# When Nobody Clicks: Getting Your Venue Chosen by Google's AI Overviews and AI Mode (UK, 2026)

> Your Google Business Profile is the largest single source in AI answers about restaurants, and AI Overviews also cite web pages. What is live in the UK in October 2026, which fields matter, and what an owner without an agency should do first.

- Author: Alex Riesenkampff (Super44)
- Published: 2026-10-27
- Canonical: https://super44.ai/blog/ai-overviews-local-restaurant

## Key takeaways

- Google Business Profile data made up 45.2% of AI citations for restaurants across AI Overviews, AI Mode and ChatGPT in a 2026 BrightLocal study of US, UK and Australian locations, ahead of Yelp (21.8%), Tripadvisor (7%) and OpenTable (6.6%).
- Google's own Business Profile data supplied 108,018 of 161,094 third-party citations in AI Overviews and 455,123 of 861,263 in AI Mode in BrightLocal's August 2026 study, though a US study of service trades found AI Overviews cited the business's own website for 70.7% of local citations.
- Since 10 April 2026, AI Mode in the UK answers a request for a table on a given night with a shortlist and direct links to book through partners such as OpenTable, SevenRooms, ResDiary and TheFork, so how you take bookings is now an AI visibility decision.
- Google's Maps Platform documentation says its AI review summaries are built "based solely on user reviews" and lists the UK among 18 English-language regions, so the only way to change what they say is to give guests something specific to write about.
- In a Zonal and NIQ survey of more than 5,000 British consumers published 8 October 2026, 19% already used AI tools to plan pub, bar or restaurant visits, and 35% of those used them to check opening times.

To get a UK cafe, bar or restaurant chosen by Google's AI answers in 2026, start with your Google Business Profile, because it is the largest single source AI answers about restaurants draw on. **In a 2026 BrightLocal study of US, UK and Australian locations, Google Business Profile data made up 45.2% of AI citations for restaurants across AI Overviews, AI Mode and ChatGPT, more than Yelp, Tripadvisor and OpenTable combined.** So do three things: keep the profile's facts exact, keep one plain web page with your menu and hours as text for AI Overviews to cite, and if you take bookings, use a booking system that AI Mode can link a guest straight into.

That is most of the job, and none of it needs an agency. This guide covers Google only. ChatGPT, Claude and Perplexity work from licensed data and the open web, which is a different problem with a different fix, and our guide to [getting ChatGPT to recommend your venue](/blog/chatgpt-recommend-your-restaurant) covers it.

## Which Google AI features a UK guest can see in October 2026

**AI Overviews and AI Mode are both live in the UK, AI Mode has handled restaurant bookings here since 10 April 2026, and Google has not named the UK in any Ask Maps announcement.** That last point matters, because most of what is written about "ranking in Ask Maps" comes from the US, where it launched first.

| Google AI feature | UK status, October 2026 | What it leans on |
| --- | --- | --- |
| AI Overviews (summary above search results) | Live since August 2024 | Profile data and web pages; studies differ on the mix |
| AI Mode (the conversational search tab) | Live since 28 July 2025 | Business Profile and Maps data first |
| AI Mode restaurant booking | Live since 10 April 2026 | Booking partners such as OpenTable and SevenRooms |
| AI review summaries ("Summarized with Gemini") | UK listed in Google's Maps Platform documentation | Guest reviews only |
| AI place summaries (one-line Gemini overview) | US and India only in Google's Maps Platform documentation | Not stated by Google |
| Ask Maps (Gemini chat inside Google Maps) | UK not named in any Google announcement | Not stated by Google |
| Gemini tool for editing your profile by chat | Excluded from the UK and EEA at launch | Not a visibility feature |

AI Overviews reached the UK in Google's August 2024 expansion to six countries. AI Mode started rolling out here on 28 July 2025. Ask Maps launched in the US and India on 12 March 2026, and Google's 6 August update widened it to six named countries "along with" English in more than 150 others, without naming the UK. A UK phone may already have it, so before you pay for help with Ask Maps, open Google Maps and look.

