Restaurant queries are overwhelmingly local and time-sensitive: "open now near me," "vegan options," "does X take reservations," "kids menu." These answers depend on data that changes often, so freshness is decisive. LocalBusiness (or Restaurant) schema, Menu schema, and FAQ schema matter most, because they expose hours, cuisine, price range, address, and menu items in a form engines trust and repeat verbatim.
The trust and authority angle here leans on review consistency and matching data across your site, Google Business Profile, and directories. Conflicting hours or addresses make engines discount you. The most common AEO pitfall for restaurants is stale or image-only menus and outdated hours, especially around holidays, so the assistant either skips you or quotes wrong information that costs you covers.
See the AEO guide and GEO guide, and prioritize FAQ schema for AEO. Run SEO AEO Specialist's free audit of up to 50 pages (EUR0) to see your gaps.
FAQ
How do I get my restaurant's menu into AI answers?
Publish the menu as real text with Menu schema rather than a photo or PDF, and label items with dietary tags. Engines can only cite what they can parse, so a structured, current menu is what surfaces when someone asks about vegan or gluten-free options.
Why does AI give wrong hours for my restaurant?
Because your hours conflict across your website, Google profile, and directories, or your holiday hours were never updated. Engines pick whichever source they trust and may quote stale data. Keep LocalBusiness schema current everywhere; SEO AEO Specialist flags the mismatches so you fix them at the source.
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