You get more Google reviews by asking every customer, making it one tap, and replying to all of them - not by chasing only the happy tables. A steady trickle of genuine, recent reviews is what lifts you in the local map pack and gets the next hungry person to tap your listing instead of the place down the road. In New Zealand there is one rule most overseas "get more reviews" guides skip: you have to ask everyone, because screening for happy customers before you prompt them is the same kind of conduct the Commerce Commission has already fined under the Fair Trading Act.
This guide is the practical version - the exact steps, where to put the ask, what to train staff to say, and the lines you must not cross. It is general guidance, not legal advice.
Key takeaways
- Reviews decide who walks in. 97% of consumers read reviews when choosing a business, and 74% only trust reviews written in the last three months (BrightLocal, 2026) - so a one-off push fades fast; you need a steady flow.
- Ask every customer, not just the happy ones. "Review gating" - screening for satisfied customers before prompting a public review - is exactly the behaviour the Commerce Commission prosecuted. Bachcare was fined $117,000 and The TV Shop $1,104,000 under the Fair Trading Act.
- Make it one tap. A QR code and a short review link at the point the transaction ends (receipt, EFTPOS screen, takeaway bag, follow-up text) removes the friction that kills most review requests.
- Reply to all of them. 80% of consumers say they are more likely to use a business that responds to all its reviews (BrightLocal, 2026). A calm reply to a bad one matters more than the review itself.
- Never buy, incentivise, or fake reviews. Google prohibits incentives, staff reviews, and selectively soliciting positive ones - and doing it can breach the Fair Trading Act.
Why Google reviews decide who walks in
Reviews are not a vanity score - they are the shortlist. When someone searches "brunch near me" or "fish and chips open now", Google's local pack (the three places pinned on the map) is what they tap, and the star rating plus the review count is what they compare. Getting found there is the same job covered in our New Zealand Google Business Profile checklist - reviews are the part of it you have to keep earning.
The numbers are blunt. 97% of consumers read reviews when browsing for a business, and Google remains the standout source, used by 71% of them (BrightLocal, 2026). The catch is recency: 74% only want reviews written in the last three months. Twenty glowing reviews from 2023 do almost nothing today. That is why this is a habit, not a campaign - a few fresh reviews every week beats a hundred in one burst and then silence.
The one NZ rule overseas guides miss: ask everyone
Here is the part that trips up Kiwi owners who copy American advice. A lot of overseas "get more reviews" tools work by filtering - they ask a customer privately how their visit went, and only send the ones who rate you highly off to Google, while quietly diverting the unhappy ones to a feedback form. That is called review gating, and in New Zealand it is a Fair Trading Act risk, because you are manufacturing a rating that does not reflect genuine experience.
This is not theoretical. The Commerce Commission's first case over online reviews was Bachcare, a holiday-home company fined $117,000 for misleading consumers by altering and withholding online reviews - it edited negative comments out and did not publish any review rated below 3.5 stars (Commerce Commission, 2019).
More recently, The TV Shop (Brand Developers Ltd) was ordered to pay a $1,104,000 penalty after the District Court found staff posted favourable reviews without disclosing they worked for the company, and that "reviews with one, two or three stars would not be published unless the customer responded to a follow up email" (Commerce Commission, 2026).
The takeaway is freeing, not scary: stop trying to control the rating and just ask everyone, honestly. The cost of faking it is far higher than the cost of a few ordinary reviews. If a genuinely unfair or fake review does land, that is a separate problem with its own process - see whether you can remove a fake Google review in New Zealand.
How to get more Google reviews: the step-by-step
Step 1: Finish your Google Business Profile first
There is no point driving review traffic to a half-built listing. Claim and verify the profile, set the right primary category, and get your public-holiday hours right for Matariki, Waitangi Day and Anzac Day. Work through the full Google Business Profile checklist once, then come back here.
Step 2: Grab your review short link
In your Business Profile, use the "Ask for reviews" option to copy your unique review link - it opens the review box in one tap. Save it somewhere everyone can reach. This single link is the backbone of every tactic below.
Step 3: Turn the link into a QR code
Generate a QR code from that link (any free generator works) and get it printed. A QR code on the table, the counter, or the takeaway bag turns "I'll do it later" into a 10-second job while the customer is still with you. Print a few sizes: a small table card, a counter sticker, and one for receipts.
Step 4: Put the ask where the transaction ends
The best moment is the last happy moment - when they are paying or leaving, not mid-meal. Place the ask at every exit point:
- A small card by the EFTPOS terminal, or a line on the EFTPOS receipt.
- A sticker on the takeaway bag or the pickup counter.
- A line in your booking-confirmation or thank-you text or email the next morning.
- A tent card on dine-in tables.
Spread it across all of them. Different customers respond to different prompts.
