7 Listing Sites Every Restaurant Should Be On

Feeling invisible online?

In the fiercely competitive online landscape, you can have the most amazing restaurant but still be missed by guests if you aren't present on the right listing sites. 

It doesn’t matter whether you're a seasoned pro or just starting out—getting listed online is crucial for attracting new patrons and growing your business.

In the following sections, we’ll explore seven key listing sites that will send your restaurant into the culinary spotlight.

So, get ready to attract guests, boost reservations, and watch your restaurant flourish.

Let’s jump right in.

Google Business

Let's start with the very essentials—Google Business. 

As you probably know, Google is the top search engine people go to when they want to find something, and this includes where to eat. 

So it's important to pay attention to their Google Business service. 

In simple terms, this service gives you a free business profile on Google after a pretty straightforward setup process outlined below.

Source: Google

You simply create a new business profile, or you can start by searching for your business on Google Maps. 

More often than not, it will already be on there and you just need to claim the business. 

Next, you can personalize your profile as much as you want to by adding restaurant information such as your location, phone number, website, your booking link, and more. 

You can also add photos of your restaurant, some details on the services you offer, and anything else you feel your guests should know. 

Take a look at the image below for an example.

Source: Google Maps

When everything is set up, you still want to update and manage your profile occasionally. 

Share offers and promotions, maybe add your new seasonal menu, or any events you’re hosting.

Also, remember to use your profile to view and respond to your reviews.

Source: Google Maps

Google allows you to connect to your guests, see what they say about you, and use their feedback to improve your restaurant. 

Managing your Google reviews and keeping them positive can ultimately impress those who stumble upon your restaurant online and make them more likely to book.

Set up all of these things right, and you’ll have your very own permanent digital billboard on Google.

Yelp

But, when we’re talking about reviews, there’s no better place to go to than Yelp. 

Yelp is a widely popular listing site used all over the world that allows users to search for particular restaurants and automatically ranks the top restaurants near them.

Source: Yelp

These rankings are usually based on the ratings and reviews provided by other users. 

Given that Yelp is mainly a review site, it's very important to keep an eye on what people are saying about your restaurant. 

You’ll want to respond to reviews, whether positive or negative, engage with your guests, and watch your rankings grow.

Getting a Yelp profile is easy—just search for your restaurant on the site. 

If it’s there, follow the steps to claim it. Otherwise, you can add your restaurant to the service without much hassle.

Once you're all set up, you can add whatever details you want to your profile: location, contact info, and more.

If you discover that this platform really benefits you, you can even explore some additional services, such as Yelp Connect.

Source: Yelp

This is their paid advertising service where you can have people see your posts on the Yelp app home screen, in emails, and on your page. 

You can even measure the impact of your posts and optimize for engagement through tracking and analytics.

Overall, staying engaged with your guests through Yelp can give you valuable feedback and build a larger customer base.

TripAdvisor

A similar, but equally important listing site is TripAdvisor. 

TripAdvisor is an extremely popular platform where people look for hotels, destinations, and, of course, restaurants while planning their travels. 

With TripAdvisor, your restaurant can gain visibility with tourists or travelers searching for places to eat in the area they’re visiting.

Source: Tripadvisor

Many restaurateurs are skeptical about whether they want to focus on this platform, especially if they're running a restaurant that's not in a tourist location. 

However, as the Quora user below points out, you'd be missing out on a feature-rich platform with a large user base that can help get your restaurant discovered more easily.

Source: Quora

In fact, restaurants in tourist hotspots are not the only ones that can use this platform. 

The fact of the matter is, people travel for a variety of reasons. 

You have business travelers from neighboring cities, visitors that are there for events and sporting matches, you name it. 

No matter what the purpose of their trip is, all of them need to eat somewhere for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. 

And more likely than not, they'll go on TripAdvisor to look for interesting places, read reviews, and book a table directly.

That’s reason enough to get listed, but if you are running a restaurant in a popular destination, then TripAdvisor should be a no-brainer.

In this case, you might even go all in and look into using some of the platform’s premium features. 

The benefits they claim they offer for premium users are the following:

• Enhanced listing
• Attracting more customers
• Getting competitor insights

So, don’t skip out on this popular listing site and attract both tourists and travelers to your restaurant.

Foursquare

Let's switch gears and explore a slightly different platform—Foursquare. 

While originally established as a location-based check-in app, Foursquare has gracefully evolved. 

Now, it excels at helping people discover the best businesses and attractions in towns and cities worldwide, including a big focus on top-notch restaurants. 

Foursquare City Guide is the service you’ll most likely be interested in, as it allows diners to seek out local restaurants effortlessly.

Source: Foursquare

Here's how it works: users simply type in what they're craving and their desired location, and Foursquare generates a curated list of recommendations. 

They pride themselves on offering over 75 million expert tips from seasoned locals, promising users an insider experience wherever they're located. 

To get your restaurant listed, start by searching for your business on Foursquare.

Source: Foursquare

If your restaurant appears right away, the process is as simple as claiming your listing! 

