Managing Marketplace Reviews
Marketplace reviews sit inside a commercial relationship that the takeaway does not fully control. The platform may own the customer interface, decide which orders can be reviewed, apply its own moderation rules and i…
Marketplace reviews sit inside a commercial relationship that the takeaway does not fully control. The platform may own the customer interface, decide which orders can be reviewed, apply its own moderation rules and issue remedies through support. A useful process therefore connects the review to the marketplace order, checks what the platform has already done and avoids promising an action the restaurant cannot perform directly.
Record the marketplace-specific workflow
- Where review alerts appear and who monitors them
- Whether the business can reply publicly or only contact support
- How an order is identified from the review
- What evidence the platform accepts
- Who controls refunds, account credits and redelivery
- How suspected fake, abusive or privacy-invasive content is reported
- Whether ratings affect visibility or commercial terms, and what evidence supports that conclusion
Investigate against the platform order
Check the marketplace order ID, accepted time, ready time, collection by driver, delivery status, item list, modifiers and prior support actions. Compare this with the restaurant's POS or kitchen record. If the marketplace already refunded the customer, record that before offering any separate direct payment.
Do not treat the marketplace's status as infallible. A driver-collected status does not prove the complete order was handed over, and a delivered status does not prove the customer received it correctly.
Separate platform failure from restaurant failure
| Issue | Likely evidence owner | Restaurant action |
|---|---|---|
| Missing or wrong item | Kitchen and packing record | Investigate preparation and handover |
| Late preparation | Kitchen timestamps | Review capacity and quoted prep time |
| Driver assigned late | Marketplace dispatch record | Raise evidence with platform; adjust promise cautiously |
| Customer address problem | Order, driver and customer contact log | Check address validation and access instructions |
| Platform refund or credit | Marketplace case and statement | Reconcile financial impact and avoid duplicate remedy |
Reply without exposing the order
If public replies are available, acknowledge the experience and direct the customer to the correct platform or restaurant route. Do not publish the order number, address, phone number, refund amount or internal driver information.
Avoid blaming “the app” in every response. Future customers need to see that the business understands which part of the flow it controls and how it works with the platform when another party is responsible.
Use review data in supplier management
Tag marketplace complaints separately from direct-channel complaints. Review trends by platform, location, time period and failure stage. Repeated driver-assignment delays or support problems can then be raised with evidence rather than anecdotes.
Do not assume that changing the public reply improves marketplace ranking. Platform ranking systems change and may not disclose all factors. Measure outcomes the business can verify: complaint rate per completed order, accepted-to-ready time, refund incidence, support resolution and repeat operational failures.
Monthly control checklist
- Open review and support cases reconciled
- Marketplace refunds matched to statements
- Serious safety complaints escalated
- Recurring platform failures documented
- Account permissions and alerts checked
- Reply wording sampled for privacy and tone
Practical next step: review the last month of marketplace complaints and divide them by kitchen, packing, driver assignment, journey, customer access and platform support. Use the result in the next supplier review.
Related guides
- Online Ordering — the main guide for the wider topic.
- Marketplace Operations — the broader guide that frames this implementation.
- Marketplace Visibility and Ranking — a closely related operational control to review alongside this page.
- Marketplace Commission Structures — a closely related operational control to review alongside this page.
Sources and date checked
Guidance checked: 24 July 2026. Platform tools and policies can change, so confirm the current process before acting.
Operational, legal and platform requirements can change. Recheck official guidance and supplier documentation before altering a live service.
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Use the wider guide library to check the menu, kitchen, fulfilment, payment and financial implications of each decision.
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