Categories / Reviews & Reputation
Restaurant group: Toast→Birdeye review asks, 8.9k reviews, 97% reply rate
A 13-restaurant group got 8.9k new reviews in a year and replies to 97% of them, using Toast check-outs to trigger asks and AI to draft routine replies.
- Task
- automate post-dining review requests and AI-assisted replies across locations
- Result
- 8.9k new reviews across platforms (4k on Google) in the past year; 97% average response rate; 4.3 star average; 63k new Instagram followers from sharing 5-star reviews
- Tools
- Birdeye + Toast POS
- Birdeye Reviews AI / generative response suggestions
- Birdeye Social
- Setup
- Toast marks meal complete → Birdeye texts/emails a review request → daily consolidated review email per location → AI drafts routine replies with templates/Brand AI → humans handle personal ones → share 5-stars on social
Step-by-step setup guide
Benefit: When a check closes in Toast, Birdeye texts or emails a review request. AI drafts routine replies for approval, and staff only write the personal ones.
Prerequisites
- Toast POS with guest phone/email capture (online orders, loyalty, or receipts).
- Birdeye account with the Toast integration enabled (Birdeye onboarding sets this up).
Step-by-step setup
Step 1. Create the review automation. In Birdeye, click Campaigns in the left rail → Create automation → Review.
Step 2. Set the trigger. Keep Contact is added and choose the contact source Integration (your Toast sync).
Step 3. Set timing. Under scheduling, add a delay of a few hours after the meal so it doesn't arrive while guests are still at the table.
Step 4. Set up AI replies with approval. Go to Settings → Reviews → Approval and create an approval workflow. Then go to Reviews AI → Agents → Response agents, choose the Review Response Agent, set it to Post after approval, click Run test, and publish.
Step 5. Split the work. Approve AI drafts for routine 4–5★ reviews. Have a manager write personal replies to complaints and to regulars.
Step 6. Reuse your best reviews. Share 5★ reviews on Instagram (Fireman gained 63k followers this way).
Copy-paste prompt (brand voice for the response agent)
Voice: {{restaurant}}, a {{style}} restaurant in {{city}}. Warm, specific, never defensive.
Mention the dish or server named in the review if present. 2-3 sentences.
Never offer refunds or comps in public; invite them to email {{email}}.Sources
- Birdeye: Fireman Hospitality Group case study. Credit: Fireman Hospitality Group (vendor-published).
- Setup paths: Birdeye Help Center ("How do I create an automation?", "Review Response Agent", "review response approvals").
Results as reported by the source; not independently verified. Community-sourced from public sites and attributed to the source platform. Original author? Ask us to correct or remove it. Read the disclaimer.