DREFUM

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The Bad Review Kit

6 copy-paste prompts for answering restaurant reviews

Run the business. Not the busywork.

Let AI make the first draft. You make the call.

Open your AI chat, tap Copy, paste, and replace the bracketed parts with your real details. Every reply comes back as a draft — you check the facts and you post it.

The 6 prompts

60-second check

Never list

The 60-second check

Run this before you open the AI. It is the difference between a reply that closes the subject and a reply that becomes the story.

Am I calm right now?

If your jaw is tight, answer tomorrow. The review isn't going anywhere and neither is your answer once it's public.

Am I calm right now?

If your jaw is tight, answer tomorrow. The review isn't going anywhere and neither is your answer once it's public.

Was this even our guest?

Check the date, the ticket, the shift. Some reviews land on the wrong restaurant.

Was this even our guest?

Check the date, the ticket, the shift. Some reviews land on the wrong restaurant.

What are they actually claiming?

Separate the claim from the adjectives. "Disgusting" isn't a claim. "Waited 50 minutes" is.

What are they actually claiming?

Separate the claim from the adjectives. "Disgusting" isn't a claim. "Waited 50 minutes" is.

Do I know that it's true?

Ask the shift before you confirm anything in public. Never apologise for a specific fact you haven't verified.

Do I know that it's true?

Ask the shift before you confirm anything in public. Never apologise for a specific fact you haven't verified.

Who am I really writing to?

Not the reviewer. The next few hundred people who read this while deciding where to eat.

Who am I really writing to?

Not the reviewer. The next few hundred people who read this while deciding where to eat.

Where does this go private?

Have one email or phone number ready before you start typing.

Where does this go private?

Have one email or phone number ready before you start typing.

The Bad Review Kit

DAMAGE CONTROL · 01 / 06

The angry one-star

Someone is furious in public. Maybe they're exaggerating. Everyone deciding where to eat tonight can see it.

Act as the owner of a [type of restaurant] in [city]. A guest posted this public review: [paste the full review]. Write 3 short public replies I can choose from. In each one: name the specific thing they complained about, do not argue, do not make excuses, do not admit to anything I have not verified, and give one clear way to continue the conversation off the platform ([my email or phone]). Keep each reply under 60 words. No corporate language, no emojis. After the replies, list the facts I should check with my staff before I post anything.

NOTE

The last sentence is the important one. It turns the AI from a text generator into a checklist you can hand to your shift lead.

DAMAGE CONTROL · 01 / 06

The angry one-star

Someone is furious in public. Maybe they're exaggerating. Everyone deciding where to eat tonight can see it.

NOTE

The last sentence is the important one. It turns the AI from a text generator into a checklist you can hand to your shift lead.

DISPUTED · 02 / 06

The one you believe is unfair

The review describes a night that didn't happen, names a dish you don't serve, or reads like it was meant for someone else.

Act as the owner of a [type of restaurant] in [city]. This review appears to be inaccurate or may not be about my restaurant: [paste the review]. Here is what my records show: [what you actually have — reservations, tickets, staffing, camera, nothing]. Write a calm public reply that states what my records show, does not call the reviewer a liar, does not accuse anyone of anything, and invites them to contact me directly. Then write a separate factual summary of about 120 words that I could submit if I report this review to the platform. Do not invent any detail I have not given you — leave [brackets] where I need to fill something in.

NOTE

"Do not invent any detail" is doing real work here. Without it, AI will happily write you a confident timeline of a night it knows nothing about.

DISPUTED · 02 / 06

The one you believe is unfair

The review describes a night that didn't happen, names a dish you don't serve, or reads like it was meant for someone else.

NOTE

"Do not invent any detail" is doing real work here. Without it, AI will happily write you a confident timeline of a night it knows nothing about.

LEGITIMATE · 03 / 06

The complaint that's true

They're right. The wait was long, the order was wrong, the food came out cold. This is the one most owners answer badly.

Act as the owner of a [type of restaurant] in [city]. This complaint is accurate: [paste the review]. What actually went wrong on our side was: [what happened]. What we have changed since, if anything: [change, or write 'nothing yet']. Write a public reply under 60 words that names the problem in plain words, says what changed only if something actually changed, and invites them back without offering any discount, free item, or anything else in exchange for editing or removing the review. Then give me 3 internal questions I should ask my kitchen and floor about this.

NOTE

Never trade anything for a review edit. Most platforms treat that as review manipulation, and a guest can screenshot the offer.

LEGITIMATE · 03 / 06

The complaint that's true

They're right. The wait was long, the order was wrong, the food came out cold. This is the one most owners answer badly.

NOTE

Never trade anything for a review edit. Most platforms treat that as review manipulation, and a guest can screenshot the offer.

AMBIGUOUS · 04 / 06

The vague three-star

"It was fine. Nothing special." There's nothing to fix in the text, which is exactly why it's worth answering.

Act as the owner of a [type of restaurant] in [city] with this style of service and this price point: [describe both in one line]. A guest left this review: [paste it]. Write a short, warm public reply that does not beg for a higher rating, does not sound like a template, and asks one specific question that might surface what was actually missing. Then give me 3 possible reasons a guest would leave exactly this review at a place like mine, ranked by how likely they are, and tell me what I could look at to test each one.

NOTE

Three-star reviews are the cheapest research you will ever get. They're written by people who had no strong feeling — which usually means something small and fixable.

