Before you can realize that there is a problem you must be monitoring areas where your businesses is mentioned. Obviously, there are a number of places where comments could appear. Even if you just are interested in online comments, you should have a procedure in place for frequent and regular review of local directories, travel sites and restaurant review sites. You can do this monitoring yourself, or pay a professional to do the work.
You can do this monitoring yourself, or pay a professional to do the work. There are software tools that help you to monitor your business. There are also firms that concentrate on reputation management. In either instance, you should have a good picture of what you are doing right, as well as what you are doing wrong. That being said, it may also be true that more people will complain about something than will praise something.
It may make some difference on where the complaint is coming from. While every customer is important, a negative review on a lightly read personal website or blog may not reach as many people as if you get slammed by a recognized restaurant critic with a wide internet, print or social network following. In some cases, you won't need to bring out your big guns to refute the negativity.
In some instances, the criticism may not be valid. It will be up to you to determine if there is a reliable basis for a complaint. A single complaint about a specific dish should not be ignored, but that type of comment will be handled differently than a major health or safety issue that is noted by a reviewer. It is important to use a negative comment as a basis for correction before the single remark becomes a major flow of criticism.
Recovering from negative reviews doesn't have to be a full-time job if you know where the criticism is coming from and respond accordingly. Look for patterns and break the cycle quickly. Remember that not every negative remark is a valid one.
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