Restaurant Profile Challenges
Restaurants generally have fewer Google Business Profile suspension issues compared to service area businesses or home-based operations. However, specific violations still occur that can result in suspension, especially around business name policy, duplicate listings, and ownership transfers.
Understanding the common pitfalls for restaurants helps you maintain a compliant profile and avoid losing visibility during critical business periods.
Common Suspension Reasons for Restaurants
Business Name Violations
The most common restaurant suspension cause:
- Adding food type to name: "Mario's Pizza & Italian Cuisine"
- Including location: "Downtown Sushi Restaurant"
- Adding descriptors: "Mario's - Authentic Italian Restaurant"
- Appending service type: "Antonio's Restaurant & Catering"
Google requires you use only your legal business name or DBA, without extra keywords.
Duplicate Listings
Multiple profiles for the same restaurant location:
- Old profile from previous owner still active
- Multiple profiles created by different managers
- Separate profiles for different service types (dine-in vs. delivery)
- Duplicate profiles with slight name variations
Ownership Transfer Issues
Suspensions during restaurant sales or ownership changes:
- New owner unable to verify ownership
- Old owner disputes new owner's claim
- Business name change during transition
- Verification documents don't match new ownership
Multiple Locations at Same Address
Creating separate profiles for different concepts at one location:
- Morning cafe and evening bar as separate profiles
- Restaurant and catering company as separate profiles
- Ghost kitchens at the same address with different brands
Category and Service Misrepresentation
Incorrect information about restaurant type or services:
- Selecting ineligible categories
- Claiming services not actually offered
- Misrepresenting restaurant style or cuisine
Specific Scenarios
Ghost Kitchens and Virtual Restaurants
Virtual restaurant brands face unique challenges:
- Multiple virtual brands operating from one physical kitchen
- Delivery-only concepts without dine-in service
- Shared kitchen spaces with multiple restaurants
Google's Policy: Each virtual brand must have a distinct public-facing entrance or operate from a different section of the kitchen to qualify for a separate profile.
If you're running multiple virtual brands:
- Ensure each has legitimate separate operational space
- Use different phone numbers for each brand
- Have distinct hours and menus
- Be prepared to prove separate business operations
Food Trucks and Mobile Restaurants
Mobile food businesses have location challenges:
- Constantly changing locations
- No permanent physical address
- Service area vs. physical location confusion
Best Practice: List your primary base of operations (where you park/store the truck overnight) and use the service area business setting to indicate where you operate.
Restaurant Chains and Franchises
Multi-location restaurants face bulk suspension risks:
- Pattern-based violations across locations
- Centralized management account issues
- Identical policy violations at multiple locations
- Unauthorized third-party management tools
Business Name Compliance for Restaurants
Correct Format
Use only your registered business name:
- ✅ CORRECT: "Mario's"
- ✅ CORRECT: "Mario's Restaurant" (if that's your actual DBA)
- ✅ CORRECT: "Mario's Pizza" (if that's your legal name)
- ❌ WRONG: "Mario's Italian Restaurant"
- ❌ WRONG: "Mario's - Best Pizza in Chicago"
- ❌ WRONG: "Downtown Mario's Restaurant & Bar"
What If My Business Name Seems Too Generic?
If your legal business name is something like "The Bistro" or "Corner Cafe":
- That's fine - use it anyway
- Don't add location or descriptors
- Use your description to add context
- Categories will help define your restaurant type
- Your photos and reviews will differentiate you
Checking Your Legal Business Name
Verify what name to use:
- Check your business license
- Review your DBA registration
- Look at your LLC or corporation documents
- Verify your health department license
- Confirm your liquor license name
Use exactly what's on your official business registrations.
Preventing Restaurant Profile Suspension
Regular Profile Audits
Monthly checks for compliance:
- Verify business name hasn't been altered
- Check for unauthorized duplicate listings
- Ensure categories are still accurate
- Review photos for policy compliance
- Monitor ownership and manager access
Proper Ownership Transfers
When selling or buying a restaurant:
For Sellers:
- Transfer profile ownership to new owner through proper process
- Provide new owner with verification documents
- Don't retain access after sale is complete
- Confirm transfer was successful
For Buyers:
- Request ownership transfer from previous owner
- Prepare verification documents before closing
- Verify profile information is accurate after transfer
- Update business name if it's changing (with proper documentation)
Managing Multiple Locations
If you operate multiple restaurant locations:
- Ensure each location has unique, accurate information
- Use location-specific phone numbers
- Customize descriptions for each location
- Don't use bulk editing tools that make identical changes
- Avoid having one manager account control too many profiles
Review Management Best Practices
Avoid review-related suspension triggers:
- Never offer incentives for positive reviews
- Don't solicit reviews from review stations in-store
- Respond professionally to all reviews
- Don't ask customers to revise or remove negative reviews
- Let reviews happen organically
Reinstatement Process for Restaurants
Documentation Needed
Prepare these documents for reinstatement appeals:
- Business license (current and active)
- Health department permit
- Liquor license (if applicable)
- Utility bill or lease agreement showing address
- Photos of exterior signage
- Photos of restaurant interior
- Menu (showing business name)
- Proof of business name registration (DBA or articles of incorporation)
For Ownership Transfers:
- Bill of sale or transfer agreement
- New business license in new owner's name
- Updated health permit
- Documentation explaining the ownership change
The Appeal Strategy
For Business Name Violations:
- Acknowledge the violation
- Explain you've corrected the business name to match legal registration
- Provide documentation of your legal business name
- Commit to keeping it accurate going forward
For Duplicate Listings:
- Identify which profile is the correct one
- Provide documentation for the correct profile
- Request removal of duplicate profiles
- Explain how the duplicates were created
For Ownership Transfers:
- Provide documentation of the transfer
- Show new ownership documentation
- Explain the transition timeline
- Include both old and new owner information if possible
Common Restaurant Suspension Mistakes
Not Updating After Ownership Change
New restaurant owners often neglect GBP:
- Don't claim or transfer the existing profile
- Let the old profile remain with incorrect information
- Create a new profile instead of claiming the existing one
- Fail to update business information after purchase
Adding Keywords to Boost Visibility
Restaurant owners sometimes add keywords thinking it will help:
- Adding cuisine type to business name
- Including neighborhood or city in name
- Adding "best" or other descriptors
- Appending service offerings
These all violate Google's business name policy.
Multiple Profiles for Different Services
Creating separate profiles for:
- Dine-in vs. takeout
- Restaurant vs. catering
- Lunch and dinner menus
- Different dining rooms or concepts at same address
Unless they're truly separate businesses with distinct operations, you should have one profile.
When to Get Professional Help
Consider expert assistance if:
- Your suspension involves a complex ownership transfer
- You have multiple locations suspended
- You're operating a ghost kitchen with multiple brands
- Your initial appeal was denied
- You're unsure what caused the suspension
Professional help can:
- Identify the specific violation quickly
- Prepare comprehensive reinstatement documentation
- Handle communications with Google
- Prevent future compliance issues
Conclusion
Restaurants typically have straightforward Google Business Profile requirements: use your legal business name, maintain one profile per location, and ensure accurate information. Most restaurant suspensions can be avoided by simply following business name guidelines and proper ownership transfer procedures.
If you're concerned about your restaurant's profile compliance, run our free diagnostic tool to identify potential issues. For help with suspended profiles, check out our Reinstatement Review service.