Years ago, before The Bombay Canteen became one of Mumbai’s most booked-out tables, Hunger Inc. Hospitality’s founder and COO, Yash Bhanage had a moment that stuck. He was then director of quality at a luxury hotel, managing the all-important guest satisfaction scores, when his reporting manager told him something blunt, but revelatory: “Either respond to every review properly, or don’t respond at all. People can tell when they’re being ignored, or worse, fobbed off.”
It is a mantra he has carried ever since. When Bombay Canteen launched in 2015, their very first review on TripAdvisor was a scorcher. Not because the food was bad, but because the guest had expected “preference” seating for a friend. When turned down, he stormed off and promptly made it personal online. Yash did not take the bait. “That’s when I told the team: we won’t reply to reviews unless we’re doing it meaningfully. No canned lines or empty apologies.”
That was almost a decade ago. The online ecosystem now looks — and behaves — very differently.
DMs, delays and digital outbursts
“These days, it’s all on Instagram,” Yash says. “People don’t wait to email or speak to a manager. They drop a comment saying ‘this place is a scam’ or message us with things like ‘you ruined my evening’. At least with social media, we can see who they are, reach out, and try to help. But if the tone turns abusive, we disengage. That’s the boundary.”
At Papa’s, another of Hunger Inc.’s runaway hits, the problem is reservations. There is a two to three month waitlist on most days, and people do not love hearing “no”. “I always tell my team — you can’t solve everything, especially not rudeness. Just say: ‘We’d love to speak with you when you’re willing to have a calm conversation.’ And yes, that’s easier said than done.”
Which is why front-of-house staff are rotated frequently, with senior managers stepping in when needed. The emotional load, Yash admits, is real.
While Zomato and TripAdvisor still see some traction, it is Google Reviews that now hold the most sway. Visibility, footfall, even SEO rankings — everything loops back to your rating. “You’re in Bandra and you search ‘cafes near me’ — you’re going to pick the one with a 4.7 rating, not 3.9,” Yash points out. “Even we do it when we’re abroad.”
But here’s the rub: reviews are often based on one-time visits. “That’s a problem,” he adds. “Someone shows up on a Friday, mostly at Veronica’s, at least during the early days when we first started, sees a queue, doesn’t eat, and leaves a one-star review. It’s not a reflection of the food, service, or the space. But it shapes perception unfortunately.”
In an ideal world, he says, people would judge a restaurant over 10 visits, not one. But the new dining culture is all about the photo, the post, the story. “No one waits for a restaurant to settle in anymore. Back in the day, critics would eat at a place three or four times before writing a review. Now, everyone expects perfection on day one.”
It’s a Monday thing
Bengaluru’s Naru Noodle Bar is another place that has fallen victim to this instant-feedback loop. The ramen spot is infamously hard to book — slots open on Mondays at 8pm and are gone within minutes. According to founder Kavan Kuttappa, the one-star reviews usually start rolling in immediately after.
“There’s frustration, and reviews become a way to vent,” he says. “We understand the experience begins at booking. But we can’t control demand. People even use scripts and bots to get a slot.”
So does it hurt business? “Not in a major way. Regulars know what we’re about. For out-of-towners, yes, they do check reviews. But word of mouth balances it out. Ultimately, it’s the food that does the talking.”
Delhi stays cool
Interestingly, this fever pitch around bookings and backlash seems more concentrated in Mumbai and Bengaluru. Delhi’s high-end restaurants, often larger and better staffed, are relatively insulated.
Anuj Setia, reservations manager at Indian Accent, explains how waitlists work: “If your preferred slot isn’t available, you’re added to a list. We monitor it and reach out if there’s a cancellation. It’s systematic, and we haven’t noticed a trend of negative reviews just because someone didn’t get a table.”
Guests do use Google reviews to share thoughts, Anuj says, but most feedback is constructive, not punitive. “As long as we maintain service quality, there’s no pattern of hostility.”
The influencer effect
Serial Chennai restaurateur Sandesh Reddy, who has recently worked on Same Same But Different and Atlas House, and has several projects in the pipeline, believes the game has changed entirely. “Influencers, for instance, seem to be farming for dopamine, and face no consequences for saying or doing something as long as they get their likes and shares. There are a number of silly reasons for which they might take a business to task; including being denied a free meal,” he says.
He has had guests leave poor reviews without having eaten there — purely because they could not get a table. “We only refuse walk-ins when we’re genuinely full. But some people see that as personal.”
So how does he deal with it? “I’ve developed thick skin,” he laughs. “I don’t dwell on it. But I do keep track. Influencers who misuse their platforms, I ban them from future invites.”
Feedback or blackmail?
For True Black, a Hyderabad-based specialty coffee shop, the issue is not just influencers — it is the weaponisation of reviews themselves.
“One bad experience can quickly snowball,” says founder Rohith Rao. “We’ve had guests leave one-star reviews across Google, Zomato, and Instagram just because we couldn’t fulfil a custom request during rush hour. That’s not feedback. That’s retaliation.”
What is worse is that loyal regulars — those who truly enjoy the place — rarely leave reviews. “We don’t like pushing for them. It feels disingenuous,” Rohith says. “But that means we’re vulnerable. A single negative review can tank your rating below 4.2 — and once that happens, you’re often out of the running for new customers.”
Stars aren’t just stars anymore
And that is the heart of it. According to a 2025 study by Guaranteed Removals, widely regarded as the best online content removal company, offering solutions to eliminate negative reviews, 91% of diners avoid restaurants rated below four stars. A one-star jump can increase revenue by up to 10%. It is safe to say then that the power is real, and so is the paranoia.
For many in the industry, it has become a tightrope. You want to stay true to your values, but you also need to protect your online reputation. As Rohith puts it, “Asking guests to leave a review feels transactional. But if we don’t, our silence gets drowned out by noise.”