AMBIGUOUS · 04 / 06

The vague three-star

"It was fine. Nothing special." There's nothing to fix in the text, which is exactly why it's worth answering.

NOTE

Three-star reviews are the cheapest research you will ever get. They're written by people who had no strong feeling — which usually means something small and fixable.

GOODWILL · 05 / 06

The five-star you're wasting

You have 40 good reviews and 40 replies that all say "Thank you so much!" Guests notice. So does the platform.

Act as the owner of a [type of restaurant] in [city]. Here are recent positive reviews: [paste 5 of them]. Write one reply to each. Rules: every reply must mention something specific the guest actually wrote, stay under 40 words, start differently from the others, sound like a person and not a brand, and only include an invitation to come back where it feels natural — not every time. After that, list the dishes, staff names, and details guests mention most often across these reviews.

NOTE

That last list is your marketing copy, written by your own customers. Use their words on your menu, your signage, and your captions.

GOODWILL · 05 / 06

The five-star you're wasting

You have 40 good reviews and 40 replies that all say "Thank you so much!" Guests notice. So does the platform.

NOTE

That last list is your marketing copy, written by your own customers. Use their words on your menu, your signage, and your captions.

MONTHLY · 06 / 06

The pattern check

Once a month, sit down with the last 30 days of reviews and find out what your restaurant is actually being judged on.

Act as an operations analyst for a [type of restaurant] in [city]. Here are all of our reviews from the last 30 days: [paste them all, good and bad]. Group the complaints into themes. For each theme tell me: how many reviews mention it, the exact words guests use, whether it is a kitchen, service, timing, price, or expectation problem, and one small thing I could test this month. Rank the themes by how often they appear, not by how angry the review sounds. Do not add any theme that does not appear in the text I gave you.

NOTE

Ranking by frequency instead of by anger is the whole point. The loudest review is rarely the most common problem.

MONTHLY · 06 / 06

The pattern check

Once a month, sit down with the last 30 days of reviews and find out what your restaurant is actually being judged on.

NOTE

Ranking by frequency instead of by anger is the whole point. The loudest review is rarely the most common problem.

The never list

Eleven phrases that turn one bad review into the thing people remember about your restaurant. If the AI puts any of these in a draft, delete the line.

"We're sorry you feel that way."

Apologises for their emotions, not for anything you did. Reads as contempt.

"We're sorry you feel that way."

Apologises for their emotions, not for anything you did. Reads as contempt.

"That's not what happened."

You may be right. In public it reads as an argument, and arguments get screenshotted.

"That's not what happened."

You may be right. In public it reads as an argument, and arguments get screenshotted.

"We have no record of your visit."

Fine as a fact in a private message. As a public opening line it calls them a liar.

"We have no record of your visit."

Fine as a fact in a private message. As a public opening line it calls them a liar.

"As stated in our policy…"

Nobody has ever been won back by a policy citation.

"As stated in our policy…"

Nobody has ever been won back by a policy citation.

"You should have told us at the time."

True, and irrelevant. It tells future guests that complaining is their job.

"You should have told us at the time."

True, and irrelevant. It tells future guests that complaining is their job.

"This is clearly a fake review."

If you believe it, report it. Never litigate it in the replies.

"This is clearly a fake review."

If you believe it, report it. Never litigate it in the replies.

"Everyone else loves us."

Their bad night is not disproven by other people's good ones.

"Everyone else loves us."

Their bad night is not disproven by other people's good ones.

"Update your review and we'll…"

Offering anything for a review change breaks most platform rules and it's on the record.

"Update your review and we'll…"

Offering anything for a review change breaks most platform rules and it's on the record.

"Our team works very hard."

It's true. It's also not an answer to what they said.

"Our team works very hard."

It's true. It's also not an answer to what they said.

"Due to circumstances beyond our control…"

Corporate padding. Say what happened or say nothing.

"Due to circumstances beyond our control…"

Corporate padding. Say what happened or say nothing.

"Thank you for your feedback." and nothing else.

The most common reply in the industry, and the one that says you didn't read it.

"Thank you for your feedback." and nothing else.

The most common reply in the industry, and the one that says you didn't read it.

GET THE PRINTABLE VERSION

Want the PDF?

The full kit as a 13-page PDF — every prompt, the 60-second check, and the never list. Print it, keep it behind the pass, hand it to whoever answers your reviews. Leave an email and it’s yours.

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See what’s new

Drefum builds the prompts, templates, and setups that let an owner hand the first draft of that work to AI and keep the final say. Everything is written for independent operators: no software to install, no team required, nothing that needs a call.

What you can do with this file

Use every prompt in this kit in your own business, as often as you like, and adapt them to your restaurant. Please don’t resell it, repackage it, or distribute it as your own.

AI drafts need a human

Let AI make the first draft. You make the call. AI tools can state things confidently that are incomplete, outdated, or simply wrong, including details about a visit that never happened. Read every draft and correct it before anything is published under your restaurant’s name.

Not affiliated with any review platform

Drefum is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Google, Yelp, TripAdvisor, Meta, OpenAI, or any other company named in this document. Platform review policies change; check the current rules of the platform you’re replying on.

Not legal or professional advice

This kit is general guidance for communicating with customers. It isn’t legal advice. If a review involves an allegation that could become a legal matter — food safety, injury, discrimination, defamation — talk to a lawyer before you reply in public.

Results

Every restaurant, guest, and review is different. Nothing in this kit is a promise of any particular outcome, rating, or result.

Privacy

Terms

founder@drefum.com