# Replying to restaurant reviews with AI: a weekly routine, templates and what to leave out

> Canonical: https://maple.inc/blog/ai-restaurant-reviews-replies

*By Maple Team · Published 2026-09-26*

A weekly routine for AI-drafted review replies: what Google and Yelp ask of owners, tools that draft replies, templates by review type and what to leave out.

Let AI draft replies to routine reviews, then have a manager check every fact before posting. Google asks for short, polite, personal replies and bans offering free or discounted goods in exchange for changing a review. Yelp's content guidelines tell users not to draft or revise content with third-party AI tools, so write Yelp replies by hand. Start with one half hour a week and adjust it to your review count.

The FTC's fake review rule and Google's rules on asking for reviews are in our [AI marketing guide](https://maple.inc/blog/ai-restaurant-marketing). This page covers replying: what the two main platforms say, which tools draft replies, templates for each kind of review, and a weekly routine.

## What do Google and Yelp say about replies?

Google's help page on [managing customer reviews](https://support.google.com/business/answer/3474050?hl=en) sets out what happens after you post. Google checks each reply against its content policies. The reply appears as your business, and "your personal name won't be shown." The reviewer is notified, and "customers can still change their review after reading your reply."

Its [tips for review replies](https://support.google.com/business/answer/3474122?hl=en) add four rules that suit AI drafts:

- **Keep it short:** "If a reply is too long, people might stop reading before they get to the main point."
- **Skip the stock thank-you:** "Instead of sending the same 'thank you' to everyone, focus on reviews where you can share a helpful update or answer a question."
- **No promotions:** "avoid using your response to offer deals or promotions."
- **Protect privacy:** "Never share a reviewer's private information or engage in personal attacks." For a complex problem, ask the reviewer to contact you by phone or email.

The same page says offering "free or discounted goods or services, in exchange for customers to post reviews, change reviews, or remove negative reviews is considered fake & misleading content and is strictly prohibited."

Yelp's [content guidelines](https://www.yelp.com/guidelines) apply to everyone on the site. Under "Post your own content," they say "you shouldn't use third-party AI tools and chatbots to create reviews or other content, including using such tools to draft or revise content." The rule does not name owner replies, and its wording, "other content," is broad enough to cover them. Its privacy rule says "Don't publicize people's private information."

Yelp's February 2025 article on [responding to reviews](https://business.yelp.com/resources/articles/tips-for-responding-to-reviews-on-yelp/) says you can reply with a public comment or a direct message, and that an approved profile photo is required to respond. Its formula: thank the reviewer, mention a specific detail, address the concern, and invite them back or offer a way to talk offline. It also says to respond to every review, positive and critical, and to use the "Thank" button when you are short on time.

## Which tools draft replies, and what do they cost?

    Tool What its own page says Printed price Start here if
  Marqii Review monitoring across Google, Yelp, Facebook and delivery apps; AI-powered suggested review responses; a managed reply service by volume Marqii Pro: $145 a month per location on an annual contract. Managed replies from $100 a month for up to 50 reviews ($2.00 each), with a platform fee if bought alone You want reviews and menu listings in one place
  Podium Core includes review management with AI responses; Pro adds an AI Reputation Specialist that writes review invites and replies Podium: Core $399 a month; Pro $599 a month You also want texting and lead tools
  Birdeye Review Response Agent Drafts replies across platforms, follows your approval settings and escalates critical feedback No price printed; the pricing page asks for your location count You run several locations
  Owner.com Sends review requests after online orders; you see and manage reviews in its dashboard. Its reviews page names no AI reply drafting Owner.com: Flexible $249 a month plus a 5% restaurant fee per order; Flat Rate $499 a month You want ordering and review requests together
  A general AI assistant Drafts a reply from the review and the facts you paste in Depends on the plan; our ChatGPT guide has a reply prompt You get a handful of reviews a week

Sources: [Marqii pricing](https://www.marqii.com/pricing), [Podium plans](https://www.podium.com/pricing), [Birdeye review management](https://birdeye.com/review-management/) and its [pricing page](https://birdeye.com/pricing/), and Owner.com's [Reviews Engine](https://www.owner.com/reviews-engine) and [pricing](https://www.owner.com/pricing) pages. Marqii lists Yelp among the sites it replies on; read Yelp's guideline above before you let any tool post there.