Guests are already using these tools. A Zonal and NIQ survey of more than 5,000 British consumers, published on 8 October 2026, found 19% already use AI tools, including search engine summaries, to plan pub, bar or restaurant visits. Another 50% said they were considering it. Among the users, 38% used AI to view menus and 35% to check opening times, the two things an owner controls most directly. In London the share was 39%, against 16% elsewhere. Karl Chessell, director of hospitality operators and food for EMEA at NIQ, put the stakes plainly in Restaurant Online: "AI is going to be a critical battleground for hospitality in the months and years to come".

Keep it in proportion. The same survey found friends and family (47%) and online reviews (32%) still lead as sources, ahead of venue websites at 25%. The figure also mixes ChatGPT with Google's summaries, so it describes AI tools as a whole. Our breakdown of [how guests discover restaurants](/blog/restaurant-discovery-channels) shows how the older channels split by age and area.

## What Google's AI answers draw on, and where the studies disagree

**BrightLocal's August 2026 study found Google's own Business Profile data supplied 108,018 of the 161,094 third-party citations in AI Overviews, and was used at 1,231 of its 1,355 locations.** In AI Mode the same data supplied 455,123 of 861,263 third-party citations. BrightLocal's own summary: "Google Business Profile is the source of choice for Google’s own AIs". About a fifth of its locations were restaurants, bars and cafes, spread across the US, the UK and Australia.

For restaurants alone, BrightLocal gives one combined figure across AI Overviews, AI Mode and ChatGPT, and the profile leads it by a distance.

**Where AI answers about restaurants get their information**

|  | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Google Business Profile | 45.2% |
| Yelp | 21.8% |
| Tripadvisor | 7% |
| OpenTable | 6.6% |

*Share of 100,334 citations in AI answers for the restaurant locations in BrightLocal's study (Google Business Profile was cited at 66 of them), across AI Overviews, AI Mode and ChatGPT combined. Source: BrightLocal, 26 August 2026; US, UK and Australian locations.*

The bar for Google Business Profile is the one you edit yourself, and it is free. Tripadvisor and OpenTable are review and booking platforms a British owner may already use. The restaurant split rests on a small slice of the study, so read it as a ranking of sources rather than a precise share.

On AI Overviews, a second study points the other way. Steady Demand ran about 4,000 queries per surface across ten US local-service trades such as plumbers and dentists. It found 70.7% of AI Overviews' local citations went to the business's own website and only 3.1% to Maps or profile data, while 79.8% of AI Mode's went to Maps or profile data. Both studies agree on AI Mode. They disagree on AI Overviews, and the measures explain part of it. BrightLocal's AI Overview table counts only what it calls third-party domains, so business websites, which its companion study puts at 42% of all citations, sit outside it. Steady Demand's own-website figure is a catch-all category, and its sample had no restaurants. Google's documentation allows for both: "AI Mode and AI Overviews may use different models and techniques, so the set of responses and links they show will vary."

> Do not treat “ranking in AI” as one problem.
>
> — [Ben Fisher, co-founder, Steady Demand, writing up the study on 22 August 2026 (revised 9 September 2026)](https://www.steadydemand.com/ai-overviews-and-ai-mode-both-cite-local-businesses-in-almost-opposite-ways-ai-optimization-is-different-for-each/)

The plan for a venue holds whichever study is closer for restaurants. If the profile carries AI Overviews, an accurate profile covers it; if your own site does, one plain page with your menu and hours as text covers it. Doing both takes an afternoon, and Google's documentation asks for nothing more exotic: a page must be indexed and eligible for a search snippet to appear as a supporting link.

