Google Business Profile for restaurants: a practical guide

Help guests plan a visit

Someone searching for your restaurant often needs a quick answer: are you open, what do you serve and can they book? Start there. An attractive profile is little help if the holiday hours are wrong or the menu link opens last year's PDF.

Google Business Profile is the service previously called Google My Business. Assign someone to maintain it and make sure the restaurant retains account access when an employee or agency leaves.

Check the basics

Review the profile as a guest would, preferably on a phone:

• Are the name, address, phone number and map pin correct?
• Does the business category describe what you actually offer?
• Are normal hours and holiday or seasonal exceptions listed?
• Are the menu, prices and accessibility details current?
• Do the website, booking and ordering links work?

Follow the verification options Google offers your business. Local results depend partly on relevance, distance and how well known a business is. You cannot buy a better organic position. Google's local ranking guidance.

Show what guests need to see

Choose photos of the entrance, dining room and food you actually serve. A clear exterior photo helps someone find the right door. A current menu photo or readable menu link helps someone compare options.

Post when you have useful news, such as changed opening hours or a seasonal menu. Assign someone to remove outdated information. Treat posts as guest communication, without assuming that publishing more will improve your ranking.

Ask for honest reviews

Provide a review link or QR code. Invite honest feedback neutrally, without selecting only satisfied guests. Do not offer rewards for reviews. Keep replies brief and personal, including responses to criticism, and discuss private reservation details separately. Google's review guidance.

Link to the right next step

Google supports links for actions such as viewing menus, booking and ordering, although the available options can vary. Check each link after saving it. Linking to a booking page is different from an integration that completes the reservation inside Google. Google's business link guidance.

With Vendion Booking, you can use the restaurant's public reservation link where the profile's booking options allow it. Use the correct online ordering link for takeaway. Test the journey from the profile through to a confirmed booking or order.

Review it regularly

Include a short profile check in your monthly routine and update changes immediately. Compare available click and contact statistics with actual restaurant bookings. A click indicates interest; it does not prove that a guest visited or that the profile alone generated the visit.