The overwhelming majority of reviews are genuine, honest, and well within bounds — even the unflattering ones. Occasionally one will cross a line. This article explains what we will and will not take down, and how to flag a review that breaks the rules.
The ground rule
Reviews exist so that guests can share their honest experience with other guests. A bad review you would rather not have is still a review — we will not remove a one-star comment because the food was, in fact, cold that night. Reviews are only removed when they break the guidelines below.
What we will take down
- Fake reviews — left by someone who never visited the restaurant, or part of a coordinated effort to drag your rating down (or up).
- Abuse and harassment — slurs, threats, personal attacks on you or your staff by name.
- Hateful content — anything targeting a person or group for their race, religion, sex, sexuality, disability, or similar.
- Privacy breaches — sharing private information about staff or other guests (full names, photos, home addresses, and so on).
- Impersonation — pretending to be another guest, a member of your team, or a competitor.
- Spam and advertising — reviews that exist only to promote another business, a product, or a website.
- Illegal content — anything unlawful, or material that incites unlawful behaviour.
- Off-topic content — reviews that are clearly about a different restaurant, or that have nothing to do with the dining experience.
What we will not take down
There are a handful of cases where operators understandably want a review removed, but we will not act on them:
- Honest negative feedback. A guest writing that the chips were soggy is doing exactly what reviews are for — even if you disagree.
- Low ratings without comments. A stars-only review is allowed. Not every guest wants to write.
- Reviews you simply do not like. Snark, faint praise, or unflattering descriptions are all fair game, so long as they steer clear of the categories above.
- Out-of-date reviews. If the chef has changed and a year-old review no longer reflects the kitchen, the right response is a new wave of fresh reviews — not removal of the old one.
- Disputes about facts. "We were not actually closed that day" is not on its own grounds for removal. The review is one guest's experience as they remember it.
How to flag a review
There is no in-product "report" button on a review yet. If you believe a review breaks one of the guidelines above, email us:
We will read every report and come back to you in 5 working days. If we agree the review breaks the guidelines, we will take it down and let you know. If we do not, we will explain why — and the review will stay.
If a guest changes their mind
Reviews are owned by the guest who wrote them. If a guest tells you they would like to edit or remove a review they left, they can do it themselves: sign in to Make a Rezzy, open your reviews page, and use the Edit or Delete button next to their own review. You do not need to involve support for this.
Responding instead of removing
Most of the time, the right answer to a difficult review is not removal — it is a thoughtful reply directly to the guest. See Reading and responding to reviews for the most effective way to follow up.
Where to go next
- Reading and responding to reviews — finding the right booking and writing back to the guest directly.
- How reviews work — the cadence and mechanics behind the review email.