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Zenchef Reviews in the Guest App: Complete Guide

This article explains how Zenchef reviews work in the Guest App and how you can make the most of them to improve your visibility and attract more diners.
 

Summary

  1. What are Zenchef reviews?
  2. Who can leave a Zenchef review?
  3. How are Zenchef reviews collected?
  4. How to activate reviews for my restaurant
  5. How to get more reviews
  6. Best practices to improve your rating
  7. How to respond to negative feedback
  8. How the AI review summary works

 

1. What are Zenchef reviews?

Zenchef reviews are ratings and comments left by diners after an actual visit to your restaurant, following a reservation made through Zenchef (your widget, ZenchefOS, partner channels, or the B2C Guest App).

Key characteristics:

  • ⭐ Verified experience: each review is linked to a real reservation and a completed visit.
  • 🎯 Structured feedback: guests rate their experience (overall rating and, depending on your setup, different criteria such as service, food, atmosphere, value for money) and can add an open-text comment.
  • 🔐 Zenchef-only: these are not Google reviews. They are collected and stored in Zenchef and displayed:
    • in your Zenchef ecosystem (Zensite, review widgets, etc.),
    • and in the Guest App, on your restaurant profile.

In the Guest App, Zenchef reviews help potential diners:

  • Understand the overall satisfaction level (average rating, number of reviews).
  • Read detailed feedback from verified guests.
  • See AI-generated summaries that help diners quickly understand what your restaurant is known for and whether it suits their occasion.

 

2. Who can leave a Zenchef review?

Only verified diners can leave a Zenchef review.

That means:

  • The diner must have made a reservation through Zenchef (widget, partner, ZenchefOS, or the Guest App).
  • The reservation must be completed (service ended, status “Terminated” / equivalent in ZenchefOS).
  • The diner then receives a review request (email and/or SMS, depending on your settings) and can leave a review through the Zenchef form.

No “walk-in” or anonymous reviews can be left directly from the Guest App, and users cannot rate a restaurant without having dined there via a Zenchef-tracked reservation.

This is what makes Zenchef reviews “verified reviews”: every opinion is tied to a real visit.

 

3. How are Zenchef reviews collected?

First, make sure you have activated the review feature in your settings. Zenchef reviews are collected automatically after the guest’s visit.

Collection flow

  1. Reservation

    A diner books a table using Zenchef (your booking button, partner platforms, or the Guest App).

  2. Visit completed

    After the service, the reservation is considered as completed/terminated in ZenchefOS (it is either marked as completed or left in confirmed status. Cancelled or no-show reservations do not receive a review request.).

  3. Automatic review request

    Zenchef sends a request for a review:

    • by email,
    • and/or by SMS, according to your notification settings.

  4. Guest fills out the questionnaire

    The guest clicks the link in the message and answers:

    • a rating (e.g. 1 to 5 stars),
    • sub-ratings by criteria (service, food, atmosphere, etc.),
    • a written comment (optional but encouraged).

  5. Review is stored and displayed

    The review is:

    • stored in your Zenchef account (“Reviews” section),
    • available for replies (you can answer each review),
    • used to compute your average rating and AI summary,
    • displayed on your restaurant’s profile in the Guest App.

Note: Depending on your settings, you can also redirect a portion of guests to external platforms (Google, TripAdvisor…) after they complete the Zenchef questionnaire. These external reviews are not Zenchef reviews but complement your overall e-reputation. They won’t appear in the Guest App.

 

4. How to activate reviews for my restaurant

To appear with Zenchef reviews in the Guest App, you must first activate and configure review collection in ZenchefOS.

Step 1 – Activate the review request

In ZenchefOS (web):

  1. Go to Settings → Marketing & Communication → Client notifications > Reviews
  2. Enable the option to send a review request after the visit.

  3. Choose:

    • Trigger: after reservation status is “Completed/Terminated” or after a certain delay following the service.
    • Delay: e.g. 3 hours after the meal, next day, etc.
    • Channel(s): email, SMS, or both.
    • Optional: reminder if the guest hasn’t answered after X days.

     

 

Step 2 – Configure review distribution (optional)

In the Reviews / Distribution section:

  1. Decide if you want to:
    • Keep the reviews mainly on Zenchef (to feed your profile in the Guest App and your Zensite),
    • or also redirect some guests to other platforms (Google, TripAdvisor, etc.).
  2. For each platform:
    • Enter the review URL (where guests can post reviews on that site).
    • Define a frequency: often / sometimes / never.

Step 3 – Make sure reviews are visible

If you already display Zenchef reviews on your Zensite or external site, they can also be used in the Guest App.

In the Website / Advanced parameters section (or equivalent):

  • Check that Zenchef reviews are enabled and public (not “private only”).

Once these steps are done and guests start leaving reviews, your rating and review content will feed the Guest App automatically.

