Too much feedback sometimes?

Anyone ever feel like sometimes they get to much feedback nowadays. I get reviews & feedback from yelp, facebook, square pos, newspaper, in the store, out of the store, trip adviser, my personal email, customers blogs and phone calls to the shop.

Don’t get me wrong, most of it is positive but it just feels a little overwhelming to have that much “feedback” over selling a $13 pepperoni pizza.

I guess what is draining is when people try to tell you how to run your business. They literally have no idea what they are talking about so you have to stand there and nod.

I think for a lot of people they have no other captive audience they can demand at such a low price point. People want to be heard and listened to and the opportunities to be listened to are fewer and fewer. Fewer people care so when you do they clamp on and purge it on you. Take it as your doing a good job if they are giving you lots of feedback.

I opened a new store this year after being away from the business for 10-12 years, and this is one of the most shocking changes to me. I feel similar to Freddy in the amount of “feedback” we get. We used to get some feedback on the day of someone’s order and every once in a while a day or two later, but now it is so much more frequent. It can be overwhelming, especially on days when it isn’t what you want to hear or it isn’t delivered constructively. RG is probably correct, but it is still challenging at times.

Well it seems like every app or program you use for business nowadays has a feedback option for customers too. It’s just to much sometimes.

Great Topic ! Just yesterday i read the reviews (yelp) for Blackjack pizza, i would love to do 10k on a friday night ! congrats DALE ! GREAT JOB !!! but it would really bug me to have read those reviews , point being, when so many people enjoy your food there will always be a small minority who love to complain ( a small minority of 10k is a lot!) a few miles down the road is a breakfast place with terrible reviews and a kicking, busy , profitable restaurant,i,ve had terrible reviews that really didn’t sit well with me when i feel i’m trying 110%,so now i employ the OSTRICH technique,I DON"T READ EM !!! and sleep better !!!

I used to read every review site, now I do not even bother. I think its been about 2 years since I looked.
I know we are putting out a stellar product, but that I am unable to please every single person who walks through the door, because sadly there are some individuals who are simply unpleasable.

No, we do not offer a gluten-free pizza, Yes we do cook shellfish, No I cannot absolutely guarantee that shellfish was never been cooked in that fryer, No we do not have a bar, and yes I sincerely apologize that we cannot cater your off-premise wedding which is located 4 hours away, and on a holiday weekend because we do not have a crew who I can trust is fully capable of pulling it off perfectly and I will not close my restaurant and be on the road for 8 hours to do so.
I do apologize, But I do not have 30 pounds of sliced brisket ready for carryout right at this moment, Oh, you didn’t call ahead in advance to place your order, I guess that is my fault.
Shall I go on?

I read all of ours primarily to help teach and train our staff how to better handle things. I’ll send off an apology off to the customer and thank them for taking the time for giving us the feedback to help us make things better. I find it kind of funny that in our area the places with bad reviews are packed and the places with good reviews are ghost towns.

I think the “Law of probabilities” is responsible for that,
The more people coming through your doors, the more of a chance reviews will be written.

I answer every negative yelp review with a positive comment or an advertisement for my restaurant. I will list my most recent specials or recommend people look at the other POSITIVE reviews posted. Most are very unreasonable comments and are just a joke. You cant please everyone and you will kill yourself trying to. I NEVER apologize for anything on yelp. If they say they are never coming back, I thank them for anything positive they mentioned in the review and recommend that OTHER people will enjoy what we have to offer. I have had people complain they can’t find the entrance to the restaurant?? OMG… It faces the parking lot with a HUGE BANNER that Says “ENTRANCE” with our hours…I have been in business for over 40 years and will not stand for a few and I mean a few people from out of town trashing my business. I will NEVER accept phone calls from yelp and I will NEVER advertise with them. I think if every owner / operator took this attitude it would put a huge dent in their already dismal business practices. And don’t get me wrong we are in a town with some VERY STRONG INDEPENDENT competition and all the National franchises. We are a VERY Successful restaurant and have some of the best customers in the world! If you don’t like it hit the road and make room for people who do.