To get your restaurant recommended by ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude or Meta AI, do four things: make your name, address, phone and hours match everywhere, put your menu and your answers on your website as plain text, collect reviews that describe the experience, and get mentioned by local sites. Each assistant leans on slightly different sources, but they reward the same work.
This guide walks through that work step by step, how to check where you stand in five minutes, and what to expect. No one can promise you a spot in an AI answer. These steps make you easier to recommend.
Which AI assistants are your diners asking?
Diners now ask AI the way they used to ask a friend: "somewhere quiet for a work dinner," "best tacos near the office," "gluten-free brunch with outdoor seating." The assistants they use include:
- ChatGPT, the one most people have heard of.
- Gemini, Google's assistant, closely tied to Google Maps and your Google listing.
- Perplexity, which shows the sources behind each answer.
- Claude, Anthropic's assistant, which can search the web to answer.
- Meta AI, Meta's assistant, now running on its Muse Spark model. Meta has said it plans to bring it to Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, where many of your customers already spend their time.
BrightLocal's 2026 survey found that about 45% of U.S. consumers had used an AI tool to find a local business in the past year. Nobody publishes which assistant sends the most diners to restaurants, so don't bet on just one. The steps below help with all of them.
How to get your restaurant recommended: six steps
- Test yourself first. Open each assistant and ask what a diner would ask, like "best [your cuisine] in [your town]" or "good spot for a group of eight near [your neighborhood]." Write down whether you show up and who does. That list is your starting point, and your competitors' names tell you what the assistants like.
- Make your facts match everywhere. Your name, address, phone number and hours should be identical on your website, your Google listing, Yelp, your delivery apps and your Facebook page. Assistants cross-check these. A mismatch makes them less sure about you.
- Put your menu in text. A menu that is only a PDF or a photo can't be read by an AI. Put dishes, prices and dietary notes on a web page as real text.
- Answer the questions diners ask. Add a short FAQ using the words guests actually say: do you take walk-ins, is there parking, what's gluten-free, how big a group can you seat. Put a plain answer of a sentence or two right under each question.
- Ask for reviews that say something. "Great place!" tells an AI nothing. "We brought our parents for my dad's birthday and the lamb was perfect" tells it what you're good for. Ask happy guests to mention what they ordered and who they came with, and reply to reviews so your page looks active.
- Get mentioned by others. Local food blogs, neighborhood roundups, community pages and delivery platforms all count. Assistants trust what other people say about you more than what you say about yourself, so complete your profiles on every platform you're listed on.
How to get found on Perplexity
Perplexity shows the sources next to every answer, which makes it the easiest assistant to learn from. Ask it "best [your cuisine] in [your town]," then look at the sites it cites. Those are the places it trusts for your area. Check that your restaurant is listed on them, with the right hours, address and a real description.
Perplexity also favors fresh, well-regarded pages, so keep your own site current: today's hours, this season's menu, and any holiday changes. If Perplexity gets a fact about you wrong, the fix is usually a listing or page somewhere that still has the old fact.
What to do for ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Meta AI
ChatGPT
ChatGPT draws on web results and business listings, so a complete, consistent listing and a clear website do the most. Reviews that describe the food and the occasion give it something to quote.
Gemini
Gemini is built by Google, so your Google listing (the box that shows up on Maps) is the big one: hours, photos, menu link, recent posts and replies to reviews. Keep it complete and current.
Claude
Claude can search the web to answer, so the basics apply: a readable website, matching facts and mentions from sources it can find. There is no separate trick for Claude.
Meta AI
Meta AI sits inside Meta's apps, so make sure your Facebook page and Instagram profile are complete and match your hours, address and menu link. It's a sensible thing to do for your Facebook and Instagram followers anyway.
What the numbers say, and what they don't
Uberall's 2026 benchmark of fast-food chains found that about 83% of restaurant locations were absent from AI recommendations in ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Copilot and Google AI Overviews, and that AI answers typically name only three to five places.
That study looked at fast-food chains, not independent restaurants, so we can't say the same share applies to you. But the lesson holds: an AI answer is short, so there are only a few seats, and the places that are clear, consistent and well reviewed get them.
What to expect, honestly
Nobody can guarantee a recommendation, and AI answers change from one day to the next. Fixing mismatched hours and getting your menu into text can help within weeks. Reviews and local mentions take longer. The best habit is to ask the same question once a month and note what changed.
If you'd rather not do this by hand, Kora does it for you. Message Kora and it keeps your listings matching, your menu readable and your reviews answered, and real people on our team check the AI's work. You can read more in how restaurant owners run their online presence in 15 minutes a week or our guide to getting found by AI for any local business.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get my restaurant recommended by ChatGPT?
Make your facts match everywhere (name, address, phone and hours), put your menu and common answers on your website as plain text, collect reviews that describe what people ordered and who they came with, and get mentioned by local sites. ChatGPT pulls from web results and business listings, so a complete, consistent listing helps most. No one can promise a spot, but these steps make you easier to recommend.
How do I get found on Perplexity?
Perplexity shows its sources next to every answer and favors fresh, well-regarded pages. Ask it the question a diner would ask, see which sites it cites, and make sure your restaurant is listed and described on those sites. Keep your own website current, with your menu and hours in plain text.
Do Gemini, Claude and Meta AI recommend restaurants too?
Yes. People ask all of them where to eat. Gemini is tied to Google, so your Google listing matters most there. Claude and ChatGPT lean on web results. Meta AI, which runs on Meta’s Muse Spark model, lives inside Meta’s apps, so a complete Facebook page and Instagram profile are worth getting right. The core work is the same for every assistant.
Do I need a different plan for each AI assistant?
No. Each assistant leans on slightly different sources, but they all reward the same things: matching facts, readable text, detailed reviews and local mentions. Do those well and you improve your chances on all of them.
How long does it take to show up?
It varies. Fixing mismatched hours and putting your menu into text can help within weeks, while building reviews and local mentions takes longer. Check by asking the assistants the same question once a month and noting what changes.
Want to see where your restaurant stands? Kora's free scan checks how you show up on Google, ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity in about a minute, with no signup. Check your AI visibility.