How to get more Google reviews for your restaurant, by the rules
Updated October 20, 2026
To get more Google reviews, ask every guest, every time, with the review link or QR code Google gives you, at the moment they're happiest to give it: right after the meal, on the receipt, or on the takeout bag. Don't ask only the guests you think are happy, don't offer anything in return, and don't set staff quotas: Google's policy forbids all three. Reply to every review, good and bad, because Google says "honest and balanced reviews" help people decide.
In short
- Get the link: in your Business Profile, Read reviews → Get more reviews → copy the link or download the QR code (QR codes need a computer browser).
- Ask everyone: Google bans discouraging negative reviews or "selectively" asking for positive ones (review gating).
- No rewards: Google treats discounts or free items for reviews as fake content, even though the FTC's rule allows incentives that don't depend on the review being positive.
- Never suppress: the FTC rule bans unfounded legal threats, intimidation and false accusations to get a review removed.
- Free tools: the Google review QR code and review link generator give one link to every guest.
What are the rules for asking for Google reviews?
A US restaurant answers to two rulebooks: Google's own content policy, which decides what stays on Maps, and the Federal Trade Commission's rule on consumer reviews, which took effect on October 21, 2024 (16 CFR Part 465). They overlap but are not the same.
| Practice | Google's policy | FTC rule (16 CFR Part 465) |
|---|---|---|
| Asking every customer for a review | Encouraged ("remind customers to leave reviews") | Allowed |
| Asking only happy customers (review gating) | Prohibited: "selectively solicit positive reviews" | No specific ban, but the FTC says it "could violate the FTC Act" |
| Discouraging negative reviews | Prohibited | Suppression by threats or intimidation is banned |
| A discount or free dessert for a review | Prohibited: incentives are "fake & misleading content" | Allowed only if not conditioned on the review being positive (or negative) |
| Staff told to collect a set number of reviews | Prohibited: "requesting that staff solicit a certain number of reviews" | Not addressed |
| Owners, staff or family reviewing you | Conflict of interest, not allowed | Insiders must disclose the relationship |
| Buying or writing fake reviews | Prohibited | Banned, with civil penalties for knowing violations |
| Threatening a reviewer with a lawsuit | n/a | Banned when the threat is unfounded or groundless |
The practical rule: use Google's stricter line. If something would get the review removed on Google, don't do it, even if the FTC would allow it.
10 ways to get more Google reviews
- Get your own review link and QR code: in your Business Profile, open Read reviews, then Get more reviews, and copy the link or save the QR code from a computer browser. Or make a print-ready card with the Google review QR code maker.
- Ask at the right moment: when the plates are cleared and the guest says it was good, or when you hand over a takeout order that's right and on time. Not while they wait for the check.
- Ask everyone the same way: one sentence, the same for every table: "If you have a minute, a Google review really helps us." No filter by who seems happy.
- Put the QR code where people wait: at the counter, on table tents, by the pickup shelf. The table QR card maker prints them.
- Print it on receipts and takeout bags: Google itself suggests printed receipts. A sticker on every bag reaches delivery and pickup guests you never meet.
- Add it to the order confirmation: the thank-you email or the end of a chat conversation, which Google also suggests.
- Make it a team habit, not a quota: tell staff why reviews matter and praise good service, but never set a number of reviews to collect.
- Ask your regulars personally: a regular who has never reviewed you is the easiest yes in the room.
- Reply to every review: Google's tips are to be professional, short, conversational rather than promotional, and timely. Replies show others you read them. See how to respond to negative reviews.
- Check the count every month: note new reviews, the average rating and the words people use, and fix what keeps coming up.
Where should a restaurant ask for reviews?
| Where | Who it reaches | Format | Effort |
|---|---|---|---|
| Table tent or counter card | Dine-in guests | QR code + one line | Print once |
| Receipt | Every paying guest | Short link or QR | Change the receipt footer once |
| Takeout bag sticker | Pickup and delivery guests | QR code | Stick on every bag |
| Order confirmation page or email | Online orderers | Review link button | Set up once |
| Spoken ask by staff | Guests who say it was great (ask everyone else too) | One sentence | Every shift |
| Website footer | People who already know you | Review link | Set up once |
| Social profile | Followers | Review link in a post | Monthly |
For cafés and food trucks, ready versions of the QR card are at Google review QR code for cafés and for food trucks.
How many reviews can a restaurant expect?
It depends on how many guests you ask and how many of them follow through, and there is no reliable published average for restaurants, so measure your own. A simple way to plan:
| Guests asked a month | If 1% leave a review | If 3% | If 5% |
|---|---|---|---|
| 600 | 6 | 18 | 30 |
| 1,500 | 15 | 45 | 75 |
| 3,000 | 30 | 90 | 150 |
These rates are planning assumptions, not benchmarks. Worked example: a restaurant serving 1,500 guests a month that today asks only when a guest compliments the food might ask about 300 people a month; at a 3% rate that is 9 reviews. Putting the QR code on every receipt and bag means all 1,500 are asked: at the same 3%, that is 45. Whatever your guests' real rate, asking five times as many people gives about five times the reviews. After a month, divide the new reviews by the guests you served and use that as your own rate.
