How to ask for Google reviews without breaking CASL

How do I ask for Google reviews without breaking CASL?

Asking a guest for a Google review in person, on a sign, on a card with the bill or with a QR code on the receipt is fine under CASL. Asking by email or text is fine too, as long as the person agreed to hear from you, the message says who it is from, and it gives an easy way to opt out. Whichever way you ask, never offer anything in return for a review, because Google's rules do not allow it.

That is most of it. The rest of this note explains why, so you can set up your asks once and stop worrying about them.

A quick note: this is general information, not legal advice. If you are unsure about your own situation, ask a lawyer.

What does CASL actually cover?

CASL, Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation, covers commercial electronic messages: emails, texts and direct messages on social media that ask someone to do business with you. A review request sent by email or text to a customer counts, because it comes from your business and asks them to do something for it.

What CASL does not cover is just as useful to know. A server saying "if you enjoyed tonight, we would love a review on Google" is spoken, not electronic. A printed card tucked in a takeout bag, a sign by the till or a line printed on the paper bill are not electronic messages either. Those are the easy wins, and they need no consent at all.

• Covered: email, text, social DMsAny of these sent to ask a customer for a review needs consent and the right details inside.
• Not covered: spoken asks and printThe counter, the table, the card, the sign and the paper receipt are outside CASL.
• Guests from the USEmails to people in the United States fall under CAN-SPAM, the American law. It asks for similar basics: be honest about who you are, include a real address, and honour opt-out requests.

What is the difference between express and implied consent?

Express consent means the person clearly said yes to hearing from you, such as ticking an unticked box on your booking form or signing up for your newsletter at the counter. Implied consent comes from an existing relationship, such as a recent purchase. Both can work under CASL, but implied consent from a recent purchase expires, so get express consent when you can.

In practice, that means building a short opt-in into the places guests already give you their details:

• A line on the reservation form: "Send me news and the odd request from us. You can stop any time." Leave the box unticked.
• A sign-up sheet or QR code by the till for the newsletter, with the same plain promise.
• A note in your online ordering checkout, again unticked by default.

Keep a record of when and how each person said yes. The rules on how long implied consent lasts and what counts as a relationship have details, so check the CRTC's guidance on CASL before you lean on implied consent for anything.

Every email or text ask needs three things.

Every review request sent by email or text has to say who it is from, give a way to reach you, and include an unsubscribe that works. Leaving any of these out is where a friendly message turns into a problem.

1. Who it is fromYour restaurant's name, written the way it is on the sign. If someone sends it for you, the message still names your business.
2. How to reach youA mailing address plus a phone number, email or web address. The address on your Google Business Profile is the obvious choice.
3. An unsubscribe that worksA link or a "reply STOP" that actually removes the person, and quickly. Test it yourself before you send.

Keep the message itself short. Thank them for coming in, name the night or the dish if you can ("thanks for joining us for Tuesday mussel night"), and link straight to your Google review form.

Google has rules of its own, too.

Google does not allow businesses to offer anything in exchange for a review, to ask only happy guests, or to have staff review their own place. These rules apply to every ask, spoken or sent, and breaking them can get reviews removed or the listing restricted.

• No incentivesNo free dessert, no discount on the next visit, no entry into a draw. Not even "a little thank you".
• No review gatingDo not ask guests how their meal was first and then send only the happy ones to Google. Ask everyone the same way, or ask no one.
• No staff or family reviewsThe people who work at your place, and the people close to them, should not review it. It reads as a conflict of interest, and Google treats it as one.
• No buying or swappingNo paid reviews and no "I will review yours if you review mine" with the café next door.

What are good ways to ask in a restaurant?

The best ways to ask for Google reviews are the ones that fit the moment a guest is already happy: at the counter, with the bill or in the bag. Spoken and printed asks need no consent, and an email to your opt-in list covers the regulars.

• A line at the counter"If you liked it, a Google review really helps us." Said once, warmly, when someone says the soup was great.
• A card in the bagFor takeout and delivery, a small card with a QR code and one line of thanks.
• A QR code on the billPoint it straight at your Google review form, so nobody has to search for your listing. You can find the review link inside your Google Business Profile.
• A receipt lineOne printed line at the bottom: "Enjoyed it? Tell people on Google." It costs nothing to add.
• A follow-up email to your opt-in listOnly to people who said yes, with your name, contact details and an unsubscribe, as above.

For more on getting the listing itself in order before you send people to it, see our Google Business Profile checklist.

Reply to every review, good or bad.

Replying to every Google review, good or bad, shows the next guest that someone at the restaurant is listening. The reply is read by the person deciding where to eat tonight, not only by the person who wrote the review.

Thank the good ones briefly, and mention the dish if they named it. For a hard one, thank them, say sorry for the part that went wrong, and offer to talk directly. Never argue in public, and never paste the same paragraph under every review.

If you would rather hand it over

Asking fairly and replying well is steady work, and it is part of what our restaurant SEO work covers: we keep your Google Business Profile in order, answer every new review, and keep the listing in step with your site. Tell us what is slipping and get your plan, in plain English, within one business day.