Bring diners in and boost revenue: comprehensive guide to Google My Business for restaurants

How can your restaurant stand out in an industry that is becoming more competitive than ever? With new dining options constantly emerging, attracting and retaining customers is a challenge. To succeed, you need to boost restaurants’ digital visibility, strengthen your online reputation, and make it easy for potential diners to find and choose  you easily. Google My Business (GMB) is a powerful tool that helps you achieve all of this for your restaurants.

A Birdeye study on online reviews for multi-location businesses shows that 64% of diners rely on Google to discover local restaurants. This makes it crucial to set up and optimize a Google Business Profile.

In this blog, you’ll learn why Google My Business is essential for your restaurants and how to set up and optimize your restaurant’s business profile for maximum visibility and engagement.

Overview of Google My Business for restaurants 

Google My Business (GMB) , now called Google Business Profile, is a free tool that can boost your restaurant’s online visibility and help potential customers find you faster. It allows restaurant owners whether independent or part of a chain to manage and enhance their online presence across Google Search and Google Maps. 

With a well-optimized restaurant’s Google Business Profile, you can display critical information such as business address, contact details, operating hours, restaurant menu, and more.

Why Google My Business is crucial for your restaurant’s success

For restaurants, Google My Business is a key factor in attracting customers and not losing them to competitors. Creating and managing a local Google business improves your restaurant’s discoverability, ensures  accurate business information, builds trust, and ultimately drives higher revenue. 

Let’s explore each of these benefits in detail.

Improve discoverability for diners on Google search

Restaurant businesses thrive on being discoverable to potential customers searching for places to dine or order food. They often turn to Google Search or Maps to guide their choice. What they see here vastly impacts their decision. With your restaurant’s Google Business Profile, you can ensure:

• Higher visibility in local search results: When customers search for “Italian restaurant near me,” having an optimized Google Business Profile ensures your restaurant appears in the local pack, boosting visibility.
• Google Maps integration: Optimized business profiles ensure accurate location information on Google Maps, making it easier for potential customers to find your location and get directions.
• Updated restaurant menu with photos: Displaying menu items and adding high-quality images of your dishes can entice diners to visit your business.

Ensure diners find accurate business information

Incorrect information can deter customers and damage your restaurant’s reputation. Inconsistencies in information online can also adversely impact local search results.

With your restaurant’s Google Business Profile, you can:

• Update opening hours and business address regularly to reflect changes.
• List contact details to ensure potential customers can reach you.
• Highlight your dine-in, takeaway, or online ordering options.

Boost trust among potential clients

Google’s business profile is not just a portal for displaying restaurant details. It also allows you to collect and showcase diners’ feedback to garner industry trust. Positive reviews build trust and encourage customers to choose your restaurant over others.

• Google reviews: Responding to customer feedback—both positive and negative reviews—demonstrates your commitment to customer satisfaction.
• High-quality images and videos: Showcasing your restaurant’s ambiance, food, and staff helps enhance your restaurant’s reputation and make a lasting impression.

Improve revenue across locations

A well-optimized business profile ensures your restaurant outperforms competitors across search rankings and online reputation parameters. This means more eyes are on your establishment, and more diners choose your restaurant.

Additionally, Google Business profile also provides a way to track business listing performance. This helps optimize wherever locations slip up and ensure every storefront puts its best foot forward.

Now that we know the benefits of a Google business listing, let us look at how you can claim an existing listing or set up one from scratch for your restaurant. 

How to create and set up the Google My Business profile for your restaurant

Here is a step-by-step guide on how restaurants can claim/setup  and verify their Google Business Profiles: 

Step 1: Find or set up your restaurant’s Google My Business profile

Most restaurants already have a presence on Google Maps because diners or third parties may have added them. So, it is possible that you could have a Google Business Profile, but you may not have access to it yet.

To check if your restaurant is listed:

• Search for your restaurant on Google My Business. If your business is listed, claim it by following the steps on the screen. Claiming ensures you have complete control of your profile and prevents unauthorized changes by third parties.
• If there is no profile, the platform will prompt you to create a new one from scratch. Enter the NAP (Name, Address, and phone number) just as it is on your website and other online directories.

