A Google Business Profile checklist for a restaurant comes down to eight things: one exact primary category, hours that include holidays, a working menu link, at least three photos in each photo type, a post every month, answered Q&A, a reply to every review, and a review-request habit that follows both the FTC rule and Google’s policy. Do those and the same facts feed Google Maps and the new AI answers. Skip them and Google fills the gaps with whatever the web and your customers upload.

1. Categories: one exact primary, few extras

Google’s guidelines say to pick categories that are as specific as possible and to use as few as you can. The test is this business is a, not this business has a. A ramen shop is a ramen restaurant, not Restaurant plus Bar plus Caterer. You get one primary category and up to nine more.

Google also says not to use categories as keywords or to describe features like parking. Those belong in attributes, the feature list on your profile.

2. Hours, including holidays

Google lists complete info and accurate hours, including special hours, among its own ranking tips. Set special hours for every holiday, even if you keep normal hours that day. Google’s advice is to confirm holiday hours so customers know they are accurate.

Food and drink businesses get two menu tools. The first is a Check a menu link that points to your menu page. The second is Google’s menu editor, where you list sections, items, prices and photos. You can upload a PDF and let Google convert it.

Use both. Google pulls info from the web and from customers, not just from you. If you skip the menu, Google may show a menu link you never added, and it may be old or wrong.

4. Photos: how many and how fresh

Google’s own tips ask for at least three photos in each type that fits a restaurant: exterior, interior, food and drink, at work, and team. That is 15 photos, minimum. The specs: JPG or PNG, 10 KB to 5 MB, 720 by 720 pixels recommended, in focus, well lit, no heavy filters. Videos can run up to 30 seconds at 720p or better.

On freshness, Google publishes no number. Our rule: add a few new photos every month, and shoot again after any menu change or remodel. Customers upload their own photos all the time. If yours are old, theirs become the face of the business.

5. Posts, Q&A and review replies

Posts come in three types: updates, offers and events. Google archives posts older than six months unless they carry a date range. One post a month keeps the profile from looking abandoned.

Q&A shows on some profiles and not others. Google limits it to select categories and regions. If yours has it, owners and managers can answer. Answer every question in plain words.

Reply to every review. Google says replying shows you value feedback, and the reply posts publicly under the review. In BrightLocal’s 2026 survey of 1,002 US adults, 80% said they are likely to use a business that responds to all its reviews. If a review breaks Google’s rules, flag it. Do not threaten the reviewer.

6. The review-request rules

Two sets of rules apply, and Google’s is stricter.

The FTC’s Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule took effect on October 21, 2024. It bans fake reviews (including AI-written ones), buying positive or negative reviews, undisclosed reviews from owners, managers or staff, and using threats or false accusations to block or remove negative reviews. For 2025, the top FTC fine (civil penalty) is $53,088 per violation. The FTC says incentives are allowed only if they do not depend on the review being positive or negative. It also says the rule has no specific ban on asking only happy customers, but warns that this can still violate the FTC Act.

Google’s Maps content policy goes further. Businesses may not offer any payment, discount or free item for a review. And they may not “discourage or prohibit negative reviews, or selectively solicit positive reviews.” So: ask every guest, the same way, with no reward. A QR code on the receipt or a text after pickup works. A sign that offers a free drink for a review does not.

7. How AI answers use the same data

Google says there are no extra steps to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode. Its guidance is the basics, including keeping your Business Profile up to date. Google Maps’ Gemini-powered know before you go tips read reviews and other online info to surface things like secret menu items, parking tips and the best way to book a reservation. Whitespark’s guide notes that AI answers pull ratings, hours and pricing from Business Profiles or other sources.

BrightLocal found 45% of consumers used ChatGPT or similar tools for local recommendations in 2026, up from 6% a year earlier. The same survey found 74% look for reviews from the last three months. The checklist above is what those systems read.

The monthly routine

  • Week 1: add new photos, post one update.
  • Every week: reply to reviews, answer Q&A.
  • Before each holiday: set special hours.
  • After any menu change: update the menu editor and the link.
  • Every quarter: re-check categories, phone, address and website link.

What we would do

We would run the checklist with you once, then hand you the monthly routine. That is the core of our local search service: categories, hours, menu, photos, posts and review replies, plus a review-request flow that follows the FTC rule and Google’s policy. Or start with a free 20-minute audit. You get three written findings within two business days.

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