**What the 2026 studies can tell a UK independent**

*Source: BrightLocal, August and September 2026; Steady Demand, August 2026; Local Falcon, June 2026*

- **Supported:** Business Profile data is the largest single citation source for restaurants (BrightLocal), both studies find AI Mode leans on Maps and profile data, and Google Maps still shows a given business far more often than AI answers do.
- **Not established:** The studies disagree on what AI Overviews cite: profile data in BrightLocal's third-party count, the business website in Steady Demand's no-restaurant sample. No study isolates UK restaurants, none tests which profile fields cause a venue to be named, and none measures bookings or footfall.

## Maps is still where most guests see you

**BrightLocal's September 2026 study found Google Maps mentioned a tracked business in 66% of searches, against 38% for AI Overviews and 32% for AI Mode.** For restaurants specifically, Local Falcon's June 2026 index of 10,000 US venues found 74.9% were absent from Google's AI Overview recommendations, while only 19.6% were absent from Google Maps for the same searches. Local Falcon sells visibility tracking, so it has an interest in the gap looking large, and its data is American.

The two findings agree on the decision. Most of the people who could find your venue this week will still see you on Maps or in the local pack, and the AI layer sits on top of the same profile. An owner who neglects Maps to chase AI answers is trading the bigger channel for the smaller one.

Claire Carlile, Local Visibility Expert at Whitespark, makes the same point. Asked in a Women in Tech SEO session for tips on optimising listings for AI, her answer included: "Focus on making the most of Google first - that’s where most conversions happen."

## The fields that feed Google's AI, and the one you cannot write

**Google's developer documentation says its AI review summaries are built "based solely on user reviews", and the United Kingdom is on the list of supported regions.** That makes reviews the one input you cannot edit, and the profile fields the inputs you can. Google's own guidance stays general on the rest: its generative AI guide says Business Profiles "can help" visibility in AI responses. Its Search Central checklist includes making sure your Business Profile information is up to date. Google has published no list of which profile fields AI Mode reads.

So the sensible rule is to treat every field a guest might ask about as an input, and get it right. Our [Google Maps ranking playbook](/blog/google-maps-ranking-restaurant) walks through each field in one sitting. The table below maps them to the AI question they answer.

**Profile fields mapped to what an AI answer is asked**

| What you control | The guest question it answers | What Google documents |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Regular and special hours | Is it open now? Open on Boxing Day? | Special hours cover holidays and temporary changes; closures of 7+ days need temporarily closed |
| Menu items with descriptions and prices | Do they do a vegan breakfast? How much is a pint? | Menu editor for food and drink businesses; 24 to 48 hours to show |
| Popular dish names | Where can I get a proper Sunday roast? | Owner-added dish names take precedence over customer-added ones |
| Primary and additional categories | Is it a wine bar or a restaurant? | One primary plus up to 9 additional categories |
| Attributes (outdoor seating, dog-friendly) | Somewhere with a beer garden? | Some attributes are populated from customer input |
| Photos, including the cover photo | What does it look like inside? | A user photo may replace a weak owner cover photo |
| Guest reviews | Is it any good? What is it known for? | The only input to AI review summaries; not editable |

*Field rules from Google Business Profile Help pages. Google has not published which of these fields AI Mode or AI Overviews weight.*

Two of these are easy to miss. The first is dish names. Google states that "dish names added by you will get precedence over dish names added by customers", so a bakery known for one loaf or a pub known for its pie should name the dish itself, not leave it to whatever a guest typed under a photo. The second is Google's own edits. Google compiles profile information from crawled websites, licensed third-party data and users as well as from you. When it suggests an update, its help centre says: "Once notified, you have 4 days to accept or reject the suggestion." After that it may publish the change if other public information supports it. Open the profile once a week and check for updates Google has made, because a wrong closing time in the profile becomes a wrong closing time in an AI answer.