 

5. How to get more reviews

More reviews = more credibility + more data for the AI summary + better conversion in the Guest App.

Here are the main levers:

5.1. Maximize the number of invitations sent

  • Make sure the review request is activated for all relevant reservations.
  • Verify that emails and phone numbers collected for bookings are correct (typos drastically reduce response rates).

5.2. Optimize timing and channel

  • Send the review request soon after the visit (when the experience is still fresh).
  • Use both email and SMS (Important: SMS are an extra fee).
  • Test different delays (e.g. 1 hour vs. next morning) to see what yields more responses.

5.3. Explain the value to your guests

  • Train your team to say a simple sentence at the end of the meal, such as:

    “You’ll receive a short message to rate your experience. It only takes a few seconds and it helps us a lot.”

  • Add a note in your booking confirmation or post-visit emails reminding guests that their feedback is read and used to improve (Email customization is included in Manage and Grow plans).

5.4. Reduce friction

  • Keep the questionnaire simple and quick (Zenchef’s standard form is optimized for this).
  • If you redirect to external platforms, don’t redirect too many guests, otherwise you dilute responses between channels.

 

6. Best practices to improve your rating

Zenchef reviews reflect the real experience of your guests. To improve your rating, you need both better experiences and better review management.

6.1. Focus on what reviews measure

Most reviews will mention:

  • Quality and consistency of the food
  • Service (friendliness, speed, attention)
  • Atmosphere (noise, comfort, music, lighting)
  • Value for money

Use ZenchefOS to:

  • Identify recurring issues (e.g. “long waiting time”, “noisy room”, “cold dishes”).
  • Share these insights with your team during briefings.
  • Set concrete actions (additional staff at peak hours, menu adjustments, etc.).

6.2. React quickly

  • Regularly monitor new reviews in ZenchefOS or the mobile app.
  • Respond to reviews (especially the negative ones) within 24–48 hours when possible.
  • If a recurring problem appears (e.g. “too salty”, “staff overwhelmed”), take visible corrective actions and mention them in your replies.

6.3. Encourage happy guests to respond

  • If you know a table had a great time, a simple “You’ll receive a message to rate us, we really appreciate it” can significantly boost positive reviews.
  • You don’t need to “ask for 5 stars” (which can be perceived as pushy); just invite them to share their honest feedback.

The goal is not to “game” the rating, but to make sure your silent majority of satisfied guests also express themselves, not only the occasional unhappy customer.

 

7. How to respond to negative feedback

Negative reviews will happen, even in the best restaurants. What matters is how you respond.

7.1. Principles

  • Stay calm and professional

    Never respond in anger. Take a few minutes if necessary before answering.

  • Show empathy

    Start by acknowledging the guest’s experience:

    “We’re sorry to read that your experience didn’t meet your expectations…”

  • Be specific

    Refer to the issues raised (service, dish, waiting time) and avoid generic copy-paste replies.

  • Explain without justifying too much

    You can give context (e.g. team shortage, technical problem), but avoid using it as an excuse.

  • Propose a solution

    When relevant:

    • Invite the guest to contact you directly (email/phone) to discuss.
    • Offer to try again (without necessarily promising discounts publicly).

  • Show that you improve

    Mention any concrete actions taken:

    “Since your visit, we have reinforced our team on Saturday evenings and adjusted our menu…”

7.2. Why it matters in the Guest App

On the Guest App, your public responses:

  • Show future guests that you listen and care.
  • Can balance a negative review by demonstrating professionalism.

ZenchefOS lets you respond directly to each review, and you can also create saved replies for recurring cases, then personalize them.

 

8. How the AI review summary works

In the Guest App, diners will see a short AI-generated summary of your reviews (e.g. “Guests particularly appreciate the friendly service and creative dishes. Some mention noise during peak hours.”).

8.1. Data used

The AI summary is based on:

  • Your Zenchef reviews (ratings and written comments) collected from verified diners.
  • The frequency and recurrence of certain themes (e.g. “service”, “wine list”, “noise”, “vegetarian options”).

The AI does not invent opinions; it synthesises what real guests say most often.

8.2. How the summary is generated

  1. All public Zenchef reviews (within a defined time window) are analyzed.
  2. The AI identifies positive aspects mentioned frequently (e.g. “friendly staff”, “excellent desserts”),
  3. It creates a concise, neutral summary highlighting:
    • What guests like the most,
    • Sometimes contextual details (e.g. “especially appreciated for business lunches”, “recommended for special occasions”).

8.3. How to influence the AI summary

You can’t edit the AI text manually, but you can influence it indirectly:

  • By increasing the number of reviews (more data = more representative summary).
  • By improving the actual experience (which changes the content of reviews).
  • By responding to issues that come up repeatedly, which tends to reduce them over time.

If many guests consistently praise your terrace, brunch, or tasting menu, the AI is more likely to highlight these strengths in the summary.

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