Google Business Profile for restaurants: every field, the rules and a monthly routine
Updated October 20, 2026
A Google Business Profile is the free listing that shows your restaurant in Google Search and Maps, and for most restaurants it is the busiest page they own. Set it up field by field: the most specific category, dine-in hours, a full menu, your own ordering link behind the Order online button, real photos, posts and replies to every review. Google publishes rules for each field, such as "Menu URLs can't be direct links to third-party ordering or delivery services", and breaking them can get edits rejected or the profile suspended.
In short
- It's free: creating and running a Business Profile costs nothing; you claim it and verify it at business.google.com.
- Restaurant fields: category, hours (dine-in first), menu (editor, menu link or photos), Food ordering links, reservations, attributes, photos, posts, reviews.
- Ordering: in the US, delivery apps with an authorized relationship are listed automatically; you can add your own link and set it as the preferred provider for pickup and delivery.
- Reviews: ask every guest with Google's own review link or QR code, never only the happy ones, and reply to all of them.
- Questions? Every Google question we've answered for restaurants is grouped at the end of this guide.
What should a restaurant's Google Business Profile include?
Google's restaurant checklist covers core information, food ordering and reservations, restaurant details, customer engagement and performance. Here is each field, the rule Google sets for it, and what it means for a restaurant.
| Field | Google's rule (short) | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Business name | No unnecessary information: no taglines, keywords, store codes or hours | Use your real-world name, as on your sign |
| Category | "Use as few categories as possible"; pick ones that complete "This business IS a…" | The most specific match (for example "Mexican restaurant", "Pizza restaurant"), plus only categories that add something |
| Address or service area | Delivery-only brands must add service areas and hide the address | Show the address if guests can come in or pick up; hide it if you only deliver |
| Hours | "Use the hours when diners can sit down and dine in"; if there's no dine-in, takeout, then drive-through, then delivery hours | Add delivery, takeout and pickup under More hours, and Special hours for holidays |
| Menu | Menu URLs can't be direct links to third-party ordering or delivery services; no "popular items only" sample menus | Use the menu editor, a link to your full menu, or menu photos |
| Food ordering | Providers with an authorized relationship are listed automatically (US); you can add links and set a preferred one | Put your own ordering link first for pickup and delivery |
| Reservations | Bookings and waitlists through supported scheduling providers | Connect your booking provider if you take reservations |
| Description | No links of any type; no promotions or prices | What you serve and what makes you different, in plain words |
| Website | A site that represents this location; no redirects to landing pages | Your own site or ordering page for this location |
| Photos and posts | Real photos of the interior, exterior and food; posts for offers, updates, events | New photos when the menu or room changes; a post every week or two |
| Reviews | Reply to reviews; don't discourage negative ones or selectively ask for positive ones | Ask every guest; reply to every review |
How to set up a Google Business Profile for a restaurant
- Claim or create the profile: search for your restaurant at business.google.com; claim it if it exists, create it if not.
- Verify it: Google chooses the method it offers you (phone or text, email, a video, or another option). See how to verify a restaurant on Google and how long it takes.
- Set the name, category, address and service area: your sign name, the most specific category, and the address or a service area if you only deliver.
- Add hours, more hours and special hours: dine-in hours as the main hours, then takeout, delivery and pickup under More hours, and holiday hours ahead of time.
- Add the menu: type it in the menu editor, link your full online menu, or upload menu photos.
- Set up Food ordering: check which providers Google lists, add your own ordering link, and set it as preferred for pickup and delivery.
- Add photos, attributes and a description: food, room, front door and team photos; attributes such as outdoor seating or takeout; a description with no links or prices.
- Start the review routine: copy your review link or QR code from the profile and ask every guest; reply to every review.
How does the Order online button work in the US?
On a US profile, Google's Food ordering section lists ordering options for pickup and delivery. Third-party providers that say they have an authorized relationship with your restaurant are listed automatically, and you can Add a link of your own. Then you choose which one Google shows first:
- Go to your Business Profile and select Food ordering.
