Before you pay anyone, you can check for yourself how a customer sees your restaurant on Google. Open Google Maps on your phone, without signing in to the business account, and search like a hungry customer would: by your name and by your type of food (for example, “pupusas near me”).
1. Hours (2 minutes)
- Do today’s hours match reality? Check Sundays and Mondays in particular.
- Are special holiday hours set? If not, Google may show “open” when you are closed, or the other way around. Our free holiday dates calendar reminds you in advance.
- Do they match your website, Instagram and delivery apps? When every place says something different, customers hesitate.
2. Basic details (2 minutes)
- Phone: call from another phone. Does someone answer, or a full voicemail?
- Address and pin: does the pin land on your door, or on the parking lot next door?
- Primary category: it should describe what you sell most (for example, “Salvadoran restaurant” rather than just “Restaurant”).
3. Photos (2 minutes)
- Do the first photos show your current dishes, storefront and dining room?
- Are there blurry, old or wrong photos? Upload recent photos of your own; a phone and good daylight are enough. See our phone food photo guide.
4. Menu and ordering (2 minutes)
- Tap “Menu”. Does it open on a phone without zooming? A huge PDF or a broken link makes people leave.
- Are prices shown? Not required, but they help people decide.
- If you offer takeout or delivery, does the order button go to the right system and work?
5. Reviews (2 minutes)
- When did you last reply to a review? Replying, including to criticism, shows someone is paying attention.
- Does the same complaint keep coming up (wait time, hours, a recipe)? That is free feedback.
What to do with what you find
Don’t try to fix everything at once. Start with whatever stops a customer from reaching you: wrong hours, a phone nobody answers, a menu that won’t open. Then photos and reviews.
Want a quick score? Try our free Google listing score. Or ask for LocalDual’s free review: 5 observations like these and your number one priority, with no passwords required.
What would we see in your restaurant?
The free review uses only public information and gives you 5 observations and your number one priority. No passwords, no commitment.
Get my free review →