Reviews take a different habit. A summary built only from guest reviews will describe what guests choose to mention. Super44 found that a London cafe and events venue's signature courtyard appeared in only 12% of its reviews, and recommended making the courtyard the centre of its marketing. A feature guests rarely mention is a feature an AI summary rarely mentions either. Ask every guest for a review in the same plain way, and make the thing you are proud of easy to notice and photograph. Replying helps too, and our [prompts for replying to Google reviews with AI](/blog/reply-to-google-reviews-with-ai) keep that to a few minutes a week. For how many reviews you need and how recent they should be, see [how many Google reviews a restaurant needs](/blog/how-many-google-reviews-restaurant).

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## If you take bookings, AI Mode can now send guests straight to a table

**Since 10 April 2026, a UK guest can ask AI Mode for a table and get a shortlist with direct links to book "through partners like TheFork, SevenRooms, ResDiary, Mozrest, Foodhub, Dojo, DesignMyNight and OpenTable."** Google announced it in a UK post by Laurian Clemence, its Head of Product Communications, with the example of a table for two at a dog-friendly Italian in Shoreditch on Saturday at 7pm. The guest describes the evening; AI Mode returns the venues and the booking link. The Caterer reported that the feature is not opt-in, and that any UK venue with a Business Profile could come up as a match. It advised showing real-time availability through a Reserve with Google partner.

For a UK restaurant this is the most concrete lever in the whole topic. If your bookings run through one of those systems, check with the provider that its Google booking link is switched on and that your availability is live. If they run through a phone and a diary, AI Mode can still recommend you, but the guest has no button to press, and someone planning a Friday night may take the venue that has one. Our [comparison of booking systems for independent restaurants](/blog/best-booking-systems-independent-restaurants) prices the options. Book-by-phone is a legitimate choice, especially for a small room with regulars, but it is now a visibility decision as well as an admin one.

A walk-in cafe, a bakery or a takeaway has nothing to connect here. Skip this section and spend the time on hours, a text menu and reviews.

## What to do first, by venue

**Google's documentation says its AI features need no special schema or AI text file, only a page that is indexed and eligible for a search snippet.** Your first step depends on three things: your profile, your bookings and whether that page exists. Our guide to [a website versus a Google profile](/blog/restaurant-website-vs-google-profile) explains why a profile alone cannot be that page.

**Where should your next hour go?** *(interactive decision helper in the web version)*

**Possible routes:**
- **Do your profile hours, special hours and menu match what a guest would find at the door today? — No, or not sure:** Fix the profile facts first. Both of Google's AI surfaces draw on your profile, and wrong hours are the error that costs a guest a wasted trip. Next move: Correct hours, add special hours for the next three months, load the menu and name your key dishes.
- **Do your profile hours, special hours and menu match what a guest would find at the door today? — Yes, all current → Do you take table bookings? — Yes, through an online system that links from Google (such as OpenTable, ResDiary or SevenRooms) → Is there a public web page with your menu and hours written as text, not a PDF or photo? — No:** Publish one plain menu page. AI Overviews cite web pages as well as profiles, and a PDF or photo menu gives them little to quote. Next move: Put the menu, prices, hours and a short description on one crawlable page.
- **Do your profile hours, special hours and menu match what a guest would find at the door today? — Yes, all current → Do you take table bookings? — Yes, through an online system that links from Google (such as OpenTable, ResDiary or SevenRooms) → Is there a public web page with your menu and hours written as text, not a PDF or photo? — Yes:** Build the review habit. With the facts right, the remaining input you influence is what guests write, which is all an AI review summary reads. Next move: Ask every guest the same way, reply to reviews weekly, and make your signature feature easy to notice.
- **Do your profile hours, special hours and menu match what a guest would find at the door today? — Yes, all current → Do you take table bookings? — Yes, online, but through a system with no Google booking link:** Decide whether to be bookable from AI Mode. AI Mode can recommend you without a booking partner, but it only hands the guest a direct booking link through partners such as OpenTable, ResDiary or SevenRooms. Next move: Ask your current provider whether it offers a Google booking link; if not, price one partner against your current covers. Staying as you are is a valid choice.
- **Do your profile hours, special hours and menu match what a guest would find at the door today? — Yes, all current → Do you take table bookings? — Yes, by phone or email only:** Decide whether to be bookable from AI Mode. AI Mode can recommend you without a booking partner, but it only hands the guest a direct booking link through partners such as OpenTable, ResDiary or SevenRooms. Next move: Ask your current provider whether it offers a Google booking link; if not, price one partner against your current covers. Staying as you are is a valid choice.
- **Do your profile hours, special hours and menu match what a guest would find at the door today? — Yes, all current → Do you take table bookings? — No, walk-in only → Is there a public web page with your menu and hours written as text, not a PDF or photo? — No:** Publish one plain menu page. AI Overviews cite web pages as well as profiles, and a PDF or photo menu gives them little to quote. Next move: Put the menu, prices, hours and a short description on one crawlable page.
- **Do your profile hours, special hours and menu match what a guest would find at the door today? — Yes, all current → Do you take table bookings? — No, walk-in only → Is there a public web page with your menu and hours written as text, not a PDF or photo? — Yes:** Build the review habit. With the facts right, the remaining input you influence is what guests write, which is all an AI review summary reads. Next move: Ask every guest the same way, reply to reviews weekly, and make your signature feature easy to notice.

