The 20 bars we read in the set someone searching around Minnetonka is shown have a median of 1349 Google reviews. The 20 food trucks we read have a median of 53. Both sit inside the same food and drink group, read the same way. The restaurants we read have a median of 1060.5, and the three most-reviewed listings among them hold 4565, 3508 and 2953 reviews. Coffee shops come in at a median of 190, cafes and bakeries at 215.
Depth like that says nothing about whether anyone writes back, and the reply counts are a separate read. The Original Pancake House Minnetonka answered 10 of its last 10 reviews, on a listing holding 3508. Pub 819 answered 10 of its last 10, on 2434. Bunny's Bar & Grill answered 6 of its last 10, on 3723. Famous Dave's Bar-B-Que answered 9 of its last 10, on 2022, and it turns up among the businesses answering the most in more than one of these trades.
Depot Coffee House answered 10 of its last 10, on a listing holding 508, in a trade whose median is 190. Duke's on 7 answered 10 of its last 10, on 1184, and it also appears in more than one of these trades. Among the bakeries we read, the businesses answering the most of their recent reviews include Honey & Rye at 3 of its last 10, on 619 reviews, and Angel Food Bakery & Coffee Bar at 2 of its last 10, on 901. Among the food trucks, Boom Island Brewing Company answered 8 of its last 10, on 480, and Unmapped Brewing Co. 3 of its last 10, on 689.
Among the 53 businesses we measured for someone searching in Minnetonka, the typical one had answered 80% of its recent reviews. The median ratings across the six trades here are 4.4 for bars, 4.5 for cafes, 4.6 for restaurants, coffee shops and bakeries, and 4.8 for food trucks. A trade median is one figure covering the 20 we read in that trade; it does not tell you which listing is which.
What to do about it
Two different windows are in play, and the difference is the useful part. The reply counts come from each business's most recent reviews. The 3508, the 619 and the 508 are whole listings, every review a business has ever collected. So the job in front of an owner is much the same size whether the file is deep or thin: go back through the recent ones and answer what was left unanswered, positive reviews included, since those are the easiest to write in your own words and the ones most likely to be skipped when time is short.
Then keep it running rather than treating it as a one-off, because these counts are always measured against whatever is most recent. A reply that names the dish, the table or the person who served them reads as a different thing from one sentence pasted under every review. Ratings are not what this page ranks on, and nothing here is ordered by stars; the reply counts are the part an owner sets themselves.
Restaurants
| # | Business | Answered | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Original Pancake House Minnetonka | 10 of 10 | 3508 | 4.8 |
| 2 | Famous Dave's Bar-B-Que | 9 of 10 | 2022 | 4.3 |
Cafés
| # | Business | Answered | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Duke's on 7 | 10 of 10 | 1184 | 4.3 |
| 2 | Famous Dave's Bar-B-Que | 9 of 10 | 2022 | 4.3 |
Coffee shops
| # | Business | Answered | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Depot Coffee House | 10 of 10 | 508 | 4.5 |
Bars
| # | Business | Answered | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pub 819 | 10 of 10 | 2434 | 4.4 |
| 2 | Famous Dave's Bar-B-Que | 9 of 10 | 2022 | 4.3 |
| 3 | Bunny's Bar & Grill | 6 of 10 | 3723 | 4.5 |
Bakeries
| # | Business | Answered | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Famous Dave's Bar-B-Que | 9 of 10 | 2022 | 4.3 |
| 2 | Honey & Rye | 3 of 10 | 619 | 4.6 |
| 3 | Angel Food Bakery & Coffee Bar | 2 of 10 | 901 | 4.4 |
Food trucks
| # | Business | Answered | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Duke's on 7 | 10 of 10 | 1184 | 4.3 |
| 2 | Boom Island Brewing Company | 8 of 10 | 480 | 4.6 |
| 3 | Unmapped Brewing Co. | 3 of 10 | 689 | 4.6 |