How do you add a menu to Google Business Profile?
The menu feature is available to food and drink businesses: restaurants, cafés, pubs, bars, bakeries with a food category. If you cannot see it, check your primary category first (our Google Business Profile guide explains how to pick it).
Below: the three methods compared, step-by-step instructions, the rules Google applies to menus, and how to stop an outdated version of your menu from showing instead of yours.
Which method should you use?
| Method | What customers see | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Menu editor | A structured menu (sections, items, descriptions, prices) in the Menu tab | Readable without leaving Google | A second menu to update, on top of your website |
| Menu link | A button that opens your online menu | One menu to maintain | Your menu page must work well on a phone |
| Menu photos or PDF | Images of your printed menu; Google can also turn them into a structured menu | Quick if your menu rarely changes | Hard to read on small screens, quickly outdated |
Our recommendation for most independents: a menu link to a proper menu page on your website, plus a handful of good food photos. Use the editor as well if your menu is stable, or instead if you have no website yet.
Free tool, no sign-up
Free menu QR code generator
Your online menu link works twice: on your Google profile and on a QR code at every table.
Method 1: type your menu in the menu editor
- Sign in to the Google account that manages your profile and search for your business name on Google. Your profile appears with management buttons.
- Select Edit menu.
- Create sections: starters, mains, desserts, drinks, Sunday roast.
- Add each item with its name, a short description and the price.
- Save. Allow 24 to 48 hours before it shows on Maps and Search.
Google can also start from a photo or PDF of your menu: an experimental AI feature converts it into sections, items, descriptions and prices. You must accept Google’s generative AI terms, and the full menu has to fit on one page and one photo. Proofread every price before you publish.
Method 3: upload menu photos or a PDF
Under Edit menu, the menu photos option lets you upload a photo or PDF of your printed menu. To make it worth it:
- Shot straight on, in daylight, menu flat
- One page per photo, text sharp when zoomed
- Prices clearly visible
- Old menu photos removed when the menu changes
Customers upload menu photos too, and they age badly: last year’s prices, dishes you dropped. Your own recent photos and an up-to-date menu link are the best way to push them down. For better food photos, see our guide to business photos with a smartphone.
What are Google’s rules for menus?
Google’s guidelines for representing your business say:
- Complete menu: it should list the complete set of food and drink items available, and be representative of what customers can actually order.
- No samples: menus that only list “popular items” or similar excerpts should not be submitted.
- Meal-specific menus are fine: breakfast, lunch, dinner, with links between them.
- No direct ordering or delivery links as the menu URL.
When Google finds several menu sources (your editor entries, your website, a partner), you can pick the preferred one in the Full menu tab, and that choice becomes public. Google may also transcribe the menu from your website; you can opt out. If a partner supplies your menu through the Business Profile API, the editor may not be available to you.
What about the “popular dishes” Google shows?
Google Maps sometimes highlights dishes based on customer photos and reviews. You can manage those dish names from the Google Maps app, in the Menu tab of your profile, and names you add take precedence over names added by customers. Fix misspellings and remove dishes you no longer serve.
It is another reason to reply to reviews that mention dishes: a customer praising your “homemade sticky toffee pudding” gives you exactly the words other people search for. Our guide replying to Google reviews shows how.
How to keep your menu current everywhere
| When | What to update |
|---|---|
| Seasonal menu change | Website menu page, menu editor (or check the menu link), food photos |
| Price change | Website menu, menu editor if you use it |
| Christmas, Valentine’s or Mother’s Day set menus | Dedicated page on your website, a Google post, special hours |
| Recipe change | Dish description and your allergen matrix |
With a menu link, one update covers both your website and Google. Update your holiday hours at the same time during the festive season.
Menu, ordering and booking links: what goes where?
The menu link is only one of the action links on your profile. Google manages food ordering (pickup and delivery), bookings and appointments separately. According to Google’s help, you can add up to 10 links per ordering category and mark one as “Business preferred” when there are several. Some links are added automatically by third-party partners, and turning off “Accept orders on your profile” hides every ordering option.
| Link | Where to set it | Where it should point |
|---|---|---|
| Menu | Edit profile > Contact > Menu link | Your website’s menu page |
| Food ordering | Food ordering (pickup, delivery) | Your own ordering page or the delivery apps you use |
| Bookings | Bookings | Your own booking page, with no per-cover commission |
For a pub or restaurant in the UK or Ireland, the booking link is often worth more than the menu: our article on adding a booking link to Google shows the steps, and our guide to online booking without commission explains how to stop paying a fee on every table. A clear menu and a direct booking button together turn a profile view into a reservation.
One more tip for tourist areas: if many of your guests are visitors, make sure your online menu has an English version and, if useful, a second language. Google shows your menu link to everyone, so a menu that only exists in one language loses part of the audience it reaches.
Mistakes to avoid
- Menu link pointing to a delivery app: not allowed as a menu URL.
- A 10 MB PDF: it will not open on a weak mobile signal.
- A partial “highlights” menu: Google asks for the complete menu.
- Two different menus on Google and on your website: customers arrive expecting the old price.
- Outdated menu photos left on the profile.
- No drinks or desserts: for a pub or a café, that is often what people are checking.
To check the rest of your profile (category, hours, photos, reviews), run our free visibility check.
By type of business
| Business | What to show |
|---|---|
| Restaurant | Full menu with prices, lunch menu, set menus at the right time of year |
| Pub | Food menu, Sunday roast, drinks and any rotating cask list on your website |
| Café | Hot drinks, cakes, breakfast and brunch |
| Bakery with food to go | Lunch deals, sandwiches, prices; the rest in photos |
See also Voxtya for restaurants, for bars and pubs, and our article on optimising a restaurant’s Google profile.
The steps at a glance
Steps to put your menu on Google Maps and Google Search.
- Check your category. A food or drink category gives access to the menu feature.
- Open your profile. Signed in to the managing account, search for your business on Google.
- Add the menu link. Edit profile > Business information > Contact > Menu link, with your online menu address.
- Add items or photos. Edit menu: sections, items and prices, or menu photos and PDFs.
- Pick the preferred source. If several menus exist, choose yours in the Full menu tab.
- Check after 48 hours. Look at Maps and Search, then update whenever the menu changes.
Do it without spending your evenings on it
Voxtya online menu
Your menu imported from a PDF or photo, readable on any phone, with allergens and a QR code: one link to put on Google. Website service €29/month, 30-day free trial.
This guide for your trade
Go further
Sources
The rules quoted in this guide come from these official pages, checked on October 18, 2026.