## What not to do

**Google's business-name guidelines state that including unnecessary information in your business name is not permitted, and breaking the guidelines can lead to suspension.** That rules out the most common piece of AI-era advice, adding "best brunch in Leeds" to your name. Local SEO experts in Whitespark's 2026 Local Search Ranking Factors survey, published in November 2025, rank keywords in the Business Profile name 21st among AI-visibility factors. The same survey lists keyword stuffing in the name as a negative factor, and a suspended profile vanishes from Maps and from the AI Mode answers that lean on it. The name on your sign is the name on your profile.

The review shortcuts are now a legal question as well as a Google one. The CMA's fake-reviews guidance under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 says emailing customers generally to ask for a review "is not prohibited". It allows an incentivised review only if it is disclosed and reflects a genuine experience. Google's own content policy goes further: it bans incentives for reviews outright, and it does not allow merchants to "selectively solicit positive reviews from customers". So no free dessert for a five-star review, and no handing the QR card only to the table that smiled.

Do not opt your website out of AI features without thinking it through. Since 31 August 2026, Google's Search generative AI control lets any website stop its content grounding AI Overviews and AI Mode. That can make sense for a publisher. For a venue it takes your own pages out of AI Overviews and AI Mode, the part of the picture a profile cannot cover. Google describes it as a control for your website's content, and its help page does not mention the Business Profile.

Finally, be wary of paying for "AI visibility" before the basics are done. Uberall, one monitoring vendor, lists its entry plan at £89 a month for tracking 50 prompts, as of 27 October 2026. A tool like that measures what AI answers say about you. It will not correct a single venue's wrong hours.

## Check what Google's AI says about you, once a month

**AI answers change between identical searches: BrightLocal found only 20% to 33% overlap when the same search was repeated, so a monthly check beats a single test.** Even so, a business that appeared once was seen again in about half of later attempts.

**A 15-minute monthly check**

1. **Search like a guest, from your area:** On your phone, ask AI Mode two plain questions a guest might type, such as "dog-friendly pub near [your area] with food on Sunday" and "is [your venue] open on bank holiday Monday". Run each twice.
2. **Write down what is wrong:** Note any wrong hours, missing dishes, closed-down claims or features you do not have. Fix the matching profile field or web page the same day.
3. **Read your review summary:** Look at the AI summary on your Maps listing. If it misses what you are known for, the gap is in what guests write, and no profile field will close it. Google offers a Report summary option in Maps, but documents removals only for editorial summaries describing services you do not offer and for snippets tied to an unrelated place.
4. **Check Google's edits to your profile:** Open Edit profile and look for changes Google has made or suggested. Accept the right ones and reject the wrong ones before they publish.
5. **Look at Maps, not just AI:** Search your main query in Google Maps as well. If you are missing there, that is the bigger problem, and our guide to a missing Maps pin covers the causes.