Your 30-day plan
| Week | Do this |
|---|---|
| 1 | Get the review link and QR code; print table cards and a bag sticker; add the link to receipts and the order confirmation |
| 2 | Brief the team: one sentence, asked of everyone, no quotas; start replying to every review |
| 3 | Ask your regulars personally; add the link to your website footer |
| 4 | Count new reviews, work out your rate, read what people mention, fix one thing |
What not to do
- Don't gate. No "rate us first, and if it's 4 or 5 stars we'll send you to Google." Google calls selective soliciting fake engagement.
- Don't reward. No discount, free drink or entry into a draw for a review.
- Don't review yourself. Not the owner, staff, family or a friend who has a stake in the business.
- Don't buy reviews or use a service that "guarantees" them.
- Don't threaten reviewers. The FTC rule bans unfounded legal threats and intimidation to remove a review. If a review breaks Google's policy, report it instead (how to respond to negative reviews covers how).
How Menuthere helps
- Free review tools, no sign-up: the Google review QR code maker prints a card for every table, and the review link generator gives you the short link for receipts and bags. Both send every guest to the same Google page.
- An ordering page worth reviewing: Menuthere gives you your own ordering page and QR menu with 0% commission, so guests who order from you, not a delivery app, are your guests to ask.
Read the full Google Business Profile guide for restaurants for the rest of your listing, and the restaurant SEO guide and restaurant marketing ideas for what else brings people in.
Take orders on your own page, with 0% commission.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get my restaurant's Google review link?
Open your Business Profile, select Read reviews, then Get more reviews, and copy the link. To download the QR code, use a computer browser and save the image. Put the link on receipts and your order confirmation and the QR code on tables and takeout bags.
Can I offer a discount for a Google review?
No. Google's policy treats discounts, free goods or other incentives for reviews as fake and misleading content, and such reviews can be removed. The FTC's rule allows incentives that don't depend on the review being positive, but Google's stricter rule decides what stays on Google.
Is it OK to ask only happy customers for reviews?
No. Google prohibits discouraging negative reviews or selectively soliciting positive ones, which is often called review gating. The FTC says its rule has no specific ban on gating but that the practice could violate the FTC Act. Ask every guest the same way.
Can my staff or I leave reviews for my restaurant?
No. Google treats reviews from people with a conflict of interest, such as current or former employees, as fake engagement. Under the FTC rule, insiders who review a business must clearly disclose their relationship to it.
Can I ask staff to collect a number of reviews each week?
No. Google's policy lists merchants requesting that staff solicit a certain number of reviews as fake engagement. Explain why reviews matter and ask everyone, but don't set quotas or tie pay to review counts.
How fast can a restaurant get more Google reviews?
As fast as it asks more guests. Putting the review QR code on every table, receipt and takeout bag means every guest is asked, not just the few who compliment the food. Measure your own rate after a month and plan from it.
What should I do about a fake or unfair review?
Reply calmly and briefly, then report it from your Business Profile if it breaks Google's policy. Google removes only reviews that violate its policies and doesn't settle disputes. Never threaten the reviewer; the FTC rule bans unfounded legal threats and intimidation to remove reviews.
Sources (5)
- Google Business Profile Help, "Tips to get more reviews": https://support.google.com/business/answer/3474122 (read 20 Oct 2026): "Remind customers to leave reviews… visit a Google link or scan a QR code"; "Reply to reviews"; "Value all reviews: Honest and balanced reviews can help potential customers decide"; reply tips; incentives "considered fake & misleading content and is strictly prohibited".
- Google Business Profile Help, "Create a Google link or QR code to request reviews": https://support.google.com/business/answer/16816815 (read 20 Oct 2026): Read Reviews → Get more reviews → copy / save QR (computer browser only); share on printed receipts, thank-you emails, end of a chat, in-store display.
- Google Maps User Generated Content Policy, "Prohibited & restricted content": https://support.google.com/contributionpolicy/answer/7400114 (read 20 Oct 2026): paid reviews; incentives; "Discourage or prohibit negative reviews, or selectively solicit positive reviews from customers"; "Merchants requesting that staff solicit a certain number of reviews"; conflict of interest incl. current or former employment.
- FTC, "Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule: Questions and Answers" (November 2024): https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/consumer-reviews-testimonials-rule-questions-answers (read 20 Oct 2026): rule effective 21 Oct 2024 (16 CFR Part 465); civil penalties for knowing violations; incentives allowed if no express or implied sentiment condition; insiders must disclose; review suppression: unfounded or groundless legal threats, physical threats or intimidation, false accusations; gating: "The rule does not contain a specific prohibition against such conduct" but it "could violate the FTC Act". (eCFR text itself is behind a bot check; not bypassed.)
- Google Business Profile Help, "Report inappropriate reviews on your Business Profile": https://support.google.com/business/answer/4596773 (read 20 Oct 2026): only policy-violating reviews are removed; Google doesn't get involved in business–customer conflicts.