Guests used to search for a restaurant. Now they ask for one.
You run a kitchen, not a marketing department, and one more channel to manage is the last thing you need. So here is the short version: a five minute test and three fixes.
How do I get my restaurant to show up in ChatGPT and Google AI answers? Make it easy to describe. Check what AI says about you, keep your details identical everywhere, and publish plain, accurate information about your food and service. Nobody controls what an AI assistant recommends, but clear details make a recommendation more likely.
Does ChatGPT recommend restaurants?
Yes, when a guest asks. An AI assistant will often name a few places and say why. Which places it names varies by tool and by day, and nobody can control it. What you can control is how clearly your restaurant is described.
For years, finding a restaurant meant a map and a scroll. A guest compared ten listings and picked one. Now the same guest types a question and gets a short answer, with a reason beside each name. Fewer names, more weight on each one.
I have spent 17 years in digital marketing, and one rule has outlasted every platform change: the business that is easy to understand gets found. Right now, that means being easy for an AI to describe.
Step 1, Ask: what does AI say about your restaurant today?
Run two prompts in ChatGPT, Gemini or Google: "best [cuisine] near [neighbourhood]" and "tell me about [your restaurant name]." Screenshot both answers. Answers vary by tool and by day, so your screenshots are your baseline.
Then read the result three ways. Missing: you are not named. Wrong: hours, address or menu details are off. Vague: you are named, but in generic words. That is not a verdict. That is your to-do list.
Step 2, Match: why does AI get my restaurant's details wrong?
A likely reason is that your details disagree between sources. If your hours, address or name differ from one place to the next, an assistant has conflicting information to work from. Matching them everywhere removes the conflict.
Start by writing one sentence that describes your restaurant: what you serve, for whom, and where. Then check that sentence and your basic details in five places: your Google Business Profile, your website, your Toast online ordering page, your delivery apps and your social bios. Use this checklist:
Hours
Holiday hours
Address
Phone number
Spelling of the restaurant name
Step 3, Feed: what should I give AI to work with?
Plain, accurate words. Describe dishes properly, reply to reviews that mention them, show real photos and say clearly what you offer. These steps are general good practice, as described in a restaurant technology vendor guide from Sauce, not proven ranking factors.
Menu descriptions: list ingredients, dietary options and spice level.
Review replies: answer recent reviews that mention a dish, and name the dish.
Real photos: show your best sellers as they actually look.
A clear website: say what you offer, whether dine-in, takeout, catering or patio.
What is Order with Google, and is it already on?
Order with Google is a free integration included with Toast Online Ordering. According to Toast's support documentation, guests can order from your Toast Online Ordering page through Google Search and Maps, commission-free. It may already be on.
At Great Work Online, I focus on Toast restaurants, and this is the first feature I check. Toast documents three requirements: a Google Business Profile that has not opted out of food ordering, visible Online Ordering menus, and the Online Ordering toggle enabled in Toast Web. It turns on automatically when Online Ordering is enabled, unless the profile has opted out.
How do I turn on Order with Google in Toast?
In Toast Web, go to Takeout and delivery, then Google Management, then Google Listings. Use Preview, then Save to Google. Toast notes that changes can take up to 48 hours. Toast also changes its screens from time to time, so confirm the steps on the current support page: support.toasttab.com/en/article/Using-Order-with-Google
One note on photos: Toast says menu items without photos may be shown with guest-uploaded images. Real photos of your best sellers put your own food in that spot.
What should you measure after two weeks?
Not likes. Track direct orders, covers, average check and commissions paid. Check in once after two weeks. Your bookkeeper or accounting system can give you the same figures for the same period, so the comparison is against real numbers.
You do not need to be everywhere. You need to be easy to describe, wherever your next guest is asking.
Hear the full conversation in EP 23 of Great Work for Restaurants at greatworkonline.com/podcast, or read more about Toast POS marketing at greatworkonline.com/toast-pos
FAQ
Does ChatGPT recommend restaurants?
Yes. When a guest asks an AI assistant where to eat, it often names a few places and says why. Which restaurants it names varies by tool and by day, and nobody can control it. Clear, consistent details make your restaurant easier to describe, and so more likely to be mentioned.
How do I get my restaurant to show up in ChatGPT and Google AI answers?
Make it easy to describe. Ask ChatGPT and Gemini what they say about you, match your hours, address and name across Google, your website, your online ordering page, delivery apps and social bios, then add plain menu descriptions, review replies and real photos. This is general good practice, not a guarantee.
What is Order with Google?
According to Toast's support documentation, Order with Google is a free integration included with Toast Online Ordering. Guests can order from your Toast Online Ordering page through Google Search and Maps, commission-free. It may already be on for your restaurant, so check before you set anything up.
How do I turn on Order with Google in Toast?
It turns on automatically when Online Ordering is enabled, unless your Google Business Profile has opted out of food ordering. To check, open Toast Web, go to Takeout and delivery, then Google Management and Google Listings. Use Preview, then Save to Google. Changes can take up to 48 hours.
Why does AI get my restaurant's details wrong?
A likely reason is that your details differ between sources. If hours, address, phone or your restaurant's name vary across your Google profile, website, delivery apps and social bios, an assistant has conflicting information to work from. Matching them everywhere is the fastest fix.
NEXT STEP
Book a free 30-minute Growth Session We talk through how you market your restaurant today. Afterward, I review your Toast account and digital footprint on my own, then follow up with findings and actions you can take right away. tidycal.com/pam-pormentilla-monteith/restaurant-growth-session Free Toast Marketing Activation Checklist |