- Review velocity
- Review velocity is how fast new reviews arrive on your Google profile. A high-velocity restaurant can get more reviews on one weekend than a neighborhood spot gets in a month, which makes replying by hand the first thing to slip.
Why do Miami restaurants need replies for tourists and locals?
A visitor reads your reviews once, before one dinner. A local reads them before deciding whether you are still the place they recommend. A reply has to work for both: warm enough for the visitor who will never be back, specific enough for the regular who will.
Tourists also leave a different kind of review. They compare you to the last city they visited, mention the price in their own currency, and write about the view, the music or the line outside. Locals write about consistency: is the cafecito still the same, is the brunch still worth the wait.
Our post on tourist restaurants and bilingual reviews goes deeper on writing for both.
What language do the replies use?
You set the brand rules: tone, sign-off and what never goes in a reply. Each reply goes out in the language the review is written in, so a visitor who writes in Spanish or Portuguese reads the answer in their own language. Your sign-off is translated too; names stay as you wrote them.
You never have to read Portuguese to approve one. Next to the published reply, the panel shows your version in your account's language. Edit that one, update the translation, and approve.
How do you keep up when reviews arrive fast?
- Connect your Google Business Profile and write your voice once.
- Approve drafts for the first weeks, then automate 4 and 5 star replies.
- Keep 1–2★ replies on hold, and add the manager on duty to the alert list.
- Clear the approval queue once a day in season, twice a week off season.
- Read the monthly report for the theme that grew with the crowds.
Every plan sets a reply limit: 300, 1,000 or 2,500 replies a month per location. A busy Miami location in season should look at its monthly review count before picking one. See restaurant reviews in peak season.
Which themes change with the Miami season?
| Theme | When it rises | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Waits and lines | Winter season, holidays and big weekends | Set a waitlist and staff the host stand at peak |
| Price and value | When tourist volume is high | Keep the menu and prices on Google current |
| Service speed | Large parties and brunch | Add a runner for brunch, review the timing of courses |
| Noise and music | Late evenings in Wynwood and Brickell | Set volume by hour, mention it on the profile |
| Heat on the terrace | Summer afternoons | Shade, fans and a note on outdoor seating |
Fix the top one with review themes for restaurant ops, and keep the Score honest with the Westify Score and Pulse.
How do you bring locals back after the tourist rush?
A Wallet loyalty card gives regulars a reason to come back in the slow months. It fits coffee, taco and bar concepts especially well; see the loyalty card for coffee shops, taco shops and bars. The card can send a We miss you notice at 30, 45 or 60 days, and it rewards visits, never reviews. More in the loyalty card guide.
What should a Miami restaurant do with a 1 star review from a tourist?
Answer it like any other: own what went wrong, skip the argument, and give one way to reach a manager. The visitor may not return, but the next hundred visitors will read the reply. Follow the 1–2★ review SOP, and use the review reply playbook for the rest.
Example review, written for this guide
Claire B.★★★★★
Beautiful place but we waited an hour for brunch and nobody told us why.
Reply
An hour without an update is the part that went wrong, Claire. The host stand now checks in with every table on the list every fifteen minutes, and the manager would like to hear the rest at the email on our profile.
What does it cost for a Miami restaurant?
Plans are $29, $59 or $119 a month per location, with up to 300, 1,000 or 2,500 replies a month. Every plan has every feature, team users are unlimited, and paying yearly is 15% off. The loyalty card is included on Growth ($59) and Enterprise ($119). On Basic ($29) it is a $7.99 a month add-on. All prices are per location, with no charge per member or per notification. See pricing, or try the free Google review scorecard to compare yourself with nearby places first. For a general overview, see Google review management for restaurants.
Westify drafts a reply to every Google review in your voice, tracks your Westify Score and themes, and runs your loyalty card from the same panel. 3 days free, then from $29 a month per location.
Questions
Can Westify reply to Spanish-language Google reviews for my Miami restaurant?
Yes. A review in Spanish gets a reply in Spanish. You approve it from a copy in your own language shown next to it, and your edits are translated back before it posts.
How many replies a month does a busy Miami restaurant need?
Count the reviews your busiest month brings. Plans cover up to 300, 1,000 or 2,500 replies a month per location, at $29, $59 or $119.
Can replies post automatically during high season?
Yes, if you choose it. You can automate replies per star rating, for example 4 and 5 stars, while 1–2★ replies wait for a manager and send an alert.
Do tourists' reviews count the same as locals' on Google?
A review is a review on Google. What differs is what they write about, which is why the monthly report groups themes so you can see what each crowd mentions.
Will a loyalty card help in the slow season?
It gives regulars a reason to come back and lets you send a We miss you notice at 30, 45 or 60 days. Westify makes no promise about visit numbers.
Can I compare my restaurant with others nearby?
Yes. Competition tracks up to five nearby businesses you pick, with their rating and review count, week by week. The free Google review scorecard gives a quick comparison without signing up.
Related guides
- How multi-location restaurants answer every Google review in one brand voice
- What the Westify Score measures, and how Pulse ties to your Google listing
- How to handle 1 and 2 star Google reviews without going silent, or autopilot-blind
- Turn Google review themes into what to fix first
- Digital loyalty cards for restaurants: stamps in Wallet, no app, no POS
- Tourist restaurants and bilingual reviews
- Restaurant reviews in peak season
- How fast you reply to reviews affects bookings
- How to get more Google reviews for your restaurant
- Pricing
- Loyalty card
- Free Google review scorecard
- Free review reply generator
- Google review management for restaurants