Owner guide · Reviews

Fake reviews on your restaurant: how to spot and report them

A one-star review from someone who never ordered, a burst of reviews in one night, or a review that describes a different restaurant: Google calls these fake engagement, and you can report them.

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Step by step

  1. Check your orders. Search your POS and online orders for the name and date. No record is not proof, but it is a strong sign.
  2. Look for patterns. Many reviews in a short time, accounts with no other reviews, the same wording, or details that do not match your menu.
  3. Report each review. Open the review, tap the three dots, choose Report review and pick “Fake engagement” or “Conflict of interest” if it fits. Or use the Reviews Management Tool.
  4. Reply calmly while you wait. “We could not find an order under this name. Please call us so we can look into it.” New guests see that you care.
  5. Appeal once if needed. If Google finds no violation, appeal once in the Reviews Management Tool and explain what you found.

Reviews

Never fight fake with fake

Since 2024, a US Federal Trade Commission rule bans fake reviews, buying or selling reviews, and reviews by owners or staff that do not say who wrote them. The FTC can seek civil penalties. Google can also remove reviews and limit a profile that gets fake ones. Ask real guests instead.

Protect yourself ahead of time

Steady, real reviews from happy guests make one fake review matter less. A thank-you text after an order with a link to review you on Google is the simplest way.

EatFuti is in Des Moines, Iowa, and works with independent restaurants across the United States, most of all in Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Kansas and Texas.

How it works with EatFuti

  1. Run the free check. Three minutes, no sign-up. See your Google page, where your Order button goes and how your site does on a phone.
  2. Say yes. Send your photos and menu, or we take the menu from your POS or online. Online ordering is live 48 to 72 hours after signup.
  3. Your website goes up. Built for you from your photos, menu and reviews, right after ordering is live. You approve it before it goes up.

Questions owners ask

Can a competitor leave fake reviews?

It happens. Reviews from competitors are a conflict of interest under Google’s policy; report them with that reason.

Should I ask friends to leave reviews?

Not fake ones. A friend who really ate there can review honestly. Paying for reviews or writing them yourself breaks Google’s rules and the FTC rule.