How to Get More Customers as a Restaurant in Australia

Introduction

Most restaurant owners in Australia still rely on word of mouth to fill tables. And fair enough — it worked brilliantly 10 years ago. A loyal regular tells a mate, that mate tells their partner, and suddenly you've got a packed Friday night without spending a cent on advertising.

But the game has changed. In 2026, 97% of customers search online before choosing a local business. That includes restaurants. They're Googling "best Thai near me," scrolling through reviews, checking your menu on their phone while standing on the footpath outside your competitor's place.

If you're not showing up in those searches — in Google Maps, in organic results, and increasingly in AI-powered tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity — you're invisible to the majority of potential diners in your area.

The good news? Learning how to get more customers as a restaurant in Australia doesn't require a marketing degree or a massive budget. It requires a system. One that puts your restaurant in front of hungry locals at the exact moment they're deciding where to eat.

This guide walks you through that system, step by step. We've used it to help restaurants across Australia increase their bookings, phone calls, and walk-ins — and we'll show you exactly how to do it yourself.

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TL;DR

• This is a step-by-step guide to getting more customers as a restaurant in Australia
• Covers Google Maps optimisation, reviews, website SEO, content marketing, and AI search
• Average restaurant cover value sits between $30 and $100, so even a handful of extra customers per week adds up fast
• You can do most of this yourself, or hand it off to a team like ours

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Step 1: Claim and Optimise Your Google Business Profile

Your Google Business Profile (GBP) is the single most powerful free marketing tool available to any restaurant in Australia. When someone searches "Italian restaurant Parramatta" or "best sushi near me," the first thing they see is the Google Maps pack — that cluster of three businesses with star ratings, photos, and a click-to-call button.

If you're not in that pack, you're losing customers to the restaurants that are. Full stop.

Here's how to set it up properly:

1. Claim your listing. Go to business.google.com and either claim your existing listing or create a new one. Google will verify you, usually by postcard or phone call.

2. Complete every single field. Business name (exact legal name — no keyword stuffing), address, phone number, website URL, hours of operation, cuisine type, price range, accessibility features, payment methods. Google rewards completeness.

3. Write a compelling business description. You get 750 characters. Use them. Mention your cuisine, your suburb, what makes you different. "Family-owned Vietnamese restaurant in Footscray serving authentic pho and bún since 2011" tells Google and customers exactly what you offer.

4. Upload high-quality photos. Minimum 10. Include your exterior (so people can find you), interior, signature dishes, drinks, and your team. Restaurants with more than 10 photos get 35% more clicks to their website than those without.

5. Select the right categories. Your primary category should be your main type (e.g., "Vietnamese Restaurant"). Add secondary categories like "Asian Restaurant," "Takeaway Restaurant," or "Catering Service" if they apply.

6. Post weekly updates. Google Business Profile has a Posts feature. Use it. Share specials, events, new menu items, or seasonal dishes. It signals to Google that your business is active and engaged.

We've seen restaurants jump from page two of Maps results to the top three within 60 days just by fully optimising their profile. It costs nothing but an hour of your time.

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Step 2: Get Your Website Ranking for Local Keywords

Your Google Business Profile gets you into Maps. Your website gets you into the organic results below it. Together, they dominate the search results page and make it very hard for potential customers to miss you.

Most restaurant websites are essentially digital brochures — a homepage, a menu page, a contact page. That's a start, but it won't rank you for the dozens of search terms potential customers are typing every day.

Here's the local SEO framework that works:

Build location-specific pages. If you serve customers from multiple suburbs, create individual pages targeting each one. "Thai Restaurant in Brunswick" and "Thai Restaurant in Fitzroy" are different searches with different intent. Each page should have unique content — not just the suburb name swapped out.

Optimise your core pages. Your homepage should clearly state what you are and where you are. "Award-Winning Japanese Restaurant in Surry Hills, Sydney" is far better than "Welcome to Our Restaurant." Use your primary keyword naturally in your page title, H1 heading, meta description, and throughout the body copy.

