Short answer
Most first-time guests look a restaurant up before they go. They check whether you're open, what's on the menu and what it costs, what the food and room look like, what other guests say, and how to get there or order. Accurate listings, a text menu with prices, current photos and answered reviews cover nearly all of it.
Key takeaways
- Wrong hours do the most damage: they send a guest to a locked door and they rarely give you a second chance.
- Post your menu as text with prices, not only as a PDF or a photo of the printed menu.
- Current photos of real dishes and the room set expectations better than any description.
- Reply to reviews; future guests read your replies as closely as the reviews.
- Check your listings the way a guest would: on a phone, from your neighborhood, at dinnertime.
The phrase "89 percent of consumers research online before selecting a restaurant" has been passed around the industry for years. We can't trace that exact number to a current, verifiable study, so we won't lean on it. You don't need the statistic to see the behavior, though. Watch a group of friends decide where to eat tonight and someone will pull out a phone, type a cuisine and a neighborhood, and start scrolling. By the time they walk in, they've already formed an opinion.
That makes your online presence the first part of the guest experience. Here is what people check, roughly in the order they check it, and what to do about each one.
What do diners look at first when they look up a restaurant?
They look at whether you're open, and whether you're close.
The first screen most guests see is a map or search listing showing your name, rating, distance and whether you're open now. Before they read a single review, they rule out places that are closed or too far away.
That's why wrong hours are the most damaging mistake in restaurant marketing. A guest who drives to a closed door because your listing said "open" doesn't just leave; they often don't come back, and some will say so in a review. Update hours on every listing when they change, and set holiday hours a few weeks ahead. Most listing platforms, including Google Business Profile, let you set special hours for specific dates.
Check your address pin, too. If the pin sits in the wrong spot or the entrance is around the corner, say so in the listing description.
Why does the online menu matter so much?
Because the menu answers two questions at once: will I like the food, and can I afford it?
Guests open the menu to see whether there's something for everyone in the group, whether there are vegetarian or gluten-free options, and what it costs. If they can't find the menu, or it's a blurry photo of a printed page from three years ago, many move on to the next restaurant in the list.
Put your menu on your own website as text, with prices. Text loads quickly on a phone, can be read by screen readers, and can be read by search engines, which helps people find you when they search for a dish. Then make sure the menu link on your map listings points to that page. When you change prices or dishes, update the online menu the same day.
What role do photos play in a diner's decision?
Photos set expectations for the food, the room and the price level before anyone reads a word.
People look at photos to judge portion size, presentation, how dressed-up the room is, and whether it's a place for a date, a family dinner or a quick lunch. Photos posted by guests carry weight because they look unfiltered, but your own photos can fill the gaps.
Shoot your best-selling dishes in daylight, one plate per photo, without heavy editing. Add the dining room at a normal time of day, the bar, the patio if you have one, and the front door so a first-timer knows what to look for. Remove photos of dishes that are gone. If a photo shows a dish that looks nothing like what goes out of your kitchen today, the guest who orders it will be disappointed.
How much do reviews influence where people eat?
Reviews matter, and so do your replies to them.
Guests skim the overall rating, then read a handful of recent reviews to see what people praise and what they complain about. A single bad review rarely decides anything. A pattern does: three people in a month mentioning slow service or a cold dining room tells a reader something real.
Replies are where you can influence the outcome. A short, calm reply to a complaint ("Thanks for telling us. We've changed how we stage to-go orders so they don't sit under the heat lamp. I'd like to make it right; email me at...") shows future guests that someone is paying attention. Thank positive reviewers by name and mention something specific they said.
Never buy reviews, offer discounts in exchange for positive ones, or post reviews about your own restaurant. These practices break platform rules, can violate consumer protection law, and tend to get discovered.
What else do guests check before they go?
They check how to get there, how to book or order, and whether you can handle their particular need.
Parking, transit, reservations, waitlists, online ordering, delivery areas, accessibility, high chairs, private rooms, allergy handling: different guests need different answers. Put the common ones on your website, in a short "visit" or "FAQ" section, and in your listing's attributes where the platform offers them. If you take reservations or online orders, test the process yourself on a phone once a month.
Some guests also check social media to see whether a place is active, what's new, and how it talks to people. You don't need to be on every platform. Pick one or two, post real photos regularly, and answer people who mention you. Our guide to using X for a restaurant covers one of them.
How can I see my restaurant the way a new guest does?
Search for yourself on a phone, from your own neighborhood, at the time people decide where to eat.
Once a month, stand on the sidewalk outside at 5:30 p.m. and search for your cuisine plus "near me." Note where you appear, what your listing shows, and how long it takes to find the menu, the hours and a way to book. Then do the same for two competitors. Write down three things they do better and fix one of them this week.
Ask a friend who has never eaten with you to do the same and tell you, honestly, whether they'd come in. It's the closest thing to a free mystery shopper you'll find.
Where should I start if all of this feels like too much?
Start with hours, menu and photos, in that order.
Those three take an afternoon to fix and handle most of what first-time guests look for. Then add reviews to your weekly routine. The six-week restaurant marketing track breaks the whole job into weekly steps, and the free weekly marketing plan keeps it going after that.
Frequently asked questions
Is it true that 89 percent of consumers research restaurants online?
Surveys over the years have reported that a large majority of diners look restaurants up before visiting, but the exact percentage depends on who was surveyed, when and how. We don't repeat a specific figure as current fact. The practical point holds either way, since most first-time guests will see your online information before they see your front door.
Which matters more, my website or my Google listing?
For first-time guests, your map and search listings are often seen first, because they appear right in the search results. Your website is the place you fully control and the best home for your full menu. Keep both accurate and link one to the other.
How many photos should a restaurant have online?
Enough to show your main dishes, the dining room, the bar if you have one, and the entrance. Ten to twenty current photos is a good starting set. Replace photos of dishes you no longer serve.
Should I post menu prices online?
Yes. Guests use prices to decide whether you fit the occasion and budget. A menu without prices often makes people assume you're more expensive than you are, or they simply pick a place that shows them.
How fast should I reply to a negative review?
Within a few days is reasonable. Reply calmly, thank the guest, acknowledge the specific problem, say what you're doing about it, and offer a direct way to follow up.