*Google has not named the UK for Ask Maps. If it appears in Google Maps on your phone, add one Ask Maps question to step 1.*

If the check shows your venue missing from Maps entirely rather than ranking lower, start with our [guide to a Google Maps pin that is not showing](/blog/google-maps-pin-not-showing).

## Where Super44 fits

**Super44 syncs a venue's Google reviews automatically and drafts a reply for the owner to edit and post; analysing reviews and drafting replies are on the free tier, which needs no credit card.** That covers the review side of the monthly check, including spotting the features guests keep mentioning and the ones they never do. With the owner's own Google connection, Super44 can also update regular and special hours, the description and categories, and, on a paid plan, publish replies the owner has approved. It does not track AI answers or guarantee you appear in them, and it never publishes anything without your approval.

## FAQ

### Is Ask Maps available in the UK?

Google has not named the UK in any Ask Maps announcement. It launched in the US and India on 12 March 2026, and Google's 6 August 2026 update lists Australia, Brazil, Canada, Indonesia, Japan and Mexico plus English in over 150 countries and territories, without naming the UK. Check on your own phone before paying anyone to optimise for it.

### Do I need special schema or an AI text file for Google's AI Overviews?

No. Google's own documentation says there is no special schema or AI text file for its AI features. A page has to be indexed and eligible for a search snippet, which in practice means one plain, crawlable web page with your menu and hours as text.

### Can I edit what Google's AI review summary says about my restaurant?

Not directly. Google's developer documentation describes the summaries as "based solely on user reviews", so the owner's own fields do not feed them. Google offers a Report summary option in Maps for clear errors, such as a snippet about an unrelated place, but the lasting fix is more recent reviews that mention the dishes and features you want known.

### Should I put keywords like 'best brunch' in my Google business name to show up in AI answers?

No. Google's business-name guidelines say unnecessary information in the name is not permitted and can lead to suspension. A suspended profile disappears from Maps and from the AI answers that lean on it, so the risk outweighs any gain.

### My cafe is walk-in only. Does the AI Mode booking feature matter to me?

Not much. The UK booking feature sends guests to finish the booking with a reservation partner, so a walk-in cafe, bakery or takeaway has nothing to connect. Your effort goes on accurate hours, a text menu, and reviews that mention what you are known for.

### Is AI search sending fewer customers to restaurants?

The evidence measures visibility, not footfall. BrightLocal found Google Maps mentioned a tracked business in 66% of searches against 32% to 38% for AI surfaces, and friends and family (47%) still beat AI as a UK discovery source. Treat AI as a growing second channel that sits on top of Maps.