On the other hand, if you're not yet on the platform, adding a new entry is just as straightforward. 

Once listed, the familiar routine kicks in. It's all about fleshing out your profile with crucial details like your location, contact info, hours of operation, and great photos.

Source: Foursquare

Staying active and keeping your Foursquare info fresh is vital. 

This ensures maximum visibility, helping you pop up near the top when hungry customers hunt for the perfect place to eat in your area.

All in all, Foursquare has the potential to transform you into a local favorite with its local expertise angle.

Tablein

Let's now focus on our very own Tablein. 

While our primary mission is creating a top-tier restaurant reservation system, you shouldn't overlook the power of our listing services.

Currently available in select locations (but watch for our growing reach!), Tablein is dedicated to connecting hungry diners with their ideal restaurants. 

Guests have the option to either search directly or explore our hand-picked top restaurant lists like the ones shown below.

Source: Tablein

There's even more to Tablein listings as we aim to help streamline those all-important reservations. 

Our robust search function empowers diners to filter for desired dates, specific party sizes, and of course, locations, right from the initial search bar.

Source: Tablein

The result is a dynamic list of available restaurants perfectly tailored to the diners’ needs. 

For those who aren't sure exactly what they're in the mood for, they can simply browse the different listed restaurants for inspiration. 

Guests can view stunning restaurant photos, delve into enticing menus, and get a feel for the ambiance via user-submitted reviews.

Source: Tablein

Once someone discovers a spot that matches their vibe, securing a table is only a few clicks away. 

Our streamlined booking widget simplifies the reservation process, eliminating the hassle and guaranteeing happy diners. 

Ultimately, Tablein helps guide users from viewing the top listings to making a quick reservation.

OpenTable

Next, we take a look at OpenTable, a veteran in the world of online restaurant reservations. 

Operating globally, this platform is a favorite among guests and restaurateurs alike, streamlining the process of finding and securing tables.

Guests can search and look through their restaurant choices by inputting the desired date, party size, and a specific location to uncover a curated selection that meets their exact needs.

Source: OpenTable

The sheer scale of OpenTable's platform is its major selling point. They boast about seating for over 1.6 billion guests yearly. 

With that volume of diners actively using the platform, getting listed opens you up to a huge new pool of potential customers far beyond your typical local reach. 

The good news is, creating a free profile is easy and gives you complete control over the details you present to prospective diners—much like many of the other listing sites we've explored. 

You can craft a comprehensive listing like the example below.

Source: OpenTable

However, while being listed on OpenTable is free, there's a catch when it comes to direct bookings. 

Guests browsing your profile won't see a "Book Now" button unless you subscribe to their full reservation network. 

Instead, a prominent "Find Similar Restaurants" option nudges a potential customer to try a different restaurant instead. 

But, if you decide their paid reservation system is right for you, the story changes.

Source: OpenTable

Guests now have the sought-after ability to reserve their table in a couple of clicks directly from the restaurant’s page or even order delivery or takeout directly.

In summary, weighing the potential increased visibility from OpenTable’s audience against the subscription cost is key.

MenuPages

Let's conclude with MenuPages, a site offering an interesting twist on restaurant discovery. 

At its core, MenuPages throws the spotlight on a restaurant's most exciting element, the food itself! 

Picture a guest craving something delicious. 

They can search for nearby restaurants on the MenuPages platform using their specific city as a guide.

Source: MenuPages

In response, MenuPages displays a list of local restaurants matching their query. 

After clicking on a particular restaurant that catches their attention, diners will view a page such as the one shown below.

Source: PizzaVola on MenuPages

Beyond the essential establishment details, MenuPages shines by prominently showcasing your full menu directly on your digital profile along with any photos of your menu items. 

Guests can dive deep into each of the dishes, and think of what they would like to order when visitng a restaurant. 

But, MenuPages truly excels when it comes to those who prefer the convenience of takeout or delivery. 

Placing those orders is fast, efficient, and done entirely within the platform itself.

If you thrive on takeout and delivery orders, adding your restaurant to MenuPages is worth serious consideration. 

Since this service falls under the Grubhub umbrella, the signup process is handled through a simple form shown below.

Source: Grubhub

Like comparable delivery providers, Grubhub extends a 30-day free trial, allowing you to try out the service risk-free.  

This gives you valuable time to measure whether the increase in takeout and delivery business justifies the platform's ongoing expense. 

Overall, MenuPages is all about creating tempting visual menus that get your dishes front and center for hungry customers ordering from home.

Conclusion

With that, we’re done with our deep dive into restaurant listing sites.

We covered a lot, exploring 7 popular and powerful platforms that can amplify your restaurant's voice and reach an audience hungry for your unique offerings. 

Remember, even small steps can have big results for your restaurant. 

Begin by claiming and updating your listings on a few carefully chosen sites, targeting those that align with your specific audience and business needs. 

As your confidence grows, expand your reach and witness your customer base blossom! 

So fire up your computer, sort out your listings, and get ready to welcome a wave of hungry new patrons.