Categories to consider
- Italian restaurant (primary, use your cuisine)
- Pizza restaurant
- Restaurant
- Family restaurant
- Bar & grill
- Caterer
Attributes
- Wheelchair-accessible entrance
- Wheelchair-accessible seating
- Wheelchair-accessible restroom
- Wheelchair-accessible parking
- Wi-Fi
- Small business
- Black-owned
Typical services
- Dine-in
- Takeout
- Delivery
- Catering
- Private dining
- Brunch service
- Happy hour
Be specific about the food
Google’s own category example is a pizza place: it says to pick Pizza restaurant as the primary, and the listing can still show for broader searches like “restaurants” or “Italian restaurants”. The same logic applies to every cuisine. Plain Restaurant is the fallback when nothing specific fits. Add secondaries for what you are, such as Bar & grill if the bar is a real draw, or Caterer if catering is a steady line. Categories also open up restaurant features: links for orders, reservations and menus, and the ability to add menu items directly.
Reviews are just as specific: a cold dish, a slow Friday, a great server. Reply to the point they made and thank people who name a dish. For a complaint about one visit, apologize briefly and invite them back or to contact the manager, without sharing their reservation or order history.
The menu is the profile
Diners open the menu before anything else. The menu editor, available to food and drink businesses, lets you build sections like starters and mains, and add items with names, descriptions and prices. Changes take 24 to 48 hours to show. You can also upload menu photos or a PDF; Google asks for a high-quality photo with the full menu on one page.
If Google has pulled menu data from your website or several sources, choose the one to show in the Full menu tab. There is also an experimental option to generate a menu from a photo, which you review before publishing.
Popular dishes are separate. They come from photos and names that you and customers add in the Maps app. Add your own, since owner-added names take priority.
Hours in the right order
Restaurants often have several sets of hours. Google’s guidelines rank them: dine-in first, then takeout, then drive-through, then delivery. Use the top one you offer as regular hours. Then use Add more hours for happy hours or takeout windows that differ. Each type is set separately and should usually fall inside your main hours.
Ordering and reservation links
Your profile can carry your own links for ordering and table booking, alongside links that third-party providers add. If you use several, set a preferred one so it appears first. If a provider’s link is unwanted, ask it removed; providers must do so within 5 days.
A storefront is required for alcohol
Google doesn’t allow businesses tied to alcohol to be service-area only. If you serve drinks, you need your storefront address on the profile.
If it doesn't work
- A wrong menu from your website keeps appearing: Google may transcribe menus from websites. Pick your preferred menu in the Full menu tab under Edit menu.
- Your happy hours don't show: More hours only display once regular hours are set.
- A delivery app's link you don't want is on your profile: use the remove provider option. Providers have 5 days to remove it after a request.
- Customers added a wrong dish name: open the dish, tap More, then Suggest an edit and choose the option that fits.
Questions owners ask
My restaurant is inside a hotel. Do we share a profile?
No. Google's guidelines say co-located businesses, such as a restaurant inside a hotel, should each have their own profile. Use your restaurant's own categories, hours and phone number.
Can I run a catering-only kitchen as a service-area business?
Catering that delivers to customers can be set up with a service area. However, Google says businesses tied to alcohol aren't permitted as service-area businesses without a storefront, so a bar or alcohol service needs a storefront address.
Which hours does Google want as my regular hours?
For restaurants, Google's guidelines set an order: use dine-in hours first, then takeout, then drive-through, then delivery. Add the others under More hours so each one is shown separately.
Can customers change my dish names?
Customers can add dish names and photos. Google says dish names you add get precedence over names added by customers, so add your signature dishes yourself.
Sources
- About the menu editor (support.google.com)
- Find and edit popular dishes for restaurants (support.google.com)
- How to set More hours (support.google.com)
- Guidelines for representing your business on Google (support.google.com)
Checked 13 Nov 2026. When the platform changes its process we update this page and log it in What changed.