## What should a reply say for each kind of review?

These templates are ours. Fill the brackets only with facts the manager confirms.

    Review type Template Watch for
  Five stars with detail "Thanks, [first name]. [Dish or person they praised] is a favorite here too. See you next time." Google suggests replying where you can add something; on Yelp, the Thank button covers a review you have no time to answer
  Mixed "Thank you, [first name]. Glad you liked [good part]. You're right about [problem]; we have [change the manager confirmed]." Name one real change, or none
  Complaint about food or an order "[First name], we're sorry [problem]. We'd like to hear more: please call [manager] at [restaurant phone] or email [address]." No refund or discount in public
  Complaint about a staff member "Thank you for telling us. That isn't how we want anyone treated, and [manager] would like to talk: [contact]." No staff names, no discipline details
  Illness, allergy or injury "We take this seriously. [Manager] will call you today; please reach us at [contact]." No AI draft; a manager writes it
  Not your restaurant, or breaks the rules Flag it through the platform's report tool before you decide whether to reply Google's help page points to flagging for reviews that break its policies

A prompt that keeps the draft inside those limits:

> Draft a reply under 70 words to this review. Use the reviewer's first name if shown. Thank them, name the issue they raised, and state only this fact from our manager: [fact]. Do not mention allergies, illness, refunds, discounts, prices, staff names, other guests or order details. Do not ask them to change or remove the review. [Paste review.]

## What should stay out of a reply?

- **Health and allergy claims.** "Our kitchen is nut-free" or "nobody else got sick" is a public promise you cannot check from the office. Move these offline the same day.
- **Guest details.** What they ordered, when they came, who they came with, their table, card or phone. Google and Yelp both say not to share people's private information.
- **Offers tied to the review.** Any refund, credit or free meal conditioned on editing or removing a review breaks Google's rule quoted above. If you make something right, do it privately with no strings.
- **Anything the AI made up.** A new chef, a retrained team or a fixed fryer, unless the manager confirms it happened.
- **Arguments and threats.** Correct a plain factual error once, briefly, and stop.

## What does the weekly routine look like?

1. **Collect:** open Google, Yelp and any delivery app that shows reviews, or your review tool's inbox.
2. **Sort:** praise, mixed, complaint, safety (illness, allergy or injury) and rule-breaking.
3. **Safety first:** a manager contacts each safety reviewer the same day and writes that reply without AI.
4. **Get the facts:** for each complaint, ask the shift lead what happened before any draft.
5. **Draft:** use the prompt above for Google and other sites. Write Yelp replies yourself.
6. **Check and post:** the manager reads every draft against the list above, then posts.
7. **Flag:** report reviews that break the platform's rules through its own tool before you decide whether to reply.
8. **Log:** keep a sheet of each review, the reply date and any change made in the restaurant. Share one theme at the next pre-shift meeting.

If reviews keep saying nobody answers the phone, a reply will not fix it. [Maple Voice](https://maple.inc/pricing) answers calls with your hours and FAQ answers and transfers the rest to staff, at $150 a month billed monthly or $85 billed yearly. For complaints that come in by phone, our [phone handoff checklist](https://maple.inc/blog/restaurant-phone-handoff-checklist) sets out who owns each one.

*Published by Maple. This AI-assisted guide combines Google Business Profile help pages, Yelp's content guidelines and business article, and vendors' own pricing and product pages with original reply templates, a prompt and a weekly routine. It is not legal advice, does not report a test of any review tool, and makes no claim about ratings or sales.*

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