While many restaurateurs are wary of all the “everyone is a restaurant critic” activity on the myriad of review websites, in this edition Matt McGee, Small Business Search Marketing, recommends that restaurants actually encourage diners to go online and write their opinions about their dining experiences. “There is a lot of value in letting customers know, good or bad, you want to hear about it,” he says, adding that, “It shows “authentic interest” in customers’ dining experiences.” According to Matt and other experts, online customer reviews can also provide valuable feedback when consistently monitored. Whatever the medium, restaurateurs have long understood the importance of honest feedback – the potential it provides to reward great staff performance, to improve operations, and to provide opportunities for service recoveries.