We checked 100 independent restaurants and bars in Williamsburg and Greenpoint in November 2026. 61% don't have their menu on their own site as readable text, 58% don't show full prices, and 36% of those that list hours disagree with Google. Of the 68 with press coverage, 60 don't mention it on their own site. The same check in Notting Hill found almost the same gaps: the information people need is missing, hard to read or inconsistent.
Menus people and AI tools can't read
61% don't show their menu as readable text on their own website. A photo or PDF may look right, but it makes someone on a phone work harder to find a dish or a price. It also makes it harder for AI tools like ChatGPT and Google's AI Mode to read and match the menu to a question. Put your current menu on a normal page as text. Keep a downloadable version if you need one, but don't make it the only way to read it.
No prices
58% don't show full prices. People need to know what a meal will cost before deciding where to go. Show a price alongside every item on your text menu, including drinks and any set menus. When prices change, update the page as well as any booking or delivery listings.
Hours that disagree with Google
Of the 59 restaurants that show opening hours, 21 have hours that disagree with Google: 36%, rounded. The other 41% don't list hours on their site at all. One site said open daily until 10:30pm. Google said 10pm and closed on Sundays. Put your current hours on your site and make them match Google and your booking provider. Check holiday hours separately so customers aren't left choosing between two answers.
The press you're not using
68% have been covered by at least one New York food publisher. But 60 of those 68 don't mention that coverage anywhere on their own site. Add an 'as featured in' line with direct links to the articles. It gives visitors useful independent context and makes the coverage easier to discover from your own website. Only link to coverage that is actually about your restaurant.
Booking is the US head start
59% can't be booked online from their own site. Yet 31 of the 100 are already on Resy or OpenTable. For those restaurants, a booking route already exists: make it easy to reach from every page. Keep the menu, prices and hours alongside it so people can decide before they click. If you're walk-in only, say that clearly instead of leaving visitors to search for a booking button.
Who AI search names
On 1 November we asked Google's AI Mode five questions, including 'best restaurants in Greenpoint' and 'best date night restaurant in Williamsburg'. Across 35 recommendations, 5 of our 100 restaurants were named. The choices were mostly places with substantial press coverage. In one answer, AI Mode gave a Williamsburg restaurant another restaurant's address. This is a snapshot from one browser on one day. Answers change by person, place and time. Clear information helps people check the answer; it is not a guarantee of a recommendation.
Questions people ask
Why does a PDF menu matter?
PDFs and photos are slow on a phone and hard for search tools to read. A menu written as text on your site can be read, quoted and matched to what people ask.
Do I need Resy or OpenTable?
No. But if you use one, link it from every page and keep your hours the same there, on Google and on your site.
Can you guarantee AI tools will recommend us?
No. Nobody can. We make sure everything AI tools read about you is clear, correct and the same everywhere.