## Sources

1. [BrightLocal: Which sources do AI platforms cite for local businesses?](https://www.brightlocal.com/resources/ai-directory-sources/) — Published 26 August 2026. About 1,355 locations in the US, UK and Australia (about 20% restaurants, bars and cafes) across AI Overviews, AI Mode and ChatGPT. Restaurant citations (100,334; Google Business Profile cited at 66 restaurant locations): Google Business Profile 45.20%, Yelp 21.80%, Tripadvisor 7%, OpenTable 6.60%. Google Business Profile: 108,018 of 161,094 third-party AI Overview citations (1,231 locations) and 455,123 of 861,263 AI Mode citations (1,255 locations).
2. [Steady Demand: AI Overviews and AI Mode both cite local businesses, in almost opposite ways](https://www.steadydemand.com/ai-overviews-and-ai-mode-both-cite-local-businesses-in-almost-opposite-ways-ai-optimization-is-different-for-each/) — Ben Fisher, co-founder. Published 22 August 2026, revised 9 September 2026. About 4,000 queries per surface across 50 metro areas and 10 local-service verticals, August 2026; no restaurants in the sample. AI Overviews local citations: 70.7% business website, 3.1% Maps or Business Profile; AI Mode: 79.8% Maps or Business Profile, 12.8% business website.
3. [BrightLocal: Local AI Visibility Study](https://www.brightlocal.com/research/local-ai-visibility-study/) — Published 16 September 2026. Google Maps mentioned a tracked business in 66% of searches against 32% to 38% for AI surfaces; 20% to 33% overlap between repeat searches; business websites were 42% of 1,967,762 citations.
4. [Local Falcon: The Restaurant AI Visibility Index](https://www.localfalcon.com/research/the-restaurant-ai-visibility-index-how-restaurants-appear-in-ai-search) — Dated 12 June 2026. 10,000 US restaurants, data collected May 2026; 74.9% absent from Google AI Overview recommendations against 19.6% absent from Google Maps. Local Falcon sells visibility tracking.
5. [Google UK: Booking restaurants in the UK just got easier with AI in Search](https://blog.google/company-news/inside-google/around-the-globe/google-europe/united-kingdom/ai-mode-restaurants-uk/) — Laurian Clemence, Head of Product Communications, Google UK, 10 April 2026. Shortlist with direct links to book "through partners like TheFork, SevenRooms, ResDiary, Mozrest, Foodhub, Dojo, DesignMyNight and OpenTable."
6. [Google UK: AI Mode in Search, UK launch](https://blog.google/around-the-globe/google-europe/united-kingdom/ai-mode-search-uk/) — AI Mode began rolling out in the UK on 28 July 2025.
7. [Google: New ways to connect to the web with AI Overviews](https://blog.google/products-and-platforms/products/search/new-ways-to-connect-to-the-web-with-ai-overviews/) — 15 August 2024; AI Overviews expanded to six new countries including the UK.
8. [Google: Ask Maps and Immersive Navigation](https://blog.google/products-and-platforms/products/maps/ask-maps-immersive-navigation/) — 12 March 2026; Ask Maps rolling out in the US and India.
9. [Google: Ask Maps gets more helpful with food ordering](https://blog.google/products-and-platforms/products/maps/order-food-in-ask-maps/) — 6 August 2026; expansion to Australia, Brazil, Canada, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico and English in 150+ countries and territories. The UK is not named.
10. [Google: Gemini features for businesses](https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/products/gemini-app/gemini-features-for-businesses/) — 10 June 2026. The Business Profile integration rollout carries the footnote "Excluding the EEA and UK".
11. [Google for Developers: AI-powered review summaries (Places API)](https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/places/web-service/review-summaries) — Last updated 23 October 2026. Summaries are "based solely on user reviews"; English support lists the United Kingdom.
12. [Google for Developers: AI-powered place summaries (Places API)](https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/places/web-service/place-summaries) — Last updated 23 October 2026. English support for India and the United States only.
13. [Google Search Central: AI features and your website](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/ai-features) — Last updated 10 December 2025. No special schema needed; AI Mode and AI Overviews may use different models; checklist item on up-to-date Business Profile information.
14. [Google Search Central: Optimizing for generative AI features on Google Search](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/ai-optimization-guide) — Last updated 10 July 2026. States Merchant Center and Business Profiles can help visibility in AI responses.
15. [Search Console Help: Search generative AI control](https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/16908024?hl=en) — Website-level opt-out from AI Overviews, AI Mode and Discover grounding, rolled out to all websites worldwide as of 31 August 2026.