Nail the technical basics. Your site needs to load in under three seconds on mobile. It needs to be mobile-responsive (over 70% of restaurant searches happen on phones). It needs proper schema markup — specifically LocalBusiness and Restaurant schema — so Google can understand your business details programmatically.

Include your NAP everywhere. Name, Address, Phone number. These must be identical across your website, Google Business Profile, and every directory listing. Inconsistencies confuse Google and hurt your rankings.

Add a booking or order function. Every page should make it dead simple for someone to take action — call you, book a table, or order online. Don't bury your phone number in the footer. Put it in the header, in the hero section, and at the bottom of every page.

For a deeper look at this process, check out our full guide on SEO for restaurants, where we break down keyword research, on-page optimisation, and technical setup specifically for hospitality businesses.

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Step 3: Build a Review Generation System

Reviews are the digital version of word of mouth. And they're arguably more powerful because they scale. One glowing Google review can influence hundreds of potential customers who see it in search results.

But here's what most restaurant owners get wrong: they wait for reviews to happen organically. The restaurants with 300+ reviews and a 4.7-star average didn't get there by accident. They built a system.

When to ask:

The best time to request a review is immediately after a positive experience. For dine-in, that's when a customer compliments the meal or thanks the staff. For takeaway and delivery, it's within two hours of the order being delivered.

How to ask:

• In person: Train your front-of-house team to say, "We're so glad you enjoyed it. If you have 30 seconds, a Google review would mean the world to us." Keep it casual. Keep it genuine.
• Via follow-up: If you collect email addresses or phone numbers through your booking system, send a short follow-up message with a direct link to your Google review page.
• QR codes: Print a QR code on your receipts, table tents, or takeaway bags that links directly to your Google review form. Remove every barrier.

A simple template:

"Thanks for dining with us! If you enjoyed your experience, we'd love a quick Google review. It helps other locals find us: [direct link]"

Responding to reviews:

Reply to every review — positive and negative. Thank happy customers by name. Address complaints professionally and offer to make it right. Google's algorithm factors in review response rate, and potential customers read your replies just as closely as the reviews themselves.

Aim for a minimum of two new reviews per week. That's 100+ per year, and it compounds. Restaurants with more reviews and higher ratings consistently outrank competitors in the Maps pack.

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Step 4: Create Content That Attracts Customers

Content marketing might sound like something for tech companies and lifestyle brands, but it's one of the most underrated strategies for restaurants looking to increase their online visibility.

The logic is straightforward: every piece of content you publish is another opportunity to rank in Google for a search term your potential customers are using.

Blog post ideas that actually work for restaurants:

• "Best Date Night Restaurants in [Suburb]" — Yes, you can include yourself. Write a genuine listicle featuring local spots, and position your restaurant as one of the top picks.
• "What to Order at a [Cuisine] Restaurant If You've Never Tried It" — Educational content that builds trust and ranks for informational queries.
• "Our Guide to Hosting a Private Event in [City]" — If you offer private dining, a detailed guide will attract people searching for event venues.
• "[Cuisine Type] vs [Cuisine Type]: What's the Difference?" — These comparison posts attract high-volume search traffic.

FAQ pages are gold.

Think about every question customers ask you: "Do you have vegan options?" "Can I BYO?" "Is there parking nearby?" "Do you cater for large groups?" Create a comprehensive FAQ page answering all of them. These questions get asked in Google searches constantly, and FAQ schema markup can land you featured snippets.

Consistency matters more than volume. One solid blog post per month is plenty. Quality and relevance beat frequency every time.

Want a detailed content strategy built for your restaurant? Our local SEO for restaurants service includes content planning as part of the package.

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Step 5: Optimise for AI Search (GEO)

Generative Engine Optimisation — GEO — is the newest frontier in search marketing, and restaurants that move early will have a serious advantage.

