Choose the star rating and what the review is about, type the reviewer’s first name and your details, and two replies appear — one warm, one brief — ready to paste into Google. Every template is also listed in full further down the page.
Business type
Star rating
What the review says
Your reply
Warm
Thank you — this made our day. We are glad the meal hit the mark, and the whole team has read your words twice already. We hope to cook for you again soon.
Brief
Thanks. Glad the meal was a hit, and we hope to see you again soon.
What not to say
Do not offer a discount or a gift in return for the review — Google’s review policy counts that as an incentive. Skip the sales pitch, and skip the request to review you somewhere else too; one line about coming back is enough.
These are fill-in templates: the sentences are fixed, the details are yours. Read the reply once before you post it and change one line only you could have written.
Everything runs in your browser. The names and contact details you type are not sent or stored.
Google review reply templates — copy and paste
Every template on this page, blanks included, grouped by star rating. Pick one and the tool above fills it in with your details.
5-star review reply templates
General thanks
WarmThank you, {name} — this made our day. We are glad the {item} hit the mark, and the whole team has read your words twice already. We hope to cook for you again soon.
BriefThanks, {name}. Glad the {item} was a hit, and we hope to see you again soon.
Praised a staff member
WarmThank you, {name}. We shared your review with the team this morning, and the person you mentioned had a very good day because of it. We are lucky to have people who care this much about the {item}. We hope to cook for you again soon.
BriefThanks, {name} — this went straight to the team member you mentioned. See you next time.
A regular customer
WarmThank you, {name}. Regulars like you are the reason we are still here, and it means a lot that you took the time to write this after all this time. We will keep the {item} exactly the way you like it. We hope to cook for you again soon.
BriefThanks, {name} — always good to see you. The {item} stays just the way you like it.
First visit
WarmWelcome, {name}, and thank you for writing this after your first meal with {business}. A first meal is the one we worry about most, so it is good to hear the {item} lived up to what you hoped. We hope to cook for you again soon.
BriefThank you, {name} — a review after a first meal is the best kind. We hope the second meal is even better.
Stars only, no text
WarmThank you for the five stars, {name}. No words needed — a rating like this after a meal with {business} tells us we got it right. We hope to cook for you again soon.
BriefThanks for the five stars, {name}. We hope to see you again soon.
4-star review reply templates
Happy, with one small gripe
WarmThank you, {name} — for the kind words and for the honest note. You are right about the point you raised, and it is on our list this week. We would rather hear it from you than not hear it at all. We hope to cook for you again soon.
BriefThanks, {name}. Fair point, and we are on it. Glad the {item} was worth the trip.
3-star review reply templates
Mixed — some good, some not
WarmThank you for the balanced review, {name}. Three stars tells us something worked and something did not, and the detail you gave is exactly what we need to fix the second part. If you are willing to say more, please reach {owner} directly at {contact}. We hope the next meal tips the balance.
BriefThanks for the honest take, {name}. We will work on the part that fell short — {contact} reaches {owner} if you want to say more. We hope the next meal tips the balance.
2-star review reply templates
Long wait or delay
WarmThank you for telling us, {name}. A long wait is not the meal you signed up for, and we are sorry it happened to you. We have gone over that day with the team. If you are open to it, we would like to make it up to you — please contact {owner} directly at {contact}.
BriefSorry about the wait, {name} — that is not how it should go. Please get in touch with {owner} at {contact} so we can make it right.
Wrong or cold order
WarmThank you for the honest review, {name}, and we are sorry the {item} was not what you paid for. That is on us, not you. We would like to understand exactly what went wrong and put it right — write to {owner} at {contact} and we will take it from there.
BriefSorry the {item} missed the mark, {name}. Tell {owner} at {contact} what happened and it will be put right.
Price complaint
WarmThank you for the feedback, {name}. We understand the {item} felt expensive for what you got, and that is a fair thing to say out loud. We set prices to cover what goes into the meal and the people who do the work, but value is your call, not ours. If something about the meal itself fell short, please tell {owner} directly at {contact}.
BriefThanks for the honest note on price, {name}. If the meal itself fell short, tell {owner} at {contact} — we want to know.
Says staff were rude
WarmThank you for telling us, {name}, and we are sorry you were left feeling that way. Nobody should walk away feeling dismissed. We have talked with the team about it, and we would like to hear the details from you directly — {contact} goes straight to {owner}.
BriefSorry you were made to feel that way, {name}. We have raised it with the team and want to hear your side — please reach {owner} at {contact}.
Facts are wrong, or never a customer
WarmThank you for the review, {name}. Some of the details here do not match what we have on our side, so we would like to check them with you rather than guess in public. Please send the date and anything else you remember to {contact} and ask for {owner} — we will look into it and reply to you directly.
BriefThanks, {name}. The details do not match our records, so please send the date to {contact} and we will check and reply directly.
