4-Star Review Response Examples: Say Thanks and Close the Gap
Four stars is a win with a footnote. The customer is happy — and they will usually tell you exactly what the fifth star would have taken. Thank them like the promoters they are, and acknowledge the footnote lightly.
These responses also feed your local SEO: naturally repeating what customers praise ("deep tissue massage", "gluten-free menu") reinforces the keywords your profile ranks for.
Copy-paste examples
1 · Happy with a minor complaint
"Great meal and lovely service. Only gripe: the dessert menu is tiny."
Thank you — the team will be thrilled about the service shout-out. And your gripe is heard: the dessert menu is short by design, but 'short' shouldn't mean 'missing what you wanted'. There's a new addition coming this month; I suspect it might be fifth-star material.
2 · Would recommend with caveat
"Really solid experience. Would recommend, just book ahead because it gets busy."
Thanks for the recommendation — and for the free advice to future guests, which is spot on! Weekends do fill up fast; anyone reading this should absolutely book a couple of days out. We appreciate you helping us set the right expectations.
3 · Great outcome, small process friction
"Very happy with the result. Booking process could be smoother though."
Glad the result landed where you wanted it! You're right about the booking flow — we've heard it more than once, and a simpler system is in the works. Thanks for flagging it while still trusting us with the important part.
4 · Loyal customer, honest note
"Been coming for years. Still great, though prices have crept up."
Years of visits means more to us than any rating — thank you. On prices, you're not wrong; our costs have climbed and we've tried to raise ours more slowly. We know loyalty like yours is earned every visit, and we don't take it for granted.
5 · Almost perfect first visit
"First visit and very impressed. Parking was a nightmare but worth it."
Welcome — an 'impressed' first visit is exactly what we aim for! Parking is the one thing we can't renovate, but here's the local secret: the lot two streets over is nearly always empty after 6pm. Consider that our welcome gift for visit number two.
6 · Praise for a specific staff member
"Maria was fantastic — knowledgeable and patient. Checkout queue was a bit long."
Maria will light up reading this — patient expertise is exactly what she brings every day, and we'll make sure she sees it. Point taken on checkout: we're adjusting staffing at peak hours so the last two minutes match the rest of the visit.
7 · Good value acknowledgment
"Quality work at a fair price. Took a day longer than promised."
Thank you — 'quality at a fair price' is the reputation we want, and 'a day late' is the footnote we don't. We've since built more slack into our time estimates so the promise matches the delivery. We appreciate your patience and your honesty.
8 · Simple positive with no complaint
"Very good experience overall!"
Thank you for taking the time to say so! If anything ever separates 'very good' from 'perfect' on a future visit, tell us on the spot — we love closing that gap in real time. See you next time.
Do not beg for the fifth star
"What would it take to make it 5 stars?" reads as caring more about ratings than customers. Address the gap they mentioned, and let the missing star take care of itself next visit.
Reinforce the specifics
Echo the details they praised — the dish, the service moment, the result. It personalizes the reply, strengthens relevant keywords on your profile, and tells future readers what you are known for.
Make it yours in seconds
Templates work, but the best responses reference what your reviewer actually said, in your brand's voice. The free EdgeMarket generator writes a personalized reply from any pasted review — or create a free account to set your tone once and answer every review in one click.