Restaurant SEO in 2026

We used to think of Google as a simple router: a user types a query, sees a link, clicks, and lands on your site. In 2026, that playbook is being rewritten. NewzDash surveyed 20 global SEO experts about the future of search. While they focused on media, their conclusions sound like a wake-up call for the hospitality industry: the majority forecast a drop in clicks due to AI Overviews.

What does this mean for restaurants? Google is no longer just a map; it’s becoming an “Answer Engine”. Here is how to adapt to a reality where your website might not even get opened.

The “Zero-Click” Era: AI is Taking Your Traffic. Previously, a user would Google “best tartare downtown,” visit three different sites, and compare. Now, AI Overview enters the game. Google scrapes the info itself—reviews, menus, ratings—and serves a ready-made answer directly in the search results. Marshall Simmonds, founder of Define Media Group, describes this shift:

“The shift from search based on clicks to search based on attribution means publishers must become sources Google is forced to cite, rather than just summarize”.

What should a restaurant do? Being “online” is no longer enough. You need to become a brand so authoritative that AI cannot answer a user’s query without mentioning you specifically. If your brand is strong, Google will cite you at the top. If not, it will simply paraphrase the info, and the user won’t click through.

Google Business Profile is Your New Homepage. In a world with fewer website visits, your Google Business Profile (GBP) is often the only storefront a guest sees before making a decision. Data hygiene is critical here. Google prioritizes profiles that are 100% complete: from parking and Wi-Fi to up-to-date prices. This is a major pain point for restaurateurs: prices change, menus update, and manually editing this across all platforms takes hours.

Eatery Club Solution: We’ve automated this grunt work. Add your GBP token to the Eatery Club admin panel, and your restaurant’s menu will update on Google in real-time. Change a price in the admin panel, and it changes on the map. This is the technical baseline required for 2026.

Video is the New Search (and Google Knows It). If your audience is under 35, they aren’t typing queries into Google. They are searching for “vibey places in NY” on TikTok or Reels. Nicola Agius, SEO Director at Reach PLC, highlights this trend:

“YouTube is now the most visible site on the platform. That says a lot about where Google thinks user demand is heading”.

Video now appears directly in Google Search results. What should you film? Forget expensive productions. Vertical videos of 15–60 seconds work best. Show a steaming dish, the kitchen in action, real emotions. And make sure to use these videos not just on social media, but also in your own Eatery Club branded app to engage your already loyal audience.

E-E-A-T: People Trust People, Not Logos. Google evaluates content using the E-E-A-T formula: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trust. But in 2026, the focus shifts from abstract “brands” to specific personalities. Allie Berry, SEO Director at MarketWise, advises:

“Focusing only on E-E-A-T is no longer enough. You need to build the influence of your experts… People want to connect with people more than with brands”.

Practical Tip: Turn your head chef into a media personality. Let them explain the kitchen’s philosophy in a short video. The chef’s bio, the story of a dish, real faces of the team on your “About Us” page —these are all signals to Google that real experts stand behind the business.

Diversification: Don’t Put All Your Eggs in One Basket. 58% of surveyed experts named channel diversification as their #1 priority. Relying solely on Google Search or delivery aggregators is business suicide. Philip Yeone, CEO of Neper Consulting, warns:

“Over-reliance on Discover traffic has become a fatal danger. Don’t chase shadows”.

You need your own ecosystem where you control access to the guest.

• Your Own Database: Email, SMS, Whatsapp, X
• Your Own App: Eatery Club gives you a direct communication channel, push notifications for promos, and personalization data that no algorithm can take away.

For restaurants, this means a simple truth: use search to get found by new guests, but build an ecosystem (app, website, self-service kiosk, social media) so they return to you directly. Eatery Club helps close exactly this loop—turning random Google traffic into your loyal guest base.