5 Tips to Get Your Restaurant in the Google 3-Pack

Google for Restaurants May 5, 2025

When someone searches for “brunch near me” or “best tacos in Boston,” what shows up first?

Not websites. Not social media profiles. Not even Yelp.

It’s that map at the top of the results page, with three local restaurants listed underneath. That’s the Google 3-pack, and if you’re not in it, you’re missing out on a big opportunity for local traffic and new customers.

For restaurant operators, the Google 3-pack is a highly visible placement that significantly impacts customer decisions regarding dining or ordering options. It is so important to try to optimize your Google listing to show up in those top 3 search results.

So let’s break it down. What is the Google 3-pack, how does it work, and what can you do to help your restaurant show up there?

What Is the Google 3-Pack?

The Google 3-pack (also called the "local pack") is the top section of local search results. It shows:

A map with pins for nearby businesses
Three top-ranking local listings
Key details like business name, reviews, hours, and sometimes even menu items or photos

Here’s the key: the 3-pack pulls information from your Google Business Profile, not your website. So if your profile is incomplete, inconsistent, or outdated, you’re going to struggle to show up.

Even worse? If your hours are wrong, menus are missing, or your photos haven’t been updated since 2019, potential guests might just scroll past you—even if you made the cut.

How Does Google Choose Which Restaurants Appear in the 3-Pack?

Google doesn’t handpick winners. Instead, it uses a mix of signals to rank local businesses. These include:

Relevance: How well your business matches the searcher’s intent
Distance: How close you are to the searcher’s location
Prominence: How well-known and trusted your business appears online (reviews, photos, mentions, etc.)

Unfortunately, you can’t move your restaurant closer to the searcher, but you can influence relevance and prominence with a few smart SEO moves.

Let’s get into them.

5 Ways to Land Your Restaurant in the Google 3-Pack

1. Keep Your Listings Consistent Across the Web

Google wants to show reliable information. If your business name, address, hours, or phone number vary across platforms (like Yelp, Facebook, OpenTable, or Apple Maps), it sends a red flag.

Inconsistencies confuse search engines—and your guests. And confusion kills trust, which can knock you right out of the 3-pack.

Pro tip: Use a listings management tool (like Marqii) to make sure your details are synced across all sites. Update once, and you’re done.

You know that your restaurant has the best vegan meatballs or seasonal cocktail menu in town—but does Google?

Menus are one of the most important ranking factors for restaurant listings in 2025. When diners search for specific dishes like “gluten-free pizza” or “bottomless mimosa brunch”, Google scans your menu to decide if you’re a good match.

Here’s the catch: your menu needs to be both present and up-to-date across all your listings, not just on your website.

Quick Plug: Marqii connects directly to your POS, then pushes updates to platforms like Google, Yelp, Bing, and TripAdvisor. That means no more outdated holiday menus floating around online.

3. Manage Your Reviews Strategically

Think of your reviews as modern-day word-of-mouth marketing. Google treats them as a sign of how much your community values you, and your guests rely on them heavily when deciding where to eat.

Here’s what matters most for 3-pack visibility:

Volume: More reviews = more trust
Quality: Higher ratings = higher ranking potential
Recency: Consistent new reviews show you're active and relevant
Responses: Google favors businesses that reply to reviews, both negative and positive

Did you know that 45% of consumers are more likely to support a business that responds to negative reviews? And restaurants that respond regularly see a 30% bump in their average star rating. That’s a big impact.

Whether you write responses yourself, use AI-suggested responses, or outsource to a managed service, the key is consistency. (Good news: Marqii can help with all three.)

4. Add High-Quality, On-Brand Photos

Photos are often the first impression people get of your restaurant. If your listing is missing images—or filled with blurry, dark, or off-brand shots—people (and Google) will assume you're not really paying attention.

The ideal photo lineup includes:

Food shots (mouthwatering is non-negotiable)
Interior and exterior of the restaurant
Menu boards or specials
Team members in action
Events or seasonal decor

Pro tip: Listings with recent, high-quality photos see more clicks, more calls, and more table bookings. So don’t be shy about uploading new images regularly.

5. Optimize Every Corner of Your Google Business Profile

The 3-pack is powered by your Google Business Profile. So, if you haven’t claimed and completed it, start there.

Once you’re in, here’s what to focus on:

Business categories (Be specific! “Seafood Restaurant,” not just “Restaurant.”)
Description (Include relevant keywords—think dishes, atmosphere, service style.)
Hours, including holidays
Links to online ordering, reservations, and your menu
Services (Takeout? Delivery? Outdoor dining?)
Questions & Answers (Don’t leave guests hanging—add answers to FAQs!)

Need an in-depth rundown on how to optimize your Google listings? We got you covered.

With Marqii, you can manage your Google Business Profile and other listings from one place—no more jumping from tab to tab.

Bonus Tip: Be Patient, But Persistent

Local SEO isn’t a one-and-done game. Getting into the Google 3-pack takes time, consistency, and regular updates.

But the payoff? Worth it.

The visibility alone can drive massive increases in clicks, calls, and visits. And when you combine it with review management, menu optimization, and smart local content, you’re building a foundation that keeps working for you 24/7.

Marqii Makes the Google 3-Pack Easier

If you’re reading this thinking, “This all sounds great, but who has time for it?”—you’re not alone.

That’s why Marqii exists. We help restaurant operators stay visible, accurate, and up-to-date across the entire internet, without the weekly chaos of logging into 20 different platforms.

With Marqii, you can: