The aim of this study is to theoretically examine online complaint behaviors and service recovery practices in restaurant businesses within the scope of gastronomy tourism through studies conducted on the TripAdvisor platform. With the rapid growth of digitalization, tourists increasingly share their experiences on online platforms, and these experiences significantly influence the purchasing decisions of potential consumers. In this context, e-complaints are considered not only indicators of customer dissatisfaction but also valuable sources of feedback that contribute to service quality improvement.

The study discusses the concepts of e-complaints, service failures, service recovery, and customer satisfaction, while reviewing TripAdvisor-based studies conducted on local restaurants, ethnic and thematic restaurants, prestigious restaurants, and general restaurant businesses. The literature review reveals that gastronomy tourists’ online complaints mainly focus on food and beverage quality, pricing practices, service performance, employee behavior, hygiene conditions, and physical environment factors. Furthermore, despite differences in restaurant types and destinations, customer dissatisfaction is largely concentrated around similar themes.

The findings indicate that online complaints constitute an important source of information for businesses and that effective service recovery practices play a critical role in enhancing customer satisfaction and loyalty.