Restaurant reviews: Do they influence your dining choices?

At some point in our lives, we've taken to social media to complain about poor service that we have received - I've done it as well.

As much as patrons take to social media sites to slate restaurants, I have noticed that it's also becoming quite common for restaurants to name and shame customers who fail to turn up for a booking. So as much as customers complain, some restaurants are replying, and sometimes not in the most appropriate fashion.

Read: Should restaurants disclose the corkage fee upfront?

I came across a story published in the Irish Examiner about a diner who took to a review website to complain about a restaurant not stocking a specific bottle of lemonade. 

Instead of responding to the patron directly, the restaurant took to their Twitter page to shame the customer by posting a screenshot of the review. Ouch! 

The article also made mention of a restaurant who took to social media to shame diners who did not show up for their booking by posting pictures and email addresses of the patrons. In this day and age, online booking services make reserving a table a one-click job – it’s so easy to forget you even booked it come dinner time... or is it?

Read: Restaurant employee fired after posting photo of dirty tray

It's evident that restaurant shaming is now a real thing from both the patron's and the restaurant's side. It's a slippery slope because while patrons have the right to air their views on their dining experience and service received, restaurants have a business to run and one bad review can cost them thousands in revenue.

After reading about the latest spate of restaurants fighting back when given bad reviews by diners, to what extent do you rely on social media or review websites when booking a table at a restaurant? Should restaurants have the right to fight back at diners who don’t pitch? Share your comments below: