GEO for Restaurants: How to Get Recommended by AI

"Where should I eat tonight?"

When someone asks ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Claude this question, is your restaurant in the answer?

Restaurant discovery is being transformed by AI. You need to make sure you're not left out.

📊 The Opportunity

Millions of people ask AI for restaurant recommendations every week. These queries are happening right now, and AI is naming specific restaurants.

Why AI Matters for Restaurants

The queries are already happening:

🍝 "Best Italian restaurant in Austin for date night"

🍜 "Where to get authentic Thai food near downtown"

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 "Family-friendly restaurants with outdoor seating"

🌙 "Late-night food options in Brooklyn"

AI is remarkably specific. It names restaurants, describes their strengths, and influences where people eat.

The Restaurant AI Visibility Framework

Here are the five pillars of restaurant GEO:

Pillar	Impact	Effort
1. Review Presence	Very High	Ongoing
2. Business Information	High	One-time setup
3. Website Content	Medium-High	One-time + updates
4. Third-Party Listings	Medium	One-time setup
5. Earned Media	Very High	Ongoing

1. Review Presence (Most Important)

AI heavily weights reviews when recommending restaurants. What matters:

📈 Volume Matters

✓ Aim for 100+ Google reviews
✓ Build presence on Yelp, TripAdvisor, and OpenTable
✓ More reviews = more training data = more mentions

⭐ Quality Matters

✓ 4.0+ average rating is the threshold for recommendations
✓ Recent reviews matter more (shows you're still good)
✓ Respond to all reviews (shows active management)

🎯 Specificity Matters

Reviews that mention specific dishes, ambiance, or occasions help AI understand what you're good for:

"Perfect for date night" → AI recommends for date queries

"Best tacos I've ever had" → AI recommends for taco queries

"Great for large groups" → AI recommends for group dining

✅ Action Items for Reviews

• Request reviews from happy customers
• Make it easy (QR code on receipt, text link)
• Respond to every review, positive and negative
• Encourage specific details in reviews

2. Accurate Business Information

AI needs correct data to recommend you. Inconsistencies confuse AI and hurt your visibility.

📍 Google Business Profile

• Accurate hours (update for holidays)
• Current menu link
• Correct address and phone
• Photos (updated quarterly)
• Relevant categories selected

🔄 Consistency Everywhere

• Same name spelling everywhere
• Same address format
• Same phone number
• Same hours

3. Website Content

Your website is training data. Make it informative:

Page	What to Include
About	Concept, history, chef background, what makes you unique
Menu	Full menu in HTML (not PDF), descriptions, prices
Location	Address, parking info, neighborhood details
Contact	Phone, email, hours, reservation links

4. Third-Party Presence

AI pulls from many sources. Make sure you're listed everywhere that matters:

🔴 Must-Have Listings

• Google Business Profile
• Yelp
• TripAdvisor
• OpenTable (if applicable)
• Facebook page

🔵 Nice-to-Have

• Local food blogs
• City dining guides
• "Best of" lists
• Food delivery apps

5. Earned Media

Press coverage increases AI visibility. How to get it:

🎯 What to Pursue

• Local food blogger reviews
• Newspaper restaurant features
• "Best of [City]" list inclusions
• Local TV food segments
• Food magazine mentions

📝 How to Get Covered

• Send opening/anniversary announcements
• Invite local food writers
• Create newsworthy events or dishes
• Build relationships with local press

Queries to Optimize For

Think about how people ask for restaurants and ensure your content and reviews mention these:

🍽️ Cuisine Queries

"Best [cuisine] restaurant in [city]"
"Authentic [cuisine] near me"
"Top [cuisine] spots in [area]"

💑 Occasion Queries

"Date night restaurant in [city]"
"Restaurant for business dinner"
"Birthday celebration restaurant"

✨ Feature Queries

"Restaurant with outdoor seating"
"Late-night food in [city]"
"Pet-friendly restaurants"

🍕 Dish Queries

"Best pizza in [city]"
"Where to get [specific dish]"
"Restaurant known for [dish]"

Common Mistakes to Avoid

✗

Ignoring reviews

Not responding to reviews signals you don't care. AI notices.

✗

Inconsistent information

Different hours on Google vs. Yelp vs. your website confuses AI.

✗

PDF-only menus

AI can't read PDFs well. Put menu content in HTML.

✗

No website or thin website

Social media alone isn't enough. AI weights websites.

Measuring Success

Track your AI visibility with monthly testing:

🔍 Monthly AI Visibility Check

Ask ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude:

"Best [your cuisine] in [your city]"
"Restaurant recommendation for [your strength]"
"[Your neighborhood] dining options"

Check: Do you appear? Where in the list? Is info accurate? What gets mentioned?