Let’s face it—these days, before customers even think about walking through your doors, they’re pulling up your menu online. And if they can’t find it? Well, they might just end up next door, eating a very mediocre grilled cheese. Tragic.
Today’s diners do their homework before they ever pick up a fork.
Good news: your menu can be just as searchable as it is delicious. And no, that doesn’t mean turning every dish into a keyword salad. It just means being strategic about how your menu lives online so that people (and search engines) can actually find it.
At Be Found Online®, helping businesses like yours get discovered is our jam (strawberry > grape, we don’t make the rules). And in this blog, we’re breaking down how to optimize your menu for search so you can stop worrying about algorithms and get back to what you do best: serving up great food.
Let’s dig in (and yes, we’re already thinking about lunch).
Great question—and no, it doesn’t mean stuffing your menu with awkward keywords like “best deep-dish pizza near me Chicago IL 2025.” (Please don’t do that.)
Optimizing your menu for search is all about making it easy for both people and search engines (like Google) to understand what you offer, where you are, and why someone should choose your restaurant over the dozen others down the block.
When your menu is optimized, it helps your restaurant show up in
It’s not just about what you serve but how you describe what you serve, how your menu is structured online, and whether it’s easy for search engines to “read” (spoiler: they can’t read PDFs as well as they can actual web pages).
Think of it like plating your dishes: You already know presentation matters. This is just the digital version, where you make sure your menu looks as good to Google as it does to your diners.
Before tweaking your menu or updating your website, we need to answer one big question: What are people actually searching for when they’re hungry?
Keyword research is how we figure that out. It’s the foundation of SEO (and yes, it applies to restaurants just as much as it does to blogs, boutiques, or big e-commerce sites).
Let’s say you serve an incredible mac & cheese (with smoked
By researching what your potential customers are Googling, you can start matching your menu language to their search habits. Tools like Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, or even just typing terms into Google and looking at autocomplete suggestions can give you a quick peek into what people are craving.
And no, you don’t have to ditch your creative dish names (we love a clever pun as much as the next agency), but pairing those names with clear, searchable descriptions helps Google and your customers understand what’s on the table.
Alright, you’ve got the keywords. Now, let’s talk about where your menu lives online.
If your menu is buried in a PDF, an image, or *gasp* a Facebook post from 2019, you’re making it hard for both potential customers and search engines to find and understand it. And let’s be real—no one wants to zoom in on a blurry menu while standing on a sidewalk with 3% battery left.
Here’s how to make your menu page work smarter, not harder:
Avoid PDFs and image files. Create an actual web page with live text. It’s better for SEO, easier to update, and way more user-friendly on mobile devices (where most searches happen anyway).
Organize your menu using headers like “Appetizers,” “Entrees,” “Desserts,” etc. This helps search engines and skimmers quickly understand what’s being offered. Bonus points for writing short, descriptive blurbs under each dish that include relevant keywords.
Your menu page should have a title tag and meta description that make it clear what’s on offer. Try something like: “Seasonal American Fare | Brunch, Dinner, & Cocktails | Logan Square Restaurant Menu”
This one’s huge. If your menu’s a pain to scroll on a phone, users will bounce. Use a responsive design so your menu looks great on all screen sizes.
Okay, this part is a little techy, but it’s worth it. Structured data helps search engines better understand your menu items, prices, and categories. It can even help your dishes show up as rich results on Google. (New to schema? We can help with this part.)
Naming dishes is part of the fun. You want to show off your brand’s personality, make people smile, and maybe throw in a pun or two. (No judgment—we once saw a brunch dish called “Egg
But when it comes to searchability, creativity needs a little backup.
Search engines (and hungry people) can’t always tell what’s behind a clever dish name like “The Big Easy” or “Morning Glory.” Is it a spicy jambalaya? A cinnamon roll? A breakfast sandwich with sausage and egg? If your dish names don’t give context, they’re probably not helping your restaurant show up in search results. Here’s how to strike the right balance.
Keep the quirky names, but make sure there’s a short, straightforward description that includes commonly searched terms:
The Big Easy – Spicy Cajun jambalaya with chicken, sausage, and shrimp over rice.
Now Google knows it’s jambalaya. And so does that out-of-towner craving Southern comfort food.
Avoid being too vague or too niche with descriptions. Use words people actually search for: “fried chicken sandwich,” “vegan taco,” “gluten-free pasta.” Think of how someone might type it into Google while they’re hungry and indecisive.
If your dish is a local favorite or inspired by your neighborhood, work that into your copy:
Logan Square Breakfast Bowl – Roasted sweet potatoes, eggs, avocado, and chimichurri.
It’s tasty and reinforces your local relevance.
Remember, your menu isn’t just a list of dishes—it’s part of your discoverability. A little clarity goes a long way in helping people find your food, fall in love with it, and come back for more.
See what we did there? ^ If someone searches “best tacos near me” and your restaurant is just two blocks away—but you’re not in the results—we’ve got work to do.
That’s where local SEO comes in. It helps your restaurant show up in searches tied to your neighborhood, city, or even street. Because people aren’t just searching for food, they’re searching for food near them.
Here’s how to help them find you:
If you want more nearby diners to discover you, local SEO is non-negotiable.
A great image can sell a dish before anyone reads a word. But visuals aren’t just eye candy—they can boost your SEO, too.
Here’s how to make your images work harder:
Great photos help customers and search engines choose your menu over others. Just don’t forget to give them the context they need to work their magic!
Your menu changes with the seasons, so your website should, too. If your online menu isn’t current, you’re missing out on timely searches and customer excitement.
Search engines love fresh content, and regular updates signal that your restaurant is active and relevant. Here’s how to stay current (without making it a full-time job):
An up-to-date menu helps diners and search engines stay in the loop while keeping your digital presence as fresh as your food.
You’ve optimized your menu and made it search-friendly. Now, let’s see if it’s doing its job.
The beauty of digital? You don’t have to guess. You can track what’s working, what’s not, and adjust accordingly.
Here’s how:
Like your kitchen, your SEO strategy should stay flexible and responsive. Test, learn, tweak, and repeat.
You’ve put thought, creativity, and plenty of late nights into
At BFO, we’re all about helping restaurants like yours show up, stand out, and be found—whether it’s on search engines, social feeds, or someone’s “Where should we eat tonight?” group chat.
Let’s chat. (We’re always down to talk SEO...or argue about the best deep-dish in Chicago.) Reach out to us today!