Google Ads for Restaurants: Search, Maps and Store Goals
People decide where to eat on their phones: a search for a cuisine, a dish or "near me", a look at the map, a tap to call or get directions. Google Ads can put a restaurant, café or takeaway in those moments. This guide covers what Google offers a restaurant (Search ads, Smart campaigns, Performance Max for store goals and Maps ads), how they tie into your Business Profile and online ordering, how to measure visits and orders, and when delivery-app ads are the better first step.
The facts here come from Google's own help pages: Google Ads Help About Performance Max for store goals, About location assets, About advertising in Google Maps, How Smart campaigns work, Compare Smart campaigns with other Google Ads campaign types, Target ads to geographic locations and About store visit conversions, and Google Business Profile Help Manage online ordering options. Where we give an opinion, we say so. Google does not publish a standard cost per click or per visit for restaurants, and we do not quote one.
The short answer
Start with a complete, verified Google Business Profile, because most restaurant ad formats on Google draw your address, hours and map pin from it. Then pick one campaign: Search if you want to choose the exact searches you pay for, Performance Max for store goals if you mainly want people to visit, or a Smart campaign if you want the simplest setup. Google Maps ads come from these campaigns, not a campaign of their own. For every campaign type, see Google Ads campaign types.
Search ads for "near me" and cuisine searches
Restaurant searches tend to fall into a few groups, and in our experience each works best as its own ad group with its own ads: cuisine or dish searches (sushi, vegan brunch, wood-fired pizza), "near me" and open-now searches, area searches (Italian restaurant plus a neighbourhood) and occasion searches (private dining, catering).
Location targeting decides who sees the ads. Google notes that "the location mentioned in the user's query is considered first and if there's no mention of a location in the query, the user's location of presence is taken into account." Google recommends broad targeting ("Presence or Interest") "as a best practice on Search", but for a restaurant that depends on people nearby we usually prefer Presence and a small radius; see location targeting.
Check the search terms report for recipes and job searches, and use an ad schedule so ads for "open now" searches do not run while the kitchen is closed.
Location assets and Google Maps ads
Location assets add your address to ads. Google says they can show "the store address, a map to the store location, or the approximate travel distance". On mobile, Google says a clickable "Call" button may show in place of your phone number. Setup is in our location assets guide.
Location assets are also the way into Google Maps. Google says having active, approved location assets "is the primary requirement to be eligible for Google Maps ad formats". There are four formats: Promoted pins (square pins on the map), Map search ads at the top of Maps results, Map suggest ads in the search autocomplete, and Placesheet ads on business details pages. Google also notes: "Currently, you can't serve ads exclusively in Google Maps." Drivers may also see a pin on Waze.
Performance Max for store goals
This is Google's campaign for getting people through the door. You link your Business Profile (or choose affiliate locations), add text, images and a budget, and Google's AI decides bids, placements and which assets to combine. Google says the campaign "aims to maximize your in-store value and conversions (using store visits, store sales, and local actions such as call clicks, or direction clicks)".
Ads can appear on Search, Maps, Waze, YouTube, Gmail and Business Profiles. If you do not set a radius, Google sets one, which "will depend on the targeted locations and a user's preference of travel distance to them."
For restaurants, the useful extra is promotion assets: Google says that in Maps "users can view, save, and share a local promotion with friends and family for redemption in-store and/or online." A lunch deal or a set menu fits this well; see promotion assets and, for the campaign type in general, Performance Max.
Smart campaigns
Smart campaigns ask for one ad, a few keyword themes and a budget. Google says your ad "will automatically show to potential customers across Google Search, Google Maps, YouTube, Google partner websites, and the Google Display Network." Google AI also adds assets such as sitelinks, callouts, location and call, with "No opt-in required."
The trade-off is control. Smart campaigns use keyword themes instead of keywords you edit one by one, and a simpler report than the search term level detail Search campaigns give you. Note also that "You can only create Smart Campaigns in Smart Mode." Our Smart campaigns guide covers the setup.
Your Business Profile and online ordering
Every option above leans on your Google Business Profile: the address, hours, phone number and photos people see in the ad come from it, and Maps ads need it linked. Our guide to menus and booking links covers the profile side; products covers featured dishes.
Food ordering is managed on the profile too. Google says you can "Add and manage third-party providers and custom ordering links" and "Set your preferred online order provider." Delivery apps are added automatically: "Third-party providers who state they have authorized relationships with your business are automatically listed on your profile." You can hide a provider for pickup, delivery or both, and add a link to your own ordering page. If you take orders on your own site, you can mark that link as preferred for pickup, delivery or both.
Measuring visits, calls and orders
Most restaurant results happen offline, so count the actions you can see: calls from ads, direction clicks, booking clicks and online orders on your own site through conversion tracking.
Google can also report store visits. It says store visits "use anonymous, aggregated statistics which are then extrapolated to represent the broader population of your customers." Not every account qualifies: your ads must have "enough ad clicks or impressions", your business must have "enough foot traffic", and Google adds that "The more locations you have, the higher the likelihood your account will have enough data to be eligible for store visits." A single small restaurant may never see the column, so do not wait for it.
Delivery-app ads as an alternative
If most of your orders come through delivery apps, their own ads may be a better first test than Google Ads, because they reach people who are already ordering and the app handles payment and delivery. See DoorDash ads and Uber ads. Google Ads makes more sense for dine-in, bookings, catering and orders on your own site, where you keep the customer relationship. You can test both with a small budget each.
Where to start (our view)
This section is our opinion, not a rule from Google.
- Fix the profile first. Hours, photos, menu, booking and ordering links, with your own ordering link set as preferred.
- Pick one campaign. Search for control over the searches you pay for; Performance Max for store goals if visits are the goal; Smart if you want the least work.
- Judge it on bookings and orders, not clicks, after at least a few weeks.
Thinking about social ads instead? See Google Ads vs Facebook ads. We set up and run Google Ads for local businesses through our marketing services.
Frequently asked questions
Do Google Ads work for restaurants?
They can, because many diners search Google or Google Maps when choosing where to eat. Results depend on your area, your profile, your hours and how easy it is to book or order. Judge a campaign on calls, direction clicks, bookings and orders, not clicks.
Can a restaurant advertise only on Google Maps?
No. Google says you can't serve ads exclusively in Google Maps. Maps ads come from campaigns such as Search, Performance Max for store goals or Smart campaigns once location assets from your Business Profile are linked.
How do I add an Order online link to Google?
In your Business Profile, open Food ordering. Delivery apps that work with you can appear automatically, and you can add a link to your own ordering page, set a preferred provider for pickup or delivery, or hide a provider.
How much do Google Ads cost for a restaurant?
There is no set price. Clicks are priced in an auction and you set the budget. Google does not publish a restaurant average, so start with a small test budget in your own area and measure cost per booking or order.