Google reviews: how to ask guests for them by the rules

Guests choose venues on the map: they look at the average rating, read a few recent reviews and check whether the owner responds. Genuine reviews bring in new guests. But the way you ask for them matters, both to Google and under Polish law.

The best moment to ask

Right after payment, while the guest is still at the table with their phone in hand. That's when impressions are freshest, and writing a review takes 10 to 20 seconds. According to Townely, venues that ask for a review after guests pay at the table collect 6 times more five-star Google reviews.

What's not allowed

Among other things, Google's Maps review policies prohibit:

• offering rewards for reviews, such as discounts, free desserts or other perks;
• asking only happy guests for reviews and discouraging negative ones;
• pressuring guests to leave a review on the spot;
• and, as of April 17, 2026, setting review quotas for staff and instructing them to ask guests for specific content, for example to mention their server by name.

Then there's the law. Since January 1, 2023, posting fake reviews or commissioning them from others has been an unfair commercial practice in Poland, and a business that publishes reviews must disclose whether and how it verifies that they come from real customers. Poland's consumer protection authority (UOKiK) has already fined companies that trade in reviews.

What works and is allowed

• Ask everyone the same way. Every guest gets the same request, no matter how their visit went.
• Give them a choice. Guests can share feedback privately with the venue or post a review on Google. It's their decision.
• Reply to reviews. Negative ones too: factually, politely and quickly.
• Learn from private ratings. Staff ratings collected discreetly help managers talk to the team about specifics.
• Train your team. Asking for a review is part of hospitality, not sales.

How to respond to a negative review

1. Thank the guest for the review, even a critical one.
2. Address the specifics instead of speaking in generalities.
3. Don't argue in public, even if the guest is wrong. Future guests will read your reply.
4. Invite them to talk outside Google to clear things up.

Google's policies can change, so check the current version before you launch a review campaign. This article is not legal advice.