- Select your own link and choose Set as preferred.
- Turn on the pickup and delivery preference (you can only choose options that provider offers) and Save.
If you turn off Accept orders on your profile, Google hides every ordering option and link, yours included. If you ask a delivery app to remove its link, Google says the provider must do so within 5 business days, and you can report it if it doesn't. Ordering inside Google itself ended in 2024; the button now sends customers to the site you or a provider set (what happened to Order with Google). Google doesn't charge a commission for the button (does Google charge commission?); the site the customer lands on might.
Worked example: what the preferred link is worth
Say Google sends a restaurant 120 orders a month with an average of $30, or $3,600 of sales.
| Where the Order online button goes | Fee | Monthly cost |
|---|---|---|
| A delivery app's marketplace page at a 25% commission tier (for example DoorDash Plus) | 25% of $3,600 | $900.00 |
| Your own ordering page with Stripe card payments (US: 2.9% + 30¢) | $104.40 + (120 × $0.30) | $140.40 |
| Difference | $759.60 a month |
That is the same customers, from the same Google search, paying through a different link. The worked numbers are an illustration; use your own order count and your app's real tier, or try the delivery app loss calculator. The Menuthere plan you'd need for card payments and unlimited orders (Lite) is not in the table.
How do you add a menu to Google?
| Option | How it works | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Menu editor | Type sections, dishes, descriptions and prices in your profile | Small, stable menus | You must update it by hand when prices change |
| Menu link (menu URL) | Link a page with your full menu | Menus that change often | Can't be a delivery app's ordering page; must be the full menu |
| Menu photos | Upload photos of the printed menu | A quick start | Hard to read on phones; Google may not turn them into text (menu photo or PDF?) |
| Synced from your ordering system | Some ordering systems push the menu to the profile | Keeping Google and your ordering page the same | Check what the sync sends and how often |
If Google shows a menu you didn't add, see Google is showing an old menu, and if the editor is missing, why you can't edit the menu.
Hours, delivery-only kitchens and virtual brands
- Main hours are dine-in hours. If you don't seat guests, use takeout hours, then drive-through, then delivery hours as the last choice. Put the others under More hours (what hours to put on Google if you also deliver).
- Delivery-only kitchens must add service areas and hide the address (can a delivery-only kitchen hide its address?).
- Several brands at one address are allowed but face extra verification; two brands shouldn't share one profile (can each brand have its own profile?).
Photos, posts and reviews
- Photos: the interior, the exterior (so people find the door), the food and the team. Replace them when the menu or room changes.
- Posts: offers, updates and events (how to post an offer, how long posts stay up).
- Reviews: Google's tips are to remind customers with a Google link or QR code, reply to reviews, and value all reviews, because "honest and balanced reviews" help people decide. Read our guide to getting more Google reviews and how to respond to negative reviews. The free Google review QR code maker and review link generator give one link to every guest.
Your monthly Google Business Profile routine
| When | Task | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly | Reply to every new review | 15 min |
| Weekly or every two weeks | Publish a post (a new dish, an event, a holiday menu) | 10 min |
| Monthly | Check the menu and prices match your ordering page | 10 min |
| Monthly | Check Food ordering: your link is still preferred for pickup and delivery | 5 min |
| Monthly | Add 3–5 new photos | 10 min |
| Monthly | Read Performance: searches, menu clicks, bookings | 10 min |
| Before each holiday | Set special hours | 5 min |
Every Google Business Profile question, answered
These short guides answer one question each.
Setting up and verifying
Ordering links
Menu, hours and delivery area
Getting found
- For the rest of search, read our restaurant SEO guide.
How Menuthere helps
Menuthere gives your restaurant its own ordering page with 0% commission, which is the link to put behind Google's Order online button.
- Your own ordering link for pickup and delivery, on every plan including Free (50 orders a month). From Lite ($17 a month): unlimited orders, your own domain and Stripe card payments on your own account.