Step 2: Enter relevant restaurant details

Once you have claimed the profile or set it up, you can spruce it to ensure it is complete and relevant in all aspects. Some of the areas to focus on include:

• Business description: Describe your restaurant’s concept, ambiance, and what sets you apart. For example: “An authentic Italian restaurant offering wood-fired pizzas in a cozy dining setting.”
• Relevant keywords: To improve discoverability, add terms like “family-friendly restaurant,” “vegan options,” or “late-night dining.”
• Operating hours & other details: Include your business website, operating hours, and location to help customers easily reach you

Pro Tip: Highlight your best-selling dishes in your description to attract foodies searching for specific cuisines. If you’re using Birdeye, our Listings AI product helps you generate SEO-friendly attractive descriptions for your business listings.

Step 3: Verify to generate reviews and manage the profile

Verification is crucial for unlocking full access to your Google Business Profile. It helps you generate reviews, analyze performance, and always make the most of your profile.

• Choose verification by phone, email, or postcard.
• Once verified, you can manage your profile, respond to reviews, and access valuable insights.

Pro Tip: Before applying for verification, ensure you fill in all the relevant information . Having your storefront image, street details, and business registration handy can speed up approval.

Optimizing your restaurant’s Google business Profile to attract diners: 8 top tips to follow in 2025

Creating your restaurant’s Google Business Profile is just the beginning. What matters is how you optimize and manage it to boost local search rankings and outshine your competitors.

1. Regularly update address, hours, and contact details

Keeping your business information up to date is essential for a seamless customer experience and building trust in your establishment. Since dietary options, operating hours, and availability frequently change, it’s crucial to update your profile regularly so diners always find accurate and relevant details. 

When optimizing your profile, focus on:

• Operating hours: Adjust for holidays, special events, or unexpected changes to prevent confusion.
• Contact information: Ensure your phone number and email are correct at all times. 
• Location: The location pin matters greatly in ensuring your restaurant gets picked as the nearest establishment for the search query. Google Maps pins get moved quite often, so keep an eye on this. Ensuring accuracy here makes a massive difference in your local performance.

Example: If your restaurant closes early on certain weekdays, update this information to avoid negative reviews from disappointed customers.

2. Enable chat options for enhanced connectivity

Diners and potential customers often have questions regarding reservations, dietary options, and amenities like parking. Allowing them to connect with you ensures:

• Real-time communication: Address queries like menu availability or seating capacity instantly.
• Build relationships: Personalized responses can encourage repeat visits.
• Faster lead conversion: Receiving instant responses to their queries encourages diners to walk into your restaurant.

Pro Tip: Messaging tools like Birdeye Messaging AI can help streamline diner communication. These tools make it easy to set up automated responses, manage all communications centrally, and use AI solutions for nuanced responses 24x7. 

3. Highlight your best dishes with high-quality photos

Visual content plays a huge role in attracting diners – they often say people eat with their eyes first.

Start this visual journey even before they step into your restaurant by:

• Adding high-quality images of signature dishes, your dining area, and special events.
• Use professional photography or well-lit smartphone shots to showcase your food at its best.
• Encouraging diners to post images with their reviews.

4. Accept online food orders and reservations right from your profile

Convenience is the name of the game, especially in food delivery. Most Google users filter search results by online ordering, delivery time, and reservation facilities. Integrating these into your Google Business Profile ensures customers don’t have to use any other app or website to book a table or order food delivery.

Why this matters:

Reduces friction: Customers can book a table or order food without leaving Google.

Boosts revenue: More convenience means more orders and visits.

Pro Tip: You can use third-party platforms like Birdeye to set up reservation systems. This way, diners can book a convenient slot, reducing wait times and boosting walk-ins for your outlet.

