later and the father of the group attempted to purchase an alchopop for his daughter who was 17. I informed him that I would have to refuse the order as she was underage. He got upset at this but I informed him it was the law and anyone under the age of 18 can not consume alchohol in a public house.
As they were eating their food there was a group of twenty somethings came in and sat at a table next to the family. They were quite rowdy and were swearing quit a lot. The mother from the family came and asked me could they be moved to another table but unfortunately the rest of the pub was busy and there were no tables free. I apologised to her and told her I would speak to the rowdy group. I went over and asked them to keep it down, which they did but began getting rowdy again about 10 minutes or so later.
The father asked me again could I do something about them but I noticed that it was now 9.15pm and his children should not really be on the premises now at that stage. They had finished their meal so I had to remind them the rule and he took offence to it, I reminded him that they were told of this when they arrived and he ranted that it was a disgrace how his children were subjected to rowdy people swearing in his childrens presence. I apologised again but they left about 9.30 and I thought that was the end of the matter.
Well I thought it was until I saw the review on Trip Advisor, I'll copy and paste it for you to read :
"We were here as a family and came on a Friday night around 8ish and they serve food until 9. Although the good was fine, the pub was incredibly noisy to the point where we couldn't hear eachother speak which is not really the ideal setting for a family pub serving food. It seemed the noise was coming mostly from a group of rowdy locals and when we asked the manager about the noise he was rude and unapologetic and said that it wasn't a family pub after 9, however they served food up til that point so you would have expected them to make some effort maintaining a nice environment until this point. The bar staff also refused to serve the 17 year olds that were with us even though they had ID and it's legal to have a drink with your meal at this age. "
So how should I respond?
What do you think? How do you think I dealt with the situation?
The "rowdy" people in my opinion were just a group of friends enjoying themselves on a Friday night, I asked them to keep it down once yes but I don't feel I can tell people not to swear in a pub amongst themselves on a Friday night, if it was earlier in the day then yes of course I would probably have refused service.
Your thoughts please.
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Comments
From what they have said it doesnt reflect negatively on your pub to me anyway. I would say the good reviews will outweigh the one bad one, and they arent slagging off the food, the drink or anything substantial. Anyone with half a braincell will know what these places are like on a friday night so if youve got young kids you would avoid it anyway. The bit about refusing alcohol actually shows you in a good light.
I think if you respond, even in a polite manner it could be seen as defensive. I would say ignore it and concentrate on keeping the good comments coming in!
On the other hand, I don't really agree that you shouldn't bother to respond. It's always a positive for me if I'm looking up a place and see that the staff are responding to reviews in a polite way, it shows that they care about customer feedback and are likely to try hard to put it right if something goes wrong with your meal. If you do want to respond I think Philip Wales' suggestion above was spot on. The most important thing to remember is never respond defensively or rudely and never slag off the customer, even if they are complete morons. It doesn't sound like you would do that anyway.
Kill em with kindness - (although don't offer any house drinks or anything - everyone will be at it!)
No need to explain anything else, he makes himself look in the wrong by trying to get alcohol for kids in a pub on a Friday night...
# Surely you do know that it is legal to sell alcohol to an adult for a minor over 16 when they are consuming a meal ? So they were right about that.
# Do you advertise that you don't allow children after 9, and if so, have you given any thought to their fair-enough point that if you serve food until 9 then it's reasonable to expect a family to assume they will be able to have their children with them until after that time. Have a clearly stated written policy 'regrettably due to our licensing conditions we are unable to serve food to groups with children under xxx after 7.30pm' or the like.
# If you don't have children in after 9, then someone should have told them as soon as they came in ...
# you're sort of putting the blame for the rowdy crowd on the family - it's more about them complaining than the youths behaviour. Think about your image - do you prefer the rowdy element, is that your customer base? If not, then you need to step on it when it happens. Just because the family were the only ones to complain, don't assume that they were the only ones who were bothered - you've already said the bar was busy. How many others will vote with their feet if it carries on?
It's hard enough these days to run a pub business without cutting off your trade because you don't feel able to stand up to an inconsiderate mob. And if you don't feel able to control your own business in the way you wish, should you really be running it?
Sorry to sound harsh, but it's a brutal business and you really ought to look at it from outside if you're going to maximise what little chance there is.
