How to Get More Google Reviews as a Takeaway
If you've ever finished a order and forgotten to ask, this is for you. A short, honest guide to filling your Google profile with real reviews — without it feeling weird.
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Why More Reviews = More Work for Takeaways
Before the how, here's the why. Delivery platforms take a huge commission. Google reviews drive direct orders that keep 100% of the revenue. A strong Google presence with positive reviews reduces your dependency on expensive delivery platforms. Every extra review past your current count earns you a slightly better position in local search, which means slightly more phone calls — and the maths compounds fast.
"takeaway near me"
Google shows the top three results for this search based heavily on review count, rating, and recency. Most clicks go to those three.
Trust signal
For a takeaway, reviews are the first social proof potential customers see — long before they ever talk to you.
Permanent asset
Unlike Just Eat, Google reviews are free, owned by you, and don't disappear when you stop paying.
Why It's So Hard to Get Reviews as a Takeaway
The barrier isn't your work — it's the moment. Reviews happen when the asking is easy and the timing is right, and for most takeaways both of those things are working against you.
Deliveroo, Just Eat, and Uber Eats take 30%+ commission
Platform reviews don't help your Google ranking
Customers order through apps, not Google — but Google drives new discovery
Competition is intense in every neighbourhood
Top-ranking takeaways typically have 50-200 Google reviews.
The 5-Step System to Get More Reviews
This is the playbook we've watched work across hundreds of takeaway owners. None of it is clever — it's just consistent.
- 1
Ask within 24-48 hours of finishing the order
Response rates roughly halve after a week. The fresher the experience, the more likely they post.
- 2
Send by SMS, not email
SMS gets opened in minutes. Email gets opened, maybe, on Sunday night. SMS wins for takeaways every time.
- 3
Personalise the message
Use the customer's name and reference the actual order. Generic templates underperform personalised messages by 2-3x.
- 4
Give them a direct link to your Google review form
Don't make them search for your business. One tap from SMS to review form is the gold standard.
- 5
Filter out unhappy customers first
Send a low-friction "how was it?" question first. Only customers who rate you highly should be funnelled to Google. The rest give you private feedback.
Or Let It Run Itself
The five steps above work. The problem is keeping them up when you're knee-deep in a order. Grow Our Reviews automates step 1 through step 4 — you just finish the job.
Finish a order
Wrap up the work the same way you always have. Nothing changes in how you operate.
Add the customer
Drop their name and mobile into the app — fifteen seconds, from your phone.
Reviews land
Happy customers post directly to Google. Unhappy ones give you private feedback first.
Examples From a Working Takeaway's Week
Picture a typical week — a delivery service, a collection orders, maybe a catering orders. Each one is a potential review. Here's how the asking fits each.
delivery service
A customer who's just had a delivery service from you is the easiest review you'll ever ask for — when the moment is right. The system catches that moment.
collection orders
A customer who's just had a collection orders from you is the easiest review you'll ever ask for — when the moment is right. The system catches that moment.
catering orders
A customer who's just had a catering orders from you is the easiest review you'll ever ask for — when the moment is right. The system catches that moment.
meal deals
A customer who's just had a meal deals from you is the easiest review you'll ever ask for — when the moment is right. The system catches that moment.
What It Costs (For a Takeaway)
14-day free trial on the plan you choose. Card required. Cancel from the dashboard anytime.
Lite
Enough credits for around 30 orders a month.
- Up to 30 message credits per month
- SMS review requests
- Automatic follow-up nudges (can enable/disable)
- Sentiment gate (review filtering)
- Analytics dashboard
- Email support
Starter
Enough credits for around 150 orders a month.
- Up to 150 message credits per month
- SMS review requests
- Automatic follow-up nudges (can enable/disable)
- Sentiment gate (review filtering)
- Analytics dashboard
- Email support
Growth
Enough credits for around 300 orders a month.
- Up to 300 message credits per month
- Everything in Starter
- Priority support
Quick Answers
When is the best time to ask a customer for a review?+
Within 24-48 hours of finishing the order, while the experience is fresh. Wait a week and the response rate drops by more than half — we've measured it.
What's the highest-converting message to send?+
Short, polite, and personal. Mention the customer's name, what you did, and a direct link to your Google review page. The fewer clicks between SMS and review form, the higher the conversion.
Is it OK to offer an incentive?+
No. Google's policy explicitly bans incentivised reviews and they'll strip them — sometimes along with your whole rating. Don't risk it.
How many requests should I send per month as a takeaway?+
Send one to every customer you've genuinely served. The "right number" is whatever your real job volume is — the goal is steady, not bulk.
Ready to get your first wave of new reviews?
The guide above is what works. The fastest way to actually do it is to let the system ask for you — after every order, automatically.
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Other Hospitality we work with
The same approach works for adjacent hospitality — same automation, different defaults.
More for takeaways
Same topic, different angles — useful if you're researching how reviews fit into your wider takeaway business.
Further reading
Articles from the blog that go deeper into the topics on this page.