Step 5: Ask out loud, and ask everyone
The QR code lifts conversion, but a staff member actually saying it is what makes people do it. A simple, honest line works: "If you enjoyed it, a quick Google review really helps us - the code's on the card." Say it to every table and every takeaway customer, not just the ones you can tell are delighted. That is both the rule and the smarter play: a natural mix of reviews reads as real and builds trust faster than a wall of suspiciously perfect fives.
Step 6: Train the team the same way - without quotas
Make it one shared script so it is consistent and low-pressure. Crucially, do not set staff review quotas, do not tell them to ask customers to mention specific dishes or words, and do not get staff to leave reviews themselves - Google prohibits all three (more on that below). Fold the one-line ask into onboarding so new staff do it from day one.
Step 7: Reply to every review, fast
Responding is half the job. 80% of consumers say they are more likely to use a business that responds to all its reviews, and templated replies put half of them off (BrightLocal, 2026). Thank the good ones by name, and answer the bad ones calmly: acknowledge, apologise if fair, say what you have changed, offer to take it offline. A measured reply to a one-star review often wins over the next reader more than the complaint cost you. Aim to reply within a day or two.
Step 8: Keep it steady
Because 74% of people only trust reviews from the last three months, the goal is a constant trickle - a handful a week, every week. Build the ask into the close of every shift so it keeps running without you. That steady flow, not a one-time blitz, is what holds your position in the map pack.
What not to do: Google's rules and the law
Google's review policies are explicit, and breaking them can get reviews - or your whole profile - removed. According to Google's own policy, merchants may not (Google, 2026):
- Offer incentives "such as payment, discounts, free goods and/or services - in exchange for posting any review." No "review for a free coffee".
- Review-gate: "Discourage or prohibit negative reviews, or selectively solicit positive reviews from customers."
- Pressure on the premises: "When soliciting reviews, merchants should not require or pressure users to leave ratings or write reviews while on the premises" - so no staffed "review station" or shared tablet pushing reviews at the till.
- Set staff quotas or ask staff "to solicit reviews that include specific content."
- Post reviews with a conflict of interest - that covers staff reviewing their own workplace, which is exactly what sank The TV Shop.
Google is enforcing this at scale - it blocked 240 million fake or policy-breaking reviews in 2024 (BrightLocal, 2026). The honest version is simpler to run and never gets you fined or deindexed: ask everyone, make it easy, influence nothing about the content, and reply to all.
Turn review traffic into your customers
Earning reviews lifts you in the map pack, but then make the tap count. When someone finds you from a strong listing, your Google profile should send them to your page - your own menu, booking and ordering - not straight to an aggregator taking 30% of every order. Owning that step is covered in our guide to restaurant online ordering in New Zealand; a simple site with your menu and an order button (DineHere builds one from a menu photo if you do not have one) means the diner a review won you stays your customer, not Uber Eats' or Delivereasy's.
Frequently asked questions
How many Google reviews does my restaurant need?
There is no magic number. Because 74% of people only trust reviews from the last three months, what matters is a steady recent flow and staying competitive with nearby places, not a lifetime total.
Is it legal to ask customers for Google reviews in New Zealand?
Yes - asking customers for honest reviews is fine and encouraged. What is not fine is screening them first so only happy ones get prompted (review gating), which risks breaching the Fair Trading Act.
What is review gating and why is it a problem here?
Review gating is privately checking how satisfied a customer is and only sending the happy ones to Google. It manufactures a misleading rating - the conduct the Commerce Commission fined Bachcare $117,000 and The TV Shop $1,104,000 for.
Can I offer a discount or free coffee for a review?
No. Google prohibits offering incentives "in exchange for posting any review", and reviews found to be incentivised can be removed.
Can my staff leave reviews for the restaurant?
No. Google treats reviews with a conflict of interest - including current or former employees reviewing the business - as policy violations. Undisclosed staff reviews were central to The TV Shop case.
Where is the best place to put a review QR code?
Wherever the visit ends: by the EFTPOS terminal, on the takeaway bag, on dine-in table cards, and in a follow-up text or email. Use several - different customers respond to different prompts.
Should I reply to negative reviews?
Yes, calmly and promptly. 80% of consumers favour businesses that reply to all reviews, and a measured response to a bad review reassures the next reader more than the complaint cost you.
How do I get my Google review link?
In your Google Business Profile, use the "Ask for reviews" option to copy your unique review link, then turn it into a QR code for print.
Can I remove a bad or fake Google review?
Only if it breaks Google's policies (spam, fake, off-topic, conflict of interest). You cannot remove a genuine bad review for being unfair - see our guide on removing a fake Google review in NZ.
How often should I ask for reviews?
Constantly and quietly - build the one-line ask into every shift so a few genuine reviews come in each week, rather than running an occasional push.
