Dec 18, 2025
Google's 2025 search trends reveal 3 changes in how diners find restaurants. Get a checklist to fix your online presence
Google just released its 2025 search trends report. Buried in the data are three changes that directly affect how people find restaurants. If you're running an independent restaurant, here's what matters and what to do about it.
Search is more conversational. Instead of typing "pizza restaurant," people now type full questions like "where can I find the best pepperoni pizza with outdoor seating near me?"
Google's data shows that over 60% of restaurant searches now include these specific details. People aren't just looking for food. They're looking for specific experiences.
What this means: Your Google Business Profile needs to answer the real questions people ask. Don't just say "Italian restaurant." Say "family-owned Italian restaurant with gluten-free options, covered patio, and large tables for groups."
What to do: Update your Google Business Profile description (it takes 15 min). Think about how your regulars describe you to their friends. Use those exact words as your keywords.
That's a seriously big number of "food near me open now" searches.
Meanwhile, "food near me" searches grew 99%. People want food nearby, and they want it right now. Research shows that 76% of people who search for something nearby on their phone visit that business within 24 hours.
What this means: When someone searches "open now," they've already decided to eat out. They're ready to spend money. If your hours are wrong online, you lose that customer. Worse, they might drive to your restaurant, find you closed, and never come back.
What to do: Check your hours on Google, Yelp, Facebook, and your website (takes 10 min). Add your holiday hours for the next three months.
Google Lens now gets over 25 billion searches per month. People take pictures of food they see on social media and search for where to get it. 1 in 5 of these searches leads to someone wanting to buy.
Here's a real example: searches for "hot honey pizza" are up 232% this year. When people search for that, Google shows them photos from restaurants. The restaurants with great photos get the clicks. The restaurants without photos don't show up.
What this means: Good photos of your food are now just as important as having a good menu. Stock photos don't work. Your customers can tell the difference.
What to do: Get 20-30 professional photos of your best dishes, your dining room, and your team. Upload them to your Google Business Profile. Update them every few months with seasonal items.
If you can't afford a professional photographer, use your phone with good natural light. Just make sure the food looks appetizing.
So how does this affect your bottom line?
Your competitors are either doing this already, or they're losing customers to restaurants that are. The good news? This doesn't cost money. It costs time. About 30 minutes per month once you set it up.
Here's everything you need to do, in order:
The restaurants that do these six things consistently show up first in Google searches. The restaurants that don't are invisible to the 98% of diners who start their search online.
If you're reading this and thinking, "I don't even know what my online presence looks like," we built a free tool to help.
Peppr Grow is our digital marketing platform for independent restaurants. Our free website analyzer scans your entire online presence and tells you exactly what needs fixing in less than 2 minutes.
Try the free analyzer here. No signup or credit card needed.
Google's 2025 trends show that people are searching differently than they did even a year ago. They use full sentences. They search with their cameras. They expect instant answers about what's open right now.
The restaurants showing up in these searches aren't spending more on marketing. They're just making sure their basic information is accurate and their photos look good. That's it.
Start with the six items on the checklist this week. Then check your Google Insights in 30 days. You'll see more people finding you, calling you, and getting directions to your restaurant.
Small changes online = more customers and sales
.avif){kind=logo}
