A good review request message is short, arrives after the customer has eaten, and contains one link that opens the review box in a single tap. That is most of the craft. The templates below are written for Indian food businesses sending from a WhatsApp business number, and each one can be copied, filled in and sent as it is.
They are grouped by purpose: public Google review requests, private feedback requests that catch problems before they go public, versions for dine-in, pickup, cake and tiffin orders, and the thank-you and follow-up messages that close the loop. A timing table at the end tells you when to send which.
What makes a review request message work
Before the templates, four rules that apply to all of them. First, timing beats wording. A message sent 45 minutes after delivery, once the food has been eaten, gets a response; the same message sent while the rider is still on the road does not. Second, one ask and one link. A message with a Google link, an Instagram handle and a menu is three asks, and people do none of them.
Third, use the customer's name and the dish if you have them. "Hope the mutton biryani was worth the wait, Priya" reads as a message from a person. "Dear customer, please rate us" reads as spam. Fourth, no pressure and no incentive. Google's review policies prohibit offering anything in exchange for a review, and a customer who feels pushed leaves a worse one. The timing and channel decisions behind these rules are covered in how to get more Google reviews for your restaurant.
Google review request templates
Use these when you want a public review. Replace the bracketed parts, keep the link as the last line, and send from your business number so the customer recognises you.
1. Plain and short, after delivery:
Hi [name], thanks for ordering from [restaurant] tonight. If the [dish] hit the spot, a quick Google review would mean a lot to our small team. It takes about 30 seconds: [review link]
2. After a customer says thank you:
That made our evening, thank you. If you have half a minute, would you say the same on Google? It helps people nearby find us: [review link]
3. After a high rating:
Thanks for the 5 stars, [name]. Would you mind sharing a line on Google too? Reviews there are how most of our new customers find us: [review link]
4. For a regular who has never been asked:
[Name], you have ordered from us [number] times now, and we have never asked: could you leave us a Google review? A sentence about your usual order is perfect: [review link]
5. For a new restaurant with few reviews:
We opened [month] and are still a small name on Google. If you enjoyed your order today, an honest review would help us more than you might think: [review link]
Feedback request templates: ask privately first
A feedback request message goes to every customer, before any public ask, and gives them a private place to tell you what went wrong. It catches the late delivery and the missing raita while you can still fix them. It also tells you who is happy, which is useful if you later send a Google request.
6. One-tap rating request:
Hi [name], how was your order from [restaurant] today? Reply with a number from 1 to 5. If anything was off, tell us here and we will sort it out.
7. Open feedback request:
Thanks for ordering, [name]. One question: is there anything we could have done better today? Honest answers go straight to the owner.
8. After a known problem, before asking anything:
[Name], we know your order was late today and we are sorry. Was the food still okay when it arrived? If not, tell us and we will make it right on your next order.
How to turn these replies into a routine, with the follow-up for each rating, is in automated feedback collection after every order.
Templates by order type
Delivery is the common case, but the ask changes with the format.
9. Dine-in, sent the next morning:
Good morning, [name]. Thank you for dining with us last night. If the evening was a good one, a Google review would help us: [review link]. And if anything was not right, reply here and I will personally look into it.
10. Self-pickup order:
Hope the [dish] travelled well, [name]. Thanks for picking up from us. A quick Google review helps other people find the shop: [review link]
11. Custom cake or celebration order, a day later:
Hi [name], we hope [occasion] went beautifully. If the cake made the day, we would love a photo and a few words on Google: [review link]. Thank you for trusting us with it.
12. Tiffin subscriber, end of the month:
[Name], thank you for a full month of lunches with us. If the tiffins have been working for you, a Google review would help us reach more people in [area]: [review link]. Any dish you want more of next month? Tell us here.
Thank-you and follow-up templates
The message after the review is the one most restaurants forget, and it is the one that turns a reviewer into a regular.
13. After a review is posted:
Saw your review, [name], thank you. It genuinely helps. Your next order is on us for dessert; just mention this message.
Send this only after the review exists, never as a promise before it, so it stays a thank you rather than an incentive.
14. Gentle single reminder, a week later:
Hi [name], no pressure at all, but if you did enjoy your [dish] last week, the Google review link is here: [review link]. Either way, thank you for ordering.
One reminder is enough. A second one is nagging, and nagging is how business numbers get blocked.
15. After a negative review, taken private:
[Name], I read your review and I am sorry we let you down. I would like to understand what happened and fix it. Could you tell me a bit more here? This is [owner name], the owner.
Public replies to negative reviews need their own tone, which is covered in how to respond to negative restaurant reviews.
When to send each message
Timing is the variable that most changes results, so set it deliberately.
| Order type | Feedback request | Google review request | Reminder |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delivery | 30 to 60 minutes after delivered | Same evening if feedback was positive, otherwise skip | Once, 5 to 7 days later |
| Dine-in | Next morning, 10am to 11am | In the same message, with the private option first | Once, a week later |
| Self-pickup | 60 minutes after collection | Same evening if positive | Once, a week later |
| Cake or catering | Day after the event | In the same message | Skip; one ask is enough for occasion orders |
| Tiffin subscription | Weekly, Friday afternoon | End of month | Skip |
None of this needs to be done by hand. On a platform such as Tezzu, orders come in on your own WhatsApp number, so you have every customer's number, and a rating request goes out automatically after delivery; the customers who rate you well are the natural list for the Google templates above, sent as a campaign from the dashboard. It is one of the simpler pieces of the approach set out in the restaurant customer retention guide, and the automatic part is described in collecting ratings after every order with Tezzu reviews.
Send the feedback message without remembering to
Take orders on your own number, collect a rating after every delivery, and send the review request to the customers who are already happy.
Start your free 7-day trialFrequently asked questions
How do you politely ask a customer for a review?
Thank them for the specific order, say in one line why reviews matter to a small business, give a single link that opens the review box, and make clear there is no obligation. Send it after they have eaten, from a number they recognise, and do not follow up more than once. A named person asking reads as polite; a generic broadcast reads as spam.
What is the best time to send a review request message?
For delivery, 30 to 60 minutes after the order is marked delivered, so the customer has eaten but has not moved on. For dine-in, the next morning between 10am and 11am. For celebration orders such as cakes, the day after the event. Avoid sending during the order itself and avoid late-night sends, which feel intrusive and get ignored.
Can I ask for a Google review on WhatsApp?
Yes, and for most Indian restaurants it is the channel with the best response, because the link is one tap away in an app the customer already has open. Send from your WhatsApp business number, keep the message short, include the direct review link, and never attach an incentive, which Google's policies prohibit. One gentle reminder a week later is acceptable; more is not.
Should I ask for feedback or a review first?
Feedback first, privately. A one-tap rating request catches problems you can still fix and tells you who is happy. Then send the public Google request as part of the thank-you flow. Keep the feedback step open to everyone and respond to all of it, so the process reads as listening rather than as a filter that hides unhappy customers.