- Menu sync to Google. Connect your Google account in
Settings → Integrations → Google Business Profile, link the location and press Sync Menu Now: Menuthere pushes your menu and photos to the listing. The sync is manual and can run once a day, and it replaces the menu on the listing. - A page Google can read. Search engines get a plain version of your store with your name, categories, dishes and prices.
- Free review tools: the Google review QR code and review link generator.
See Menuthere for Google Business for the product page.
Put your own ordering link behind Google's Order online button.
Frequently asked questions
Is a Google Business Profile free for restaurants?
Yes. Creating, verifying and running a Business Profile is free. You pay nothing to show your menu, hours, photos and ordering links; costs only come from the ordering site a customer lands on or from ads you choose to buy.
What category should a restaurant choose on Google?
The most specific one that completes the sentence "This business is a…", such as Mexican restaurant or Pizza restaurant. Google asks you to use as few categories as possible and to skip any that overlap with a more specific one you have chosen.
Can I link my DoorDash or Uber Eats page as my menu on Google?
No. Google's guidelines say menu URLs can't be direct links to third-party ordering or delivery services. Link your full menu on your own site, type it in the menu editor or upload menu photos. Delivery apps can still appear under Food ordering.
How do I make my own ordering link show first on Google?
Go to your Business Profile, select Food ordering, add your link, then choose Set as preferred and turn on pickup and delivery for it. You can only set preferences for options that provider actually offers.
What hours should a restaurant put on Google?
The hours when diners can sit down and eat, as your main hours. If you have no dine-in, use takeout hours, then drive-through, then delivery hours. Add the other services under More hours and set special hours before holidays.
Can a delivery-only kitchen have a Google Business Profile?
Yes, but Google says delivery-only brands must add their service areas and hide the address. Several brands at one location are allowed, with extra verification, but two brands should not share one profile.
Should a restaurant reply to every Google review?
Yes. Google's own tips are to reply to reviews, keep replies short, polite and specific, apologize when appropriate and respond in a timely manner. Replies show future guests how you handle problems.
Sources (6)
- Google Business Profile Help, "Get started with a Business Profile for your restaurant": https://support.google.com/business/answer/14189260 (read 20 Oct 2026): six steps (sign up; core info incl. more hours and special hours; food ordering and reservations; attributes, photos, menu editor, menu URL, menu photos; posts and replies; performance: searches, menu clicks, bookings).
- Google Business Profile Help, "Guidelines for representing your business on Google": https://support.google.com/business/answer/3038177 (read 20 Oct 2026): name rules; "Use as few categories as possible…"; "This business IS a"; delivery-only brands hide address and add service areas; co-located virtual brands extra verification, two brands not one listing; dine-in hours first, then takeout, drive-through, delivery; "Menu URLs can't be direct links to third-party ordering or delivery services"; no "popular items" sample menus; description: no links, no promotions/prices; website must represent the location, no redirects.
- Google Business Profile Help, "Manage online ordering options": https://support.google.com/business/answer/10842217 (read 20 Oct 2026): US pickup/delivery; authorized providers listed automatically; Add a link; Set as preferred; Accept orders on your profile off hides all options; providers must remove links within 5 business days.
- Google Business Profile Help, "Tips to get more reviews": https://support.google.com/business/answer/3474122 (read 20 Oct 2026): remind customers with a link or QR code; reply; value all reviews; reply tips (professional, short, not promotional, apologize when appropriate, timely); incentives prohibited.
- Google Maps User Generated Content Policy, "Prohibited & restricted content": https://support.google.com/contributionpolicy/answer/7400114 (read 20 Oct 2026): "Discourage or prohibit negative reviews, or selectively solicit positive reviews from customers" is fake engagement.
- Stripe US 2.9% + 30¢: Stripe support pages (stripe.com geo-redirects to India from this machine), as settled in Wave 1 (WAVE2-BRIEF).