5. Generate reviews to showcase happy experiences

Diners rely on Google reviews to guide their final decision, and what your previous diners have said plays a massive role in your online reputation. That is why it is essential to encourage all customers to leave reviews on your Google business profile.

Encourage diners to leave reviews by:

• Sending prompt review requests that are easy to fill – ideally, a one-click solution.
• Sharing a QR code linking to your review page on receipts.
• Responding to all reviews promptly. Thank customers for positive reviews and offer to make things right for negative experiences.
• Sharing positive reviews on newsletters, social media channels, and your restaurant to show that you care, encouraging other diners to leave reviews as well.

6. Post regularly to keep diners updated on offers and events

Exciting offers, special performances, and themed nights bring in diners. And you don’t have to rely on traditional marketing channels alone to spread the word. The updates section on Google business profile can do that for you too.

With Google posts, businesses can:

• Announce limited-time offers or upcoming events.
• Share photos and short updates to keep your audience engaged.
• Inform the audience about any new additions to the restaurant, the opening of a new branch, and more.

Pro Tip: Schedule weekly posts to maintain a consistent presence. Working with a social media management tool like Birdeye Social AI allows you to create engaging content and sync your Google posts calendar with the overall social calendar to never miss an update.

7. Add attributes to bring diners in

Attributes help customers decide if your restaurant meets their preferences. These are displayed right below the business information, saving time for your potential customers to ask you via chat or go through your website for the details. You can use this field to highlight popular services like contactless payment or curbside pickup.

Some common restaurant attributes include 

• “Outdoor seating,” 
• “Live music,” 
• “Family-friendly”
• Wheelchair-accessible 

8. Track performance across multiple locations

Google Business Profile provides insights into your restaurants performance by allowing you to track profile views, search queries, call clicks, and direction requests. This helps you identify trends in web traffic sources, replicate successful strategies across locations, benchmark performance against competing restaurants and take steps to outperform them.

You can also identify patterns in customer engagement:

• When do most customers search for your restaurant?
• What type of posts or updates get the most attention?
• What days are the busiest, and what are the most commonly sought-out amenities?

Pro Tip: You can use Google Analytics with GMB insights for deeper data analysis. However, multi-location Google business listing management becomes easy with an integrated solution like Birdeye Listings AI and Birdeye Insights AI. Know more about your business performance and allow it to guide your future strategies.

Leverage Google My Business for restaurants to scale new heights 

Optimizing your Google My Business Profile is necessary for restaurant owners aiming to increase their restaurant’s online visibility and attract new customers. By keeping your profile up to date, encouraging customer reviews, and adding high-quality photos, you’ll create a compelling online presence that draws diners in. Start managing your profile today to grow your restaurant business and reach more diners.

FAQs on Google My Business for Restaurants

Birdeye – The Ultimate AI Solution for restaurants to optimize their Google Business Profile

Managing multiple locations and keeping your Google Business Profile optimized can be overwhelming for restaurant owners. Birdeye offers a comprehensive suite of tools to help streamline this process and ensure your restaurant stands out in search results.

• Listings management: Ensure your business information stays accurate and consistent across significant directories like Google, Yelp, and Facebook. Say goodbye to manual updates and let Birdeye handle it.
• Customer reviews management: Monitor, respond, and showcase customer reviews from multiple platforms in one dashboard. Encourage positive reviews and address negative ones promptly to boost your restaurant’s reputation and attract more customers.
• Insights AI: Get advanced analytics and actionable insights from your reviews and business data. Understand diner behavior, identify trends, and receive recommendations to improve customer experience.
• Competitors AI: Stay ahead of the competition by analyzing competitor reviews and social media activity. Identify strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities to refine your strategy.
• Social media publishing: Manage your restaurant’s social media presence effortlessly. Schedule and publish posts across multiple platforms from one central hub, keeping your audience engaged with updates, offers, and events.

Whether you run a single-location restaurant or manage a multi-location brand, Birdeye’s AI solutions help you take control of your online presence and deliver a superior dining experience.

Ready to transform how diners discover your business? Watch a free demo to learn more.