As to the reply - I'd be apologetic and a little grovelly in my reply, so I didn't appear I didn't care really other than I don't like criticism. 'Sorry, and we're taking steps to ensure nobody has to put up with unwelcome behaviour' goes a long way.
I agree with this.
I don't think that review makes the pub look bad though. Friday night pub in Brighton, it's to be expected to be busy! (Yeah I Googled the review
Regarding your first point, i believe the establishment has the right to refuse alcohol to anyone if they see fit.
If someones had one too many and is getting abusive they have the right not to sell him anymore alcohol regardless of if hes 18 or 80.
If they dont sell alcopops to minors then thats their decision. Just like my citizen card is refused as valid id in some pubs (even those with leaflets for the same card on the bar!).
I just followed your example and found it was my local many years ago!!!!
Bearing in mind the size of the place and layout, I wouldn't have a family in after 7.30 anyway. Lovely pub, just not suited for family dining in the evening - it's bound to be noisy as it's a smack in the town centre passing through place on a night out!!!!
I must pop back in next time I'm down that way and pay my respects to the old watering hole ... ;-)
It's beer, wine or cider apparently.
https://www.gov.uk/alcohol-young-people-law
Before reading this thread I never knew it was legal for 16 and 17 year olds to drink alcohol with a meal!
It's just that in this day and age it's not a sensible thing to refuse to serve to diners if it's not a condition on your license. As I said, there's no point in denying the trade and p'ing someone off unneccessarily.
I only know it thanks to the Inbetweeners episode.
I think, if you must reply, like other posters have mentioned - kill them with kindness and respond to each of their points kindly and calmly. I'd thank them for their feedback, apologise that their experience didn't meet expectations and mention that you'd be happy to reserve them a table in a quieter area of the establishment should they wish to return.
But it is not allowed to serve alcopops apparently so he was right to refuse.
As a publican you should have known that it is most certainly not against the law for a minor aged 16 or 17 to drink alcohol with a meal - though this should only be beer, wine or cider. This has been the case for at least 30 years - because I remember having an argument with my parents when I was 16 and went for a meal with them and they didn't want me to have an alcoholic drink even though I knew the law said that I was entitled to. The landlord himself put them right about that.
Perhaps if you'd told the group's father that his daughter could have a glass of wine, lager or cider rather than an alcopop you might have not got on the wrong side of him.
Regarding the rowdy crowd at the next table - not much you can do about that. If the rowdy crowd refuse to quieten down you're going to upset somebody - the family or the crowd. Either could then post a poor review on TripAdvisor - all you can do now is present your side of the story. I doubt that many people will let one poor review based on trying to order a meal on a Friday night in a city centre pub put them off.
From what you’ve said & my own experience of working in food pubs on Friday nights, it sounds like there was nothing you could have done to improve the situation – but customers don’t always see it that way. I empathise with him to an extent, it’s not nice trying to have a meal in a loud bar. At the same time though, if you want a quiet meal on a Friday evening you go to a restaurant and not a busy pub.
Most people won't pay too much attention to one negative review if the rest are favourable.
Good luck!
he obviously knew the truth in relation to this and that you were not telling the truth due to your poor knowledge which would have annoyed him.
i think the review he gave is pretty fair in all honesty and you have nothing to moan about .
Sometimes, as has been said above, you're on a hiding to nothing with a situation, and once a customer is unhappy there's not a lot you can do other than apologise.
But if I'd had known which pub it was in advance, I would have pointed out 'what the bloody hell was a family thinking about eating in a small (upmarket) pub smack in the centre of town on a Friday night that is really popular with drinkers and the locals'. It's always had a massive trade from the shops around and the colourful locals and tourists.
In many respects the family brought it on themselves. Unless things have changed drastically since I was last there, you'd barely be able to get up the tiny steps into the pub most sunny evenings from about 5pm for the crowds outside!!! And there's a massive Italian restaurant right opposite that's perfect for family dining and literally hundreds of other places within a mile.
Such as taking kids into a city centre pub on a Friday night.
However, one line of approach is to check the exact wording against TA's guidelines for writing reviews. If they've broken a single guideline, you can have the review removed.
But......if you do respond do as others suggest, kill them with kindness.
I hope you take time to respond positively to all posts.
If you have a table of customers using bad language deal with them - regardless of whether there are children nearby but even more so if you've allowed children to be there.
Excellent advice there.