Fixing a Restaurant Google Business Profile
For a restaurant, cafe, pub or takeaway, the Business Profile often does the job the website used to do. Diners check the menu, the price level, whether they can book, whether the kitchen is still open and whether there is a vegan option, all without leaving Google.
When the menu is two seasons old, the booking button goes to a dead page or the hours ignore the kitchen closing at nine, the profile loses covers quietly. This guide works through the restaurant-specific parts of the profile and how to keep them right as the menu and hours change.
- What diners check on a restaurant profile
- Menus: link, editor and photos
- Booking and ordering buttons
- Hours: opening, kitchen, takeaway and special days
- Dining options and dietary attributes
- Website, structured data and allergen information
- The fix, step by step
- Situations that trip restaurants up
- Questions and answers
What diners check on a restaurant profile
A restaurant profile gets different use from a plumber's or an accountant's. People often look at several places in a row, late in the decision, sometimes while standing in the street. They want quick answers to a short list of questions:
- What kind of food, and roughly how much? Answered by the category, the price level, the menu and the food photos.
- Is it open now, and until when? Answered by the hours, including when the kitchen stops serving.
- Can I book, order or just turn up? Answered by the booking and ordering buttons and the dine-in, takeaway and delivery options.
- Can I eat here? Answered by dietary options such as vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free, and by what the menu actually shows.
- Is it any good? Answered by reviews, review replies and photos.
The GBP Audit checks the general health of the profile. This guide concentrates on the first four questions, which depend on restaurant-specific fields. Reviews, photos and posts have their own guides, linked at the end.
Booking and ordering buttons
A restaurant profile can show action buttons such as reserve a table, order online or view menu. They can come from your own links or from partners that have an integration with Google. Diners tap them without much thought, so a broken or unwanted one does real damage.
- Buttons from partners. If you use a booking or delivery platform that works with Google, it may add a button automatically. Check which partners appear and whether they are ones you still use. A button for a delivery service you left last year sends orders nowhere.
- Your own links. Where the profile lets you add booking or ordering links, point them straight at the booking widget or ordering page, not the home page. Test them on a phone.
- Preferred provider. Where several partners appear, Google has at times let owners choose a preferred one, or remove links they do not want. Options vary, so check the current help page if you cannot find the setting.
- Commission. Orders placed through a delivery platform usually carry that platform's fees. If you have your own ordering system, make sure its link is present and prominent.
Hours: opening, kitchen, takeaway and special days
Restaurants often have several sets of hours at once: the doors open at noon, the kitchen closes at nine, takeaway stops at half eight, brunch runs only at weekends. Putting only the door hours on the profile leads to diners arriving at 9.15 expecting food.
Besides the main opening hours, the profile offers extra hour types for many food and drink categories. The exact list varies, but may include:
| Hour type | Use it when |
|---|---|
| Kitchen | Food service stops earlier than the bar or dining room closes. |
| Takeaway | Collection orders run on a different schedule from dine-in. |
| Delivery | Delivery starts later or ends earlier than opening hours. |
| Breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner | Specific meals are only served at certain times. |
| Happy hour | A drinks or food offer runs at set times every week. |
Set special hours for bank holidays, Christmas and New Year, and any private-hire closures, well in advance. These override the normal hours for the dates you choose and are what Google uses for its open and closed labels on those days. A post announcing the closure is helpful, but it does not change those labels.
For seasonal patterns, such as a beach cafe that closes on weekdays in winter, change the regular hours at the start of each season rather than trying to cover months of changes with special hours.
Dining options and dietary attributes
Restaurants have one of the longest attribute lists of any business type. The ones diners filter on most tend to be service options and dietary choices. Set them from what is true every day you trade:
- Service options: dine-in, takeaway, delivery, and kerbside or collection where offered.
- Dietary: vegetarian options, vegan options, and other choices your category offers. Only tick them if there is more than a token item. One side salad is not a vegan option in the eyes of a vegan diner.
- Booking: whether you take reservations, and whether they are recommended.
- Practical: outdoor seating, dogs allowed, children's menu, high chairs, step-free access and accessible toilet.
