People can ask ChatGPT or Google's AI where to eat, as well as searching through a list. Going into 2027, keeping your menu, prices, hours, photos, reviews and booking information clear and current gives customers and search tools useful information to work with. None of it guarantees a recommendation. Most of it is housekeeping that gets skipped.
How do AI assistants choose which restaurants to recommend?
There is no single published ranking formula shared by every AI assistant. Depending on the tool and question, answers may draw on:
- Your Google listing: category, hours, photos, menu, reviews.
- Review and listing sites. In the US, Yelp now licenses its reviews, photos and business details to OpenAI, so what's on your Yelp page can show up directly in ChatGPT's answers.
- Your own website: menu, prices, hours and booking information. Put important details on the page as text so customers can read them easily on a phone. PDFs can be indexed, but a photograph or awkward download can make the menu harder to use.
- What other people write about you: local press, food blogs, "best of" lists, neighbourhood guides.
When those sources disagree, customers can find old menus, wrong hours or a closed location. Correct the underlying sources. Missing information is worth fixing, but an omission from an AI answer does not prove why you were not recommended.
Why this matters more in 2027
Yelp has announced an integration that brings reviews, ratings, photos and business details into ChatGPT. Supported restaurants can also accept reservations or waitlist requests through available booking integrations. Availability depends on the restaurant, provider, market and account; some steps open the provider's website. Check your own booking route rather than assuming every restaurant is included.
Check where you stand in ten minutes
Open ChatGPT and Google (use AI Mode if you have it) and ask the questions a real customer would. Use your neighbourhood, not your restaurant's name:
- "Best [your cuisine] restaurant in [neighbourhood]"
- "Where should I go for [occasion, such as date night or a group dinner] in [neighbourhood]?"
- "[Your cuisine] near [a landmark or station near you] that takes reservations"
- "Is [your restaurant name] good?"
- "What's on the menu at [your restaurant name] and how much does it cost?"
Write down who gets named in the first three, and check what's said about you in the last two. Wrong hours, an old menu or "I couldn't find a menu" tell you exactly what to fix first.
The fixes that matter most
1. Put your menu on your website as text, with prices
Our preliminary September 2026 check covered 100 restaurants in Notting Hill, London. Among the websites assessed, 40 of 71 (56%) had a PDF menu, a photo menu or no menu found; 41 of 81 (51%) had no prices found. The denominators differ because not every check could be completed. These are website findings, not measurements of AI recommendations. A menu written on the page is easier to read on a phone. Keep a PDF as an extra if you like.
2. Make your hours agree everywhere
In the same preliminary London check, 34 of 84 (40%) were flagged for hours that differed from Google. A flag is not proof the hours were wrong: kitchen hours and opening hours can legitimately differ, and the findings were not fully hand-verified. Label the distinction clearly and update your website, listings and booking page when hours change.
3. Fill in your Google listing properly
Google says local results are based on relevance, distance and prominence, and that complete information helps it match you to the right searches. Choose the most specific category (for example "Thai restaurant", not just "Restaurant"), add your menu link, your booking link, real photos of your food and room, and your price range.
4. Claim and update your Yelp page
In the US this matters more than it used to, because Yelp's content now feeds ChatGPT. Claim your page, fix the hours and photos, and reply to reviews there too. If you take bookings through Yelp, check that it's switched on.
5. Look after your reviews, and reply to them
Google says more reviews and positive ratings can help your local ranking, and that helpful replies help you stand out. Reviews are also what AI assistants quote when they describe you. Replying to every review, good or bad, is one of the simplest habits you can build. Our guide Reply to reviews with AI shows you how to draft a week of replies in a few minutes, in your own voice. For the rules on asking for reviews, see Google reviews in 2027.
6. Show the room and the food as they really are
Old photos, stock images and dark phone shots make your place look closed or tired. A single professional shoot can cover your website, Google, Yelp and the next few months of social.
7. Give people a reason to write about you
Independent coverage can help people discover you and may appear among sources used in search. A new menu, a chef's story, a community event or a milestone can be worth sharing with relevant local writers. It is not a guaranteed route into an AI answer.
What not to do
- Don't buy or fake reviews, and don't use AI to write reviews of your own restaurant. In the US, the FTC's rule bans fake reviews, including AI-generated ones, and rewards tied to positive reviews.
- Don't trust anyone who promises you'll be "number one in ChatGPT." Nobody controls what these tools say. You can only make the right information easy to find.
- Don't stuff your website with keywords. Write for customers. Clear beats clever.
A quick 2027 checklist
- Menu on the website as text, with prices
- Same hours on the website, Google, Apple Maps, Yelp and the booking page
- Google listing complete: specific category, menu, booking link, real photos
- Yelp page claimed and up to date
- Every new review gets a reply within a week
- Photos that accurately show your current food, room and experience
- One booking button on the website, tested on a phone
- The ten-minute AI check repeated every three months
For the full website list, see What a restaurant website needs in 2027.
How we can help
We build websites for independent restaurants, fix your Google listing, and check what Google and AI search say about you every quarter. Our US plan is $399 a month on a 12-month plan, or $3,830 a year, with no setup fee. The website is live within four weeks once the agreed start conditions are met. See the restaurant plan. In the UK, see Can They Find You?.
Questions people ask
How do I get my restaurant recommended by ChatGPT?
Make your basic information easy to find and the same everywhere: a menu with prices written on your website, matching hours on Google, Yelp and Apple Maps, real photos, and plenty of reviews with replies. Nobody can guarantee a recommendation.
Why doesn't my restaurant show up in AI answers?
There is no single explanation. Answers vary with the question, location, available sources and tool. Missing or outdated information is worth fixing, but not appearing does not prove that your website is the cause. Run the ten-minute check to investigate.
Does ChatGPT use Yelp reviews?
Yes. Yelp has announced an integration that brings its reviews, ratings, photos and business details into ChatGPT. That does not mean Yelp is the source for every restaurant answer.
Can people book my restaurant inside ChatGPT?
Some supported restaurants can take reservations or waitlist requests through ChatGPT. Availability depends on the booking provider, restaurant, market and account. Some steps may open the provider's website. Check with your booking provider whether you are included.
Does replying to reviews help?
Helpful replies show customers that you listen. Google says replies can help a business stand out, while review counts and positive ratings can help local ranking. That does not establish a direct AI ranking benefit from replying to every review.
How often should I check?
Every three months, and after any big change such as new hours, a new menu or a new location.