16. [Google Business Profile Help: Manage your restaurant's popular dish names](https://support.google.com/business/answer/9322475?hl=en) — Owner-added dish names take precedence over customer-added ones.
17. [Google Business Profile Help: About the menu editor](https://support.google.com/business/answer/9455840?hl=en) — Menu items with descriptions and prices; changes can take 24 to 48 hours to show.
18. [Google Business Profile Help: Understand Google updates on your Business Profile](https://support.google.com/business/answer/3480441?hl=en) — Owners have 4 days to accept or reject a suggested update; Google may publish it after that if other public information supports it.
19. [Google Business Profile Help: Understand business summaries on Google Maps](https://support.google.com/business/answer/6088158?hl=en) — Business descriptions, editorial summaries and review snippets; how to report a summary.
20. [Google Business Profile Help: Guidelines for representing your business on Google](https://support.google.com/business/answer/3038177?hl=en-GB) — Business-name rules; unnecessary information in the name is not permitted.
21. [Google Business Profile Help: Edit your Business Profile](https://support.google.com/business/answer/3039617?hl=en) — One primary category plus up to 9 more; 750-character description limit.
22. [Google Business Profile Help: How to set special hours](https://support.google.com/business/answer/6303076?hl=en) — Special hours cover up to 6 days in a row; 7 or more days means marking the business temporarily closed.
23. [Google Business Profile Help: Manage your business attributes](https://support.google.com/business/answer/9049526?hl=en) — Some attributes may be populated based on inputs from customers who visit.
24. [Google Business Profile Help: Manage photos and videos](https://support.google.com/business/answer/6103862?hl=en) — A user-submitted photo may be selected as cover instead of a low-quality owner photo.
25. [Google Business Profile Help: How Google sources and uses info in Business Profiles](https://support.google.com/business/answer/2721884?hl=en) — Profile information is compiled from crawled web content, licensed third-party data, users and owners, and Google's own interactions with a place.
26. [Google Maps User Contributed Content Policy](https://support.google.com/contributionpolicy/answer/7400114?hl=en) — Bans offering incentives such as payment, discounts or free goods in exchange for posting a review, and does not allow merchants to selectively solicit positive reviews.
27. [Whitespark: 2026 Local Search Ranking Factors](https://whitespark.ca/local-search-ranking-factors/) — Survey of 47 local search experts, published 6 November 2025. Keywords in the Business Profile name rank 21st among AI-visibility factors; keyword stuffing in the name is listed as a negative factor.
28. [Uberall: GEO Studio pricing](https://www.uberall.com/en-us/pricing-geo-studio) — GEO Starter shown at £89 a month for 50 prompts; page undated, checked 27 October 2026.
29. [CMA: Fake reviews guidance (CMA208)](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67eeb64fe9c76fa33048c790/CMA208_-_Fake_reviews_guidance.pdf) — Published 4 April 2025 under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024; asking customers generally for reviews is not prohibited; incentivised reviews must be disclosed and reflect a genuine experience; cherry-picking positive reviews, including by encouraging only satisfied customers, may infringe the law.
30. [Restaurant Online: Almost one in five consumers use AI to plan pub, bar and restaurant visits](https://www.restaurantonline.co.uk/Article/2026/10/08/almost-one-in-five-consumers-use-ai-to-plan-pub-bar-and-restaurant-visits/) — Samira Gover, 8 October 2026, reporting the Zonal GO Technology report with NIQ (5,000+ British consumers). Quotes Karl Chessell, NIQ.
31. [Morning Advertiser: One in five consumers use AI to plan hospitality visits](https://www.morningadvertiser.co.uk/Article/2026/10/08/one-in-five-consumers-use-ai-to-plan-hospitality-visits/) — Phoebe Fraser, 8 October 2026; same Zonal and NIQ report; friends and family 47%, online reviews 32%, venue websites 25%.
32. [Women in Tech SEO: All things Local SEO, AMA with Claire Carlile](https://www.womenintechseo.com/knowledge/all-things-local-seo/) — Claire Carlile, Local Visibility Expert at Whitespark; page last updated 14 November 2025.
33. [The Caterer: Explainer, Google's new AI search restaurant reservations](https://www.thecaterer.com/indepth/explainer-google-new-ai-search-restaurant-reservations) — Jungmin Seo, 13 April 2026. Advises integrating with a Reserve with Google partner for real-time availability; reports the feature is not opt-in and any UK venue with a Business Profile could be a potential match.