Should a restaurant use Gemini or Wimi to reply to Google reviews?

Short answer: Gemini can now draft Google review replies for free, and for a single-location owner who logs in regularly and likes approving every word, that may be all you need. Wimi writes and posts every reply automatically, works across several locations, and is available in the UK and Europe, where Google's Gemini connection isn't offered yet.

Disclosure: This article is published by Wimi, which makes an AI review-reply tool for restaurants.

Key takeaways

  • What Gemini does: once you connect your Google Business Profile, the Gemini web app can draft (or delete) review replies, update hours and menus, create posts and summarise your insights. It's free.
  • What it doesn't do: reply on its own. You ask for a draft, check it and publish it, one review at a time.
  • Who can use it: owners or managers of only one verified Business Profile, using a personal Google Account. Google says it is being released gradually.
  • Where it's not available: Google's UK help page says it isn't available in the United Kingdom or the European Economic Area for now.
  • When Wimi fits better: reviews arrive daily, you run more than one location, or you're in the UK or EEA.

What Gemini's review reply feature actually is

On 10 June 2026, Google announced that small business owners can connect their Google Business Profile to the Gemini app. Google's example: ask "help me respond to my latest review," and Gemini "can draft a highly tailored response in your brand's voice, referencing the specific feedback the customer left."

Google's help page lists what the connection can do with reviews: "Get star ratings and customer reviews, including associated media" and "Draft or delete replies to customer feedback." It also covers business hours, food menus, photos, attributes, posts and performance insights, so it's more than a reply tool.

There are conditions. According to Google, you must:

  • Be an owner or manager of only one verified Business Profile.
  • Be 18 or over.
  • Sign in to the Gemini web app (gemini.google.com) with a personal Google Account. Work or school accounts aren't supported for now.
  • Have Keep Activity turned on.

To be fair to Gemini: it's free, it's built by the company that runs your profile, and for many single-location owners it's a genuinely useful assistant.

(Note: this is different from the "Reply to reviews with AI" test inside Business Profile that we covered in Google's built-in AI review replies vs a dedicated tool.)

Gemini vs Wimi: three differences that matter for restaurants

1. Gemini drafts. Wimi drafts and posts.

Gemini works when you open it and ask. Every reply still needs you to request the draft, read it and publish it. If nobody opens Gemini on a busy Saturday, Saturday's reviews wait.

Wimi works the other way round. You connect your Google Business Profile once, Wimi fetches unanswered reviews, writes a reply in your restaurant's voice using your menu and tone, and posts it the same day. There's no approval queue. You can still review or override any reply whenever you like, but nothing waits on you.

Writing a reply isn't the hard part. Doing it every day, after a double shift, is.

2. Gemini is single-profile only. Wimi works across locations.

Google's help page is direct: the Gemini connection is "Not available to owners or managers who have access to more than one verified Business Profile." As Cheers points out in its analysis, that one line rules out anyone managing two or more profiles, including regional managers, franchise operators and agencies with delegated access.

Open a second site, or keep manager access to another profile, and the Gemini connection is no longer an option for your account.

Wimi is priced per location. Pro covers one location at $20 a month, and you add locations as you grow. For groups, Wimi's Custom plan covers every location, with multi-location reporting, flexible pricing by location count and dedicated support.

3. Gemini isn't available in the UK or EEA. Wimi is.

Google's UK help page says the Gemini Business Profile connection is, for now, "available wherever the Gemini web app is supported except the European Economic Area and the United Kingdom." It's also only offered in certain languages, and Google says it's "being released gradually and may not be available to you just yet."

So if you run a restaurant in London, Dublin or Madrid, the free Gemini option is off the table for now. Wimi already replies to reviews for restaurants in cities including Dublin, Cork, Liverpool and Madrid.

Proof: what happened at a UK restaurant

The clearest evidence comes from the UK, exactly where Gemini's connection isn't available. According to a Quickly and Good case study, the builder behind Wimi had replied to over a thousand reviews by hand for a UK restaurant client, then built Wimi to read each new Google review, pull in context like the menu and tone, and post a reply the same day.

