Reviews and Ratings Are Decisive Factors in Dining Decisions

Reviews and ratings are decisive factors for 91 percent of diners with 64 percent focusing on reviews less than a month old, according to a report from RightResponse AI. Additionally, 71 percent said that they “changed their mind and decided not to go to a restaurant” based upon negative reviews.

“People read reviews, are influenced by reviews, and are very influenced by negative reviews,” George Swetlitz, co-founder of RightResponse AI, told Modern Restaurant Management magazine. “More people said that ‘the information in reviews’ influenced their decision than ‘the star rating of the restaurant’ – reviews are read and they influence behavior, but you need to think in a broader sense. Reviews impact the number of diners available to your restaurant. Roughly 30 percent of restaurants have a rating below 4.0, and based on rating cutoffs, they are losing access to 53 percent of diners.”

The AI-powered report analyzed more than 257,000 phrases from more than…