- Drinks: alcohol served, and related options for bars and pubs.
The attributes guide explains how attributes work, who can set them and how to stop them being changed by suggested edits.
Price level
Google shows a price indicator for many restaurants, either as symbols or as a typical price range per person. In some places owners can set a price range; otherwise Google estimates it, partly from customer input. If the indicator is wrong and you cannot edit it, make sure your menu prices are current on the profile and website, since those give Google better information to work with.
Website, structured data and allergen information
The website should confirm everything on the profile. For a restaurant that means the same hours, including kitchen times, a text menu, a working booking link and a clear statement of how to get allergen information.
If you use structured data, the schema.org Restaurant type supports properties such as
servesCuisine, hasMenu, acceptsReservations and priceRange.
It describes the restaurant to any system reading your page; it does not update the Business Profile
directly.
<script type="application/ld+json">
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Restaurant",
"name": "The Copper Kettle Kitchen",
"url": "https://example.co.uk/",
"telephone": "+44 1632 960456",
"servesCuisine": ["Modern British", "Brunch"],
"priceRange": "£15 to £30",
"hasMenu": "https://example.co.uk/menu",
"acceptsReservations": "https://example.co.uk/book",
"address": {
"@type": "PostalAddress",
"streetAddress": "22 Wharf Street",
"addressLocality": "Eastbridge",
"postalCode": "EB2 4XY",
"addressCountry": "GB"
},
"openingHoursSpecification": [
{"@type": "OpeningHoursSpecification", "dayOfWeek": ["Tuesday", "Wednesday", "Thursday"], "opens": "12:00", "closes": "22:00"},
{"@type": "OpeningHoursSpecification", "dayOfWeek": ["Friday", "Saturday"], "opens": "10:00", "closes": "23:00"}
]
}
</script>Allergens
The Food Standards Agency's guidance says that when food is sold at a distance, such as online or by phone for delivery or collection, allergen information must be available before the customer buys and again when the food is delivered. A menu on Google is not the place for full allergen tables, but your menu page and ordering flow should say clearly how customers get that information. Check the FSA's current guidance for your situation; this is not legal advice.
The fix, step by step
Step 1
Confirm the cuisine category and price level
Run the GBP Audit, then check that the primary category names what you mainly serve, such as Italian restaurant, Indian takeaway or Cafe, rather than a vague Restaurant. Add secondary categories only for things you really are, such as a bar or a bakery. Then look at the price indicator shown on the profile and set the price range yourself if the option is offered for your listing.
Step 2
Replace the menu with the current one
Point the menu link at a permanent HTML menu page on your website, then update or rebuild the menu in the profile menu editor if it is available, using the same sections, dish names and prices. Upload a clear photo of the current printed menu. Check the menus shown by any booking or delivery partners and report outdated customer menu photos so diners stop seeing old prices.
Step 3
Fix the booking and ordering buttons
Tap every action button on your profile from a phone: reserve, order, menu and website. Note which partner or link each one uses. Remove or ask partners to remove buttons for services you no longer use, and make sure your own booking and ordering links go straight to the booking widget or ordering page. Where a preferred provider can be chosen, pick the one that suits your business best.
Step 4
Set main hours and the extra hour types
Enter the door opening hours as regular hours, then add the extra hour types your category offers, such as kitchen, takeaway, delivery, brunch or happy hour, wherever they differ from the main hours. Add special hours for the next bank holidays and the Christmas period now rather than on the day. Check the profile shows the right open and closed labels for the coming week.
Step 5
Set dining options and dietary attributes
In the attributes area, set dine-in, takeaway and delivery to match what you offer on every trading day. Tick vegetarian, vegan or other dietary options only where the menu has a genuine choice, not a single side dish. Set reservations, outdoor seating, dogs, children and accessibility attributes from a walk-round of the premises, and answer no rather than leaving a question blank where that is the truth.
Step 6
Line up the website, menu and allergen details
Make the website show the same hours, including kitchen times, the same menu and the same
booking link as the profile. Add a clear line on the menu and ordering pages explaining how to get allergen
information before ordering. If you publish Restaurant markup, update hasMenu,
servesCuisine, priceRange and opening hours so they agree with the visible
page and the profile.