The page reports that, during a closed beta, Wimi posted 1,000+ replies across several restaurant locations, and that one location's rating moved from 4.3 to 4.4 over three months. Quickly and Good is clear that these are the builder's own figures and haven't been checked independently. A rating can move for many reasons, so read that as one location's experience, not a promise.

The part nobody watches: did Google actually approve your reply?

Here's a detail most owners don't know. Google checks review replies before they go public, and some never appear. Google's help centre says replies usually take up to 10 minutes to review, but sometimes up to 30 days, and asks you to edit a reply that isn't approved.

This year, Google started telling review tools what happened. As Conqueror Capital reports, the Business Profile API added a moderation status for each reply (Pending, Approved or Rejected) on 1 April 2026, and a policy-violation reason for rejected replies on 1 July 2026. Reasons that apply to the reply text include advertising and solicitation, fake engagement, repetitive content, off-topic content, and harassment.

Why this matters for any auto-posting tool, Wimi included: when replies post without you watching, "sent" isn't the same as "live." A good tool should tell you which replies Google approved and which it rejected, and why.

Until then, two habits help with any tool: avoid offers or discounts in replies (Google's policies don't allow incentives tied to reviews), and avoid copy-pasting the same reply under every review. Wimi writes each reply for that specific review rather than from a template.

Gemini vs Wimi: side by side

Gemini (Business Profile connection)Wimi
PriceFreeFree: 1 location, 7 replies a week. Pro: $20 per location per month
Who posts the replyYou, after asking for and checking each draftPosted automatically, same day; override anytime
Multiple locationsNot available if you manage more than one verified profilePer-location pricing; Custom plan for groups
UK and EEANot available for nowAvailable
Built forAll small businesses; also handles hours, posts, insightsRestaurants only

Gemini details from Google's help page and announcement, checked 19 October 2026. Wimi details from getwimi.ai.

When Gemini is enough

Use Gemini if you can see the option and:

  • You run one restaurant and manage only that profile.
  • You get a few reviews a week and already open Google most days.
  • You want to approve every reply before it goes live.

Faster drafts are better than no replies. If that's you, use it.

When Wimi makes more sense

Wimi fits better when:

  • Reviews come in every day and nobody can promise to sit down and answer them.
  • You run, or plan to run, more than one location.
  • You're in the UK or EEA, where Gemini's connection isn't available.
  • You want replies that mention your dishes and neighbourhood without writing them yourself.

One caution for any AI, Gemini or Wimi: keep an eye on sensitive reviews, such as allergy reactions, food-safety claims or complaints about a named staff member.

FAQ

Can Gemini reply to Google reviews automatically?

No. Google's help page says Gemini can "draft or delete replies." You ask for a draft, check it and publish it yourself, review by review.

Is Gemini's review reply feature free?

Yes. Connecting your Google Business Profile to the Gemini web app costs nothing for eligible accounts.

Does Gemini work for restaurants with more than one location?

Not at the moment. Google says the connection isn't available to owners or managers with access to more than one verified Business Profile.

Is Gemini's Business Profile connection available in the UK?

Not yet. Google's UK help page says it's available wherever the Gemini web app is supported except the UK and the European Economic Area, for now.

Does Wimi post replies automatically?

Yes. Wimi writes and posts replies the same day with no approval queue. You can review or override any reply whenever you want.

How much does Wimi cost?

Wimi's Free plan covers 1 location and 7 replies a week, with no credit card and no trial clock. Pro is $20 per location per month for unlimited replies, and there's a Custom plan for groups.

The bottom line

Gemini drafting review replies is good news. For a single-location restaurant with time to approve each draft, it's a free, capable helper.

But it needs you to show up, it stops at one profile, and it isn't available in the UK or EEA. If you'd rather have every review answered in your voice without opening anything, Wimi does that for you.

Start free with Wimi: 1 location, 7 replies a week, no credit card.

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