Here's what's happening: more Australians are using AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google's AI Overviews to find restaurants. Instead of scrolling through 10 blue links, they're asking, "What's the best family-friendly restaurant in Manly?" and getting a direct recommendation.

The AI models generating those answers pull from a mix of sources: your website content, your Google Business Profile, review sites, directory listings, and structured data.

To increase your chances of being recommended:

• Be mentioned across multiple authoritative sources. Get listed on TripAdvisor, Zomato, Broadsheet, TimeOut, local food blogs, and industry directories. AI models trust information that's corroborated across multiple sources.
• Use clear, factual language on your website. AI models prefer straightforward statements: "Open 7 days for lunch and dinner" over "We're always here when you need us."
• Build topical authority. The more high-quality content you have about your cuisine type, your area, and your specialty, the more likely AI tools are to recognise you as a relevant result.

This space is evolving rapidly. We cover it in detail in our GEO for restaurants guide, and it's a core part of every strategy we build for hospitality clients.

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Step 6: Track Your Results

You can't improve what you don't measure. And one of the biggest mistakes restaurant owners make with marketing is spending money (or time) without tracking whether it's actually working.

The key metrics to watch:

• Phone calls from Google Business Profile. GBP tracks how many people tapped "Call" directly from your listing. This is your most valuable lead metric.
• Direction requests. How many people asked Google Maps to navigate to your restaurant? This indicates strong purchase intent.
• Website traffic from organic search. Use Google Analytics (it's free) to see how many people are finding your site through search engines, and which pages they're landing on.
• Keyword rankings. Track where you rank for your target keywords — "[cuisine] restaurant [suburb]" and similar terms. Tools like Google Search Console (free) show you which queries are driving impressions and clicks.
• Booking and order conversions. If you use an online booking or ordering system, track how many reservations and orders come through your website versus other channels.
• Review velocity. Track how many new reviews you're getting per week or month. A steady increase signals healthy momentum.

Set up a simple monthly dashboard — even a spreadsheet works — and review these numbers on the first of each month. Patterns will emerge. You'll see which efforts are paying off and where to double down.

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When to Hire a Professional

Everything in this guide is achievable on your own. But let's be honest — you're running a restaurant. You're managing staff, suppliers, food costs, and service. Marketing often falls to the bottom of the list, and half-done marketing delivers half-baked results.

Consider handling it yourself if:

• You have a team member with some digital marketing experience
• You're in a low-competition area with few direct competitors
• You have the time to commit 5-10 hours per month consistently

Consider hiring a professional if:

• You're in a competitive market (any metro area in Australia qualifies)
• You've tried DIY marketing without seeing measurable results
• You want to grow faster than organic efforts alone will allow
• You'd rather spend your time on food, service, and operations

At MoneyNearMe, we work with restaurants across Australia on exactly this. Our packages range from $500 to $2,000 per month, depending on the scope — from Google Business Profile optimisation and review generation through to full local SEO, content strategy, and GEO. Every dollar is tied to measurable outcomes: more calls, more bookings, more customers walking through your door.

We'll audit your current online presence, show you where you're losing potential customers, and map out a plan to fix it.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How can restaurants get more customers online? Optimise your Google Business Profile, build a locally-focused website, generate consistent reviews, and create content that ranks for searches diners are making in your area.

What's the fastest way to get more calls as a restaurant? Fully optimise your Google Business Profile. Most restaurants see increased calls within 30-60 days of completing all fields, adding photos, and posting regularly.

How much should I spend on marketing as a restaurant? Industry benchmarks suggest 3-6% of revenue. For a restaurant turning over $500K annually, that's $15K-$30K per year, or roughly $1,250-$2,500 per month.

Is Google Ads or SEO better for restaurants? SEO delivers better long-term ROI because results compound over time. Google Ads can supplement SEO for immediate visibility, but costs reset to zero the moment you stop paying.

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Ready to stop relying on luck and start building a predictable flow of new customers? and find out exactly what it would take to dominate local search in your area.