How to Optimize Google Business Profile for Restaurants: The Complete Guide

Update 2025: "Google My Business" has been renamed "Google Business Profile".

In the US restaurant market, Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) is not just a listing. It’s your primary acquisition tool, your local SEO engine, and your conversion gateway.

Today, 93% of diners check Google before choosing a restaurant, and when they do, they always see Google Business Profile first (which include Google Maps).

Needless to say that GBP is one of the most crucial tool for a local business. And this will become increasingly important!

Google Business Profile, especially the reviews, is one of the key sources for AI! ChatGPT will always prioritize a restaurant with a strong, up to date, active GBP that has a high volume of (recent) reviews.

In this complete guide, we’ll show you exactly how to:

• Dominate local search results
• Convert searchers into diners
• Scale GBP management across dozens (or hundreds) of units

1. What is Google Business Profile for Restaurants?

Google Business Profile (GBP, "Google My Business" before 2024) is a free tool that allows restaurants to control how they appear on Google Search and Google Maps.

It includes key features such as:

• Contact details (address, hours, phone)
• Reviews and ratings
• Photos and videos
• Menus
• Booking and ordering integrations
• Posts and updates
• Messaging and Q&A

For multi-location groups or franchises, GBP is the first line of digital visibility and the first step towards an amazing digital marketing strategy. For each locations, GBP is the most a powerful way to centralize local presence and boost SEO.

Each location needs to have a propre local SEO strategy, and that starts with Google Business Profile (Google My Business).

2. Why GBP Optimization is a Game-Changer for Restaurant Groups

According to a Birdeye study, Businesses utilizing GBP effectively have reported:

• +400% increase in calls
• +440% increase in direction requests
• +450% increase in website traffic

And that's just for local businesses!

Based on a 2025 Malou study of 300+locations, restaurants optimizing their GBP get 2.3x more reviews than others and at least +15% on interactions after 6 months.

A GBP "interaction" is what matters most. Each interaction (number of calls, bookings) equals a conversion. Which means a user clicked on your location's GBP and has become either a diner or, somebody aware of your brand.

For restaurant groups, GBP is:

• The first point of contact

When someone hears about your restaurant, their first instinct is to look it up online. And more often than not, your Google Business Profile is what they see first. It’s your front door in the digital world.

• A digital storefront

From your Google rating to customer reviews and photos of your space and dishes, GBP forms the public image of your restaurant. It directly influences whether a potential customer chooses to dine with you.

• The digital business card

Your address, hours, phone number, and website are all presented in one place, and expected to be accurate and up to date. It’s the go-to reference for any diner researching your business.

• A powerful conversion tool

With action buttons like “Call,” “Directions,” and “Reserve,” GBP turns searchers into customers instantly. It removes friction from the decision-making process.

• The first local SEO amplifier

The more complete, accurate, and active your profile is, the more Google rewards you with higher visibility. GBP is one of the most powerful tools in your local SEO arsenal and usually the first step towards a complete strategy.

For restaurant groups :

• GBP helps standardize digital branding across all locations
• Allows hyperlocal SEO and GEO (IA optimization) without sacrificing central control
• Enables unified review management, especially responding to reviews with SEO optimized content
• Centralized and detailed performance tracking (clicks, conversion, organic trafic) for each location.

The 16 Essential Steps to Optimize Your Restaurant’s Google Business Profile

1. Create or claim your listing

Start by creating a Gmail account. Then head over to Google Business Profile to set up a new listing or claim an existing one. Google will send a verification code to confirm ownership. If a profile already exists for your restaurant, request ownership and start optimizing immediately.

2. Fill in every detail—no exceptions

Make your profile airtight:

• Business name, address, and phone number (NAP) must be consistent across your website and third-party platforms (like TheFork, OpenTable, Yelp).
• Opening hours: keep them up to date, especially on holidays. Outdated hours hurt trust—and SEO.
• Phone: double-check it's functional. Many customers still call before visiting.
• Photos: add high-quality images of your space, team, dishes, and especially your menu—it’s the most clicked photo type on GBP.
• Website: include a link to your official site.
• Description: concise, keyword-rich (max 700 characters), and clear. Mention your concept, cuisine, and location (e.g., "plant-based brunch spot in SoHo, NYC").
• Category: choose the most accurate main category (e.g., "Japanese Restaurant") and your top services as secondaries.

3. Add the right categories—main and supporting

The primary category defines your business (e.g., "Mexican Restaurant"). But secondary categories give you a competitive edge (e.g., "Brunch Spot," "Cocktail Bar"). These affect search rankings for niche queries.

4. Use attributes to your advantage

Attributes show what makes your restaurant unique and accessible:

• Tangible ones: "outdoor seating," "Wi-Fi available," "live sports."
• Subjective or inclusive ones: "wheelchair accessible," "LGBTQ+ friendly," "accepts American Express."Update them seasonally—e.g., activate "heated patio" in winter, "terrace" in spring.

5. Be listed everywhere

Google favors consistency. Make sure your restaurant’s NAP and hours are updated across key directories and platforms (TripAdvisor, TheFork, Yelp, etc.). Tools like MalouApp let you push real-time updates to 60+ platforms at once.

6. Define your custom keywords and use them where it matters

Your future customers search for intent-based phrases like "best Thai lunch near Times Square" or "rooftop brunch San Diego." Identify those keywords by thinking like your customers. Then inject them into:

• Your GBP description
• Your replies to reviews
• Your Google Posts
• Your website

7. Post on Google—frequently and strategically

Google Posts are underused and underrated. They show up directly in your listing and can include:

• Promotions
• Seasonal offers
• New menu items
• Events or pop-ups

Use each post to target a keyword and drive action. At Malou, we audit and automate GBP posts for clients to make sure Google sees them as "active"—which gives them a ranking advantage.

8. Enable and manage GBP Messaging at scale

Most restaurant groups still underuse the messaging feature, yet it's a powerful conversion channel. When enabled, it lets users text you directly from your GBP listing.

Expert move:

• Activate messaging for each location and set custom auto-replies.
• Train your staff (or use a central support tool) to respond quickly.
• Use it to answer questions like “Is your patio dog-friendly tonight?” or “Can I reserve for 15?”—and convert interest into covers.

9. Optimize your Q&A section proactively

GBP’s Q&A section often gets ignored (or is not even known).

Instead of waiting for questions to pile up or go unanswered:

• Seed the Q&A with the top 5–10 questions your team hears every week (e.g., “Do you take group bookings?” “Is there parking nearby?”).
• Use keywords in the answers where relevant.
• Upvote your best answers so they appear first.

This not only improves UX—it builds SEO relevance and reduces calls to your host stand.

10. Leverage photo SEO and update cadence

Photos aren’t just about aesthetics! They play into Google’s understanding of your relevance.

Here’s what top-performing restaurant groups do:

• Upload new photos weekly or bi-weekly, especially of seasonal items or interior updates.
• Name each file with an SEO-friendly format: best-burger-downtown-la.jpg or vegan-brunch-brooklyn-ny.jpg
• Geotag your images using EXIF data when possible (especially useful for multi-location businesses).

This shows Google that your listing is active, current, and relevant—boosting ranking potential.

11. Advanced Tips for Groups & Franchises

Now, if you manage 10, 50, or 300+ restaurant locations, here’s how to build a GBP strategy that scales:

• Use a centralized tool like MalouApp to manage profiles, reviews, and content at scale
• Create brand guidelines for visuals, descriptions, and review tone
• Launch seasonal local keyword campaigns specific to the local restaurant (e.g., "terrace brunch" in spring)
• Assign GBP KPIs to each location manager
• A/B test post formats and CTAs across locations

While branding and tone should be standardized, your descriptions, categories, photos, and posts should be locally tailored. Example: Highlight "rooftop dining" in Miami, "fireplace inside" in Denver.

Ensure each profile has:

• Unique but accurate name
• Precise address
• Up-to-date phone number
• Operating hours that reflect reality

Avoid these scaling pitfalls:

• Don’t duplicate content across all locations: one content never fits all! Except if you use a tool like Malou with IA features.
• Avoid generic names like "Restaurant 01" or "Main Street location."
• Don’t neglect review responses—set SLAs for local managers or centralize via tools.
• Never leave listings unclaimed or unmanaged—unclaimed GBPs can be hijacked or display wrong info.

Here's a few more expert move:

• Use bulk location management via Google’s Business Profile Manager.
• For chains with 10+ locations, request access to GBP APIs or work with certified partners (like Malou) to automate syncing, posts, and reporting.

• Use a consistent format: [Brand Name] + [Location Keyword] (e.g., "El Barrio – Williamsburg NYC" or "Mama Pasta – Sunset Blvd LA"). This helps customers and Google understand the context while keeping your brand identity strong.

The Bottom Line: GBP is Your Growth Engine, Location by Location

For restaurant groups and franchises, local visibility has never been more important—or more scalable. A fully optimized Google Business Profile isn’t just a visibility booster. It’s a customer magnet, a reputation management hub, and a high-ROI digital asset you control.

The brands that win in 2025 will be those who:

• Treat every GBP as a local storefront
• Centralize strategy while localizing execution
• Monitor, test, and iterate continuously across all listings

At Malou, we work with ambitious restaurant groups to build high-performing GBP systems at scale. Our platform, the MalouApp, lets you:

• Update 100+ listings in one click
• Automate review responses with tone customization
• Schedule SEO-driven Google Posts
• Benchmark location performance in real time

Ready to make GBP your top acquisition channel in the US? Call us at +1 (917) 528 3521

Let’s turn every listing into a lead engine—at scale.