Step 7
Build a menu change routine
Write a short checklist that runs every time the menu, prices or hours change: update the website menu page, the profile menu editor, partner menus and the menu photo, then check each action button again. Give one person responsibility. Add seasonal reminders for bank holiday special hours and for switching outdoor seating on and off, so the profile keeps pace with the restaurant.
Situations that trip restaurants up
A new owner, same premises
When a restaurant changes hands and becomes a different business, the old profile's reviews belong to the old business. The new owners should normally mark the old profile as permanently closed, or ask for it to be updated only if the business really continues, and create or claim their own. Carrying over another business's reviews misleads diners.
Delivery-only kitchens
Google's guidelines expect a business to have contact with customers at its location or to travel to them. A kitchen that only sends food out through delivery platforms, with no collection counter, may not be eligible for its own profile. Check the current eligibility rules before creating one.
Restaurants inside other venues
A restaurant inside a hotel, a food hall stall or a pop-up in a pub can often have its own profile if it operates as a distinct business with its own name and hours. Use the host venue's address, and describe where to find you in the profile description and on your website.
Temporary closure
For a refurbishment or a long holiday, mark the business as temporarily closed rather than deleting hours. Reopen it on the profile on the day you reopen, and post to say so.
1. How do I update the menu on my Google Business Profile?
Where the menu editor is offered for your category, open your profile, go to the menu section and edit the sections, dishes and prices directly. Also set the menu link to a permanent menu page on your website and upload a current photo of your printed menu. Check any menus shown by booking or delivery partners too, because Google can display them alongside yours. Updating only one source often leaves old prices visible.
2. Why does Google show an old menu for my restaurant?
Menus reach your profile from several places: the menu editor, the menu link, photos of printed menus uploaded by you or customers, and menus supplied by ordering or booking partners. An old menu usually comes from one you have not updated, most often a customer photo or a partner dashboard. Update every source you control, add a fresh menu photo, and report outdated customer photos so Google has current information to show instead.
3. How do I remove a delivery or booking button I do not use?
Buttons often come from partner platforms that integrate with Google. Contact the platform and ask them to remove your restaurant from their Google integration, since that is usually where the link originates. Check your profile for any option to remove or change the order and reservation links, which Google has offered at times. Then check again after a week. Leaving an old partner's button in place means diners may book or order through a service you no longer use.
4. Can I show kitchen hours separately from opening hours?
Yes, for many food and drink categories. Besides regular opening hours, the profile offers extra hour types such as kitchen, takeaway, delivery, brunch and happy hour. Set the door opening times as your regular hours and add kitchen hours when food service stops earlier. This helps diners who arrive late expecting to eat. If you cannot see the option, check your primary category and Google's current help pages for what is available.
5. Should I tick vegan options if I only have one vegan dish?
Think about what a vegan diner would expect when they see the attribute. If the menu has a real choice, such as at least one proper main course and some sides or desserts, ticking vegan options is reasonable. If the only vegan item is chips or a side salad, it is better to leave it off and say on your website what you can prepare on request. A disappointed diner is likely to mention it in a review.
6. Does my restaurant need Restaurant schema if it has a Business Profile?
It is not required, but it is useful. The Business Profile is managed inside Google, while Restaurant structured data describes the same restaurant on your own website for any search engine or tool that reads the page. Properties such as servesCuisine, hasMenu, acceptsReservations and openingHoursSpecification should match the profile exactly. The markup does not update the profile, so you still need to edit both whenever the menu or hours change.
7. What should a new owner do with the old restaurant's Google profile?
If you have bought the premises but are running a different restaurant, the old profile and its reviews describe the previous business. The usual approach is to mark the old profile as permanently closed and create or claim a profile for your own business. If you bought the business itself and it continues under the same name and style, ask the previous owner to transfer ownership of the profile to you instead.
The GBP Audit reads your live Business Profile, compares your details with your website and major citation sources, and checks categories, photo count and recency, post cadence, review replies, services, attributes and Q&A activity.
Open GBP Fixes →