Suspected fake review
WarmThank you for the review, {name}. We take every rating seriously, but we cannot match this one to a meal on our books. If this really was your meal, please send {owner} the date at {contact} so we can look into it properly and put anything wrong right.
BriefWe could not match this review to a meal in our records. If it was yours, send {owner} the date at {contact} and we will look into it.
1-star review reply templates
Long wait or delay
WarmWe are sorry, {name}. A wait that long turns a meal into a bad day, and we understand why it ended in one star. We have gone through that day with the whole team, and we do not want to leave it there. Please contact {owner} directly at {contact} — we want the full picture, and the chance to make it right.
BriefWe are sorry about the wait, {name}, and we understand the one star. Please reach {owner} at {contact} and give us the chance to make it right.
Wrong or cold order
WarmWe are sorry, {name}. What you describe is nowhere near the meal we set out to deliver, and we let you down. We would like to hear exactly what happened, from you, and put it right — please get in touch with {owner} at {contact}. Thank you for telling us instead of walking away.
BriefSorry the {item} went so wrong, {name}. Please write to {owner} at {contact} — we would like to put it right.
Price complaint
WarmThank you for the honest review, {name}. Feeling overcharged is a bad way to end a meal, and we are sorry it landed that way. If the price did not match what you were told beforehand, that is our mistake and we want to fix it — please send the details to {owner} at {contact}.
BriefSorry the price felt wrong, {name}. If it did not match what you were told beforehand, please send the details to {owner} at {contact} and it will be looked at properly.
Says staff were rude
WarmWe are sorry, {name}. Being treated badly is worse than any mistake with the {item}, and it is not how we want anyone to leave. We have taken this to the team already. Please contact {owner} directly at {contact} — we want to hear what happened from you and put it right.
BriefWe are sorry about how you were treated, {name}. It has been raised with the team, and we want your account of it — please reach {owner} at {contact}.
Facts are wrong, or never a customer
WarmThank you for the review, {name}. We want to be careful here: several details do not match what we have on record, and rather than argue in public we would like to check them with you. Please send the date to {contact} and ask for {owner}. If this was posted in error, we would be grateful for an update.
BriefThanks, {name}. The details do not match our records — please send the date to {contact} and ask for {owner}, and we will check and reply directly.
Suspected fake review
WarmWe take every review seriously, including this one, but we cannot find a meal that matches it. If you were a customer of ours, please reach out to {owner} at {contact} with the date and we will look into it right away. If not, we hope you will consider updating it.
BriefWe cannot match this review to a meal in our records. If the meal was yours, please let {owner} know the date at {contact}, and it will be looked into.
Before you post the reply
Name one detail. A reply that repeats something the reviewer said — the dish, the color, the fixed leak — reads as written by a person who was there. Two to four sentences is enough; Google’s own tips for replying say to keep it short and to thank the reviewer.
A low rating is read by everyone else. The person who left one star may never come back, but the next fifty people scrolling your profile will read how you handled it. Thank them, acknowledge the specific problem, skip the excuses, and move the rest to email or phone.
Stay inside Google’s rules. Offer nothing in exchange for a review, post no personal details about a reviewer, and answer a suspected fake by asking for the date rather than by calling it fake. Only a review that breaks Google’s review policy can be reported from your Business Profile — being unfair or wrong is not a violation.
These are fill-in templates, not generated text. Each reply is a fixed sentence pattern with your details dropped in, assembled in your browser; nothing you type is sent anywhere. Change one line to make it yours, and post within a day or two of the review.
The reply ends with “see you next time”. Give them somewhere to go: a website with the menu or price list, the hours, and a way to book or order. Naratake starting points for restaurants, salons and trades are free to build and preview, with no card to sign up, and Storefront Pro adds online ordering and bookings on the published site.
Yes, including five-star ratings with no text. A reply takes a minute, shows the next reader that someone is paying attention, and is the only part of the review page you control. Write as the owner or manager, in the first person, and vary the wording — five identical thank-yous in a row look automated.
How do I respond to a negative Google review?
Four moves, in order: thank them for the specifics, say what went wrong in one sentence with no excuses, say what you are doing about it, and give an email or phone number to continue privately. Keep it under five sentences. Never dispute the facts in public, and never mention what they booked or paid — that is their information, not yours to post.
Can I get a bad Google review removed?
Only when it breaks Google’s review policy: spam, a fake account, a competitor or ex-employee, off-topic content, harassment. A review that is harsh or mistaken is not a violation. Report it from the review in your Business Profile, expect the check to take days rather than hours, and reply in the meantime — the review stays visible for as long as the check takes, and so does whatever you wrote under it.
Can I ask a reviewer to change their review?
After you have fixed the problem privately, you can say once that an updated review would be appreciated — and attach nothing to it. A refund, a discount or a free item offered in exchange for changing a review counts as an incentive under Google’s policy, and the reviewer can screenshot the offer. Fix the problem because it was a problem; the update, if it comes, is theirs to give.