How a restaurant shows up in ChatGPT and Google
Many guests now ask AI for restaurant recommendations. Here is how to make sure your restaurant is described correctly: the same facts everywhere, answers to guests' questions and information in text.
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"Where in Kamppi can we hold a Christmas party for 24?" Many people now ask a question like this of ChatGPT, Gemini or Perplexity instead of scrolling through search results. AI search builds its answer from restaurants' sites, Google Business Profiles and the rest of the web.
AI search doesn't say exactly how it picks its sources. The same basics still help there and on Google.
Keep the same facts everywhere
Your name, address, phone number and opening hours appear on your site, your Google Business Profile, delivery apps and restaurant directories. If they disagree, AI search may pick the wrong one, or leave the restaurant out to be safe.
Check at least your own site and your Google Business Profile, including holiday opening hours.
Answer one question per page
Guests ask precise things: does the private room fit 24, is there a Father's Day lunch, can I buy a gift card online. A page that answers one question in its very first sentence is easy to quote.
A "Christmas parties in our private room" page can start like this: "The private room seats 20 to 24, depending on the table layout." The details follow.
Write information as text, not images
A menu as an image or opening hours in a banner are easily missed by search. Write in text what the restaurant serves, where it is and how to book a table.
Give the basics as structured data
Structured data tells search engines, in a machine-readable form, that the page describes a restaurant, along with its address, opening hours, menu and booking link. On WordPress, Yoast and Rank Math do part of this, but the restaurant's details have to be filled in.
Don't leave old information online
AI search can quote a 2019 Christmas party page or an old price list if they are still on the site. Remove or update outdated pages, and keep prices in one place.
How to tell if it works
Google Search Console shows which searches your pages appear in and how many people click. You can test AI search yourself: ask ChatGPT the question your guest would ask, and see whether your restaurant is mentioned and the details are right.
Fiest does this work on restaurants' own sites, including existing WordPress sites. Text is written only from facts the restaurant has confirmed, and a Fiest person approves every change before it goes live.
