Employer Reviews in Hospitality: How Indeed, Glassdoor, and Google Help You Hire
You ask guests for a Google review, but have you ever wondered what a job candidate sees when they search for your business? Just like guests check reviews before booking a table, candidates check your reviews as an employer before they apply. A patchy profile on Indeed or Glassdoor can put off a strong candidate just as fast as a job listing full of typos.
Why employer reviews matter as much as guest reviews
For guests, a review is a window into the quality of your kitchen and service. For candidates, an employer review is a window into the atmosphere, the management, and whether people actually enjoy working there. In an industry where good staff are hard to find, that can be the deciding factor: candidates torn between two openings often pick the business with the better reputation as an employer.
The same rule applies as with guest reviews: ignoring it doesn’t make it go away. Former staff will leave a review either way, positive or negative. The only thing you control is whether you actually do something with it.
Where candidates look: Indeed, Glassdoor, and Google
Three places matter most for hospitality staff.
Indeed
A lot of hospitality staff search and apply directly through Indeed. Below your listings, an average rating and a handful of reviews from current or former staff are often visible before anyone even clicks through to your job description.
Glassdoor
Glassdoor is used less in hospitality than Indeed, but it draws exactly the candidates who are deliberately looking for an employer they can grow with, think head chefs or team leads. Reviews here tend to go deeper into pay, growth opportunities, and workplace culture.
A candidate often searches your business name together with “working at” or on its own, landing on your Google Business Profile. The reviews there are mostly from guests, but the overall picture, star rating, photos, how you respond to reviews, also shapes a candidate’s first impression.
How to strengthen your employer reviews
- Claim your profile. Make sure your Indeed and Glassdoor profiles are complete: logo, photos of your team and business, and a short, honest description of who you are as an employer.
- Ask for them proactively. Ask staff who are leaving, or who have been with you a while and enjoy it, whether they’d be willing to leave a review. It doesn’t have to feel awkward: a short, genuine ask during a check-in conversation is often enough.
- Be honest about what you offer. Don’t oversell your profile. A review that contradicts what you claim does more damage than an average rating paired with honest feedback.
- Keep it current. A profile with recent reviews and fresh photos feels alive. One that hasn’t changed in years suggests nothing much happens at your business.
Responding to reviews from current and former staff
Both Indeed and Glassdoor let you reply to reviews. Treat that with the same care as a guest review: thank people for positive feedback, and respond calmly and professionally to criticism, even when you see it differently. Future candidates read the review, and your reply to it. A defensive or absent response says just as much about you as an employer as the review itself.
Employer reviews and your careers page reinforce each other
A strong employer profile works best alongside a careers page that shows what you actually offer: atmosphere, growth opportunities, and working conditions. Feel free to point to your Indeed or Glassdoor profile from your job listing if it looks good, so undecided candidates can see for themselves what colleagues say about working with you. Just make sure your careers page lives up to that promise.
Just as important is what happens after someone is hired: a team that sticks around happily is your best source of new, positive reviews.
How to approach it
- Claim and fully complete your Indeed and Glassdoor profiles.
- Proactively ask for reviews from staff who are leaving or who are happy where they are.
- Reply to every review, positive and critical, calmly and professionally.
- Keep your profiles and photos up to date.
- Link your employer profile and careers page to each other.
Build a strong employer reputation with the same care you give guest reviews. Try Sitebite and build a careers page that fits the team you want to attract.
Want to know how to structure that careers page so candidates actually apply? Read the structure that wins candidates for the concrete layout, from atmosphere photos to the application form.
