Chapter 9: Your next guest can’t find you or book you.

The leak

Before anyone walks in, they’ve already looked you up. They check your Google listing, your photos, your reviews, your menu and whether they can book in a few taps. If the hours are wrong, the menu is a blurry PDF or the booking button is buried, they don’t call to ask. They pick the next place on the map.

Google is open about what helps. Businesses with complete and accurate information are more likely to show up in local results, and more reviews and positive ratings can help your local ranking (Google).

Your score out of 100

Do it on your phone, the way guests do. The Find & Book Score asks about four parts of the path from a search to a table. Each check is worth points according to how much it affects whether a guest finds you and books; the points are shown in the tool, so you can see exactly how your score is built. Answer “not sure” and it becomes something to check, never a guess.

Found on Google

• Your Google Business Profile is verified and you can log in to it.
• Hours are correct, including holiday hours.
• The main category is specific (“Italian restaurant,” not just “Restaurant”).
• Details are filled in: reservations, outdoor seating, accessibility, dietary options.
• A description says what you serve and what you’re good for.

Chosen over the next place

• Recent photos show the food, the room and the front door.
• Every review from the last 90 days has a reply.
• You ask every guest for an honest review.
• Your current menu opens from your listing.

Booked in a few taps

• A working booking button on Google, or clear instructions if you take walk-ins or phone bookings.
• The tap test: count the taps from searching your name to picking a time. Four or fewer is easy; five or six is fine; seven or more is a lot.
• On your website, on a phone: the booking button is visible without scrolling, the menu is text on the page (not a PDF), and hours, address and phone match Google exactly.
• It answers what people call about (Chapter 5), has a private dining page (Chapter 8) and a way to join your guest list (Chapter 7).

Right everywhere else

• Your name, address, phone and hours are the same on Instagram, Yelp, Apple Maps, your reservation platform and delivery apps.
• Ask an AI assistant “What are [your restaurant]’s hours, and does it take reservations?” The answer is correct. If it isn’t, find the outdated listing it’s repeating and fix it.

Your score: 85 and up, easy to find and easy to book. 65–84, found, but losing people on the way to a table. 40–64, hard to choose and hard to book. Under 40, guests who want to come will struggle to get there. The good news: the biggest fixes are free, and most take under an hour.

The review routine (5 minutes a week)

Google says replying shows you value feedback, and helpful replies can help you stand out (Google).

1. Once a week, open your reviews and paste every new one into Prompt 2.
2. Read every reply before posting. Change anything that doesn’t sound like you.
3. Negative reviews: thank, own what’s true, don’t argue, offer to continue privately. Never mention a guest’s order, bill or anything personal in public.
4. Ask every guest for an honest review, with your review link on every check card and in every thank-you email. Don’t pick only the guests who seem happy, and don’t steer unhappy ones to a private form instead; Google’s rules don’t allow selectively asking for positive reviews. Never offer anything in return; Google’s rules don’t allow incentives for reviews.

The fix

1. Score yourself with the Find & Book Score, above.
2. Fix the free, five-minute items first: hours, category, links, details. Your fix list is already in that order.
3. Take 10 new photos in good light: three dishes, the room full, the bar, the front door, the team.
4. Rewrite your Google description with Prompt 3.
5. Get a second opinion on your website. Take phone screenshots of your homepage, menu and booking page and paste them into Prompt 1.
6. Start the weekly review routine.
7. Re-score in 30 days. The tool keeps your last scores on this device so you can see the change.

The prompts

Three decisions this week