How to add a menu to your Google Business Profile, and fix a wrong one
To add a menu to your Google Business Profile, sign in at business.google.com (or search your restaurant's name on Google while signed in), choose Edit menu, then add sections and items with a name, a short description and a price, and choose Save [1]. Diners see it under the Menu tab on Search and Maps. Changes can take 24 to 48 hours to show [1].
That's the menu editor, and it's only one of four ways a menu gets onto your listing. Google also shows a menu link, menu photos (yours and diners'), and menus it copies from your website or from apps that list you. Below: which route to use, the steps on a computer and on a phone, how to pick which menu Google shows, and what to do when the Edit menu button is missing or Google keeps showing an old menu. If your restaurant isn't on Google yet, start with how to get your restaurant on Google Maps; for the rest of the profile (hours, Order button, reviews), see Google Business Profile for restaurants.
The four ways a menu gets on your Google listing
Most "wrong menu on Google" problems come from these four sources showing at once. Knowing which is which tells you which one to fix:
| Route | What the diner sees | Who controls it | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Menu editor | Sections and items as text, with prices, under Menu | You, in Edit menu [1] | A short menu you change a few times a year |
| Menu link | A "Menu" link that opens a page you choose | You, in Edit profile → Contact [1] | A menu page on your own site you keep current |
| Menu photos and PDFs | Pictures of the printed menu under the Menu tab | You and any diner who uploads one [1] | Backup only: hard to read on a phone |
| Copied menus | Items Google read from your website, or a menu from an app that lists you | Google and the provider [1] | Nothing on its own; check it and pick your source |
Our advice: keep one menu as text on your own website, point the menu link at it, and either type the same items into the editor or let Google copy them from your site. Then set your preferred source (below) so Google stops guessing.
How to add a menu on Google Business Profile on a computer
Google's steps, with the names you'll see on screen [1]:
- Go to business.google.com and open your profile, or search your restaurant's name on Google while signed in to the account that manages it.
- Above the search results, choose Edit menu. Some profiles see Copy instead, which imports menu data Google already has so you can edit it rather than start from nothing [1].
- Choose Add menu section. Type a section name (Starters, Pizzas, Drinks) and add at least one item, then Save. A section can't be saved empty [1].
- In a section, choose Add menu item. Fill in the name, the price and a description, then Save.
- Repeat for each section. When it's done you'll see "Your menu has been updated" [1].
- Check it the next day: search your restaurant's name and open the Menu tab. Allow up to 48 hours [1].
If you see "Something went wrong," Google says to try again and wait 24 hours, then contact support if the error stays [1].
What to type in each item. The name as the diner orders it ("Margherita pizza, 12-inch", not "The Classic"). A description of 10 to 20 words: what's in it, how it's cooked, anything a diner with an allergy would ask. The price as a number. Our guide on how to write a restaurant menu has a description formula and examples you can reuse here.
How to add a menu on Google Business Profile from your phone
There's no separate Google Business Profile app anymore. Google retired the Google My Business app in 2022 and moved owners to the Google Maps app and Google Search [5]. On a phone:
- Open the Google Maps app signed in as the profile's owner or manager, tap your picture, then Your Business Profiles, or search your restaurant's name in the Google app.
- Your profile opens with owner tools at the top. Tap Edit profile or the menu option among them.
- Add sections and items the same way as on a computer.
The exact tap names change between app versions, and Google's menu help page gives one set of steps for all devices [1]. If a button is missing on the phone, do the job on a computer; the profile is the same.
The phone is the best place for one menu job: adding dish photos. Google's Popular dishes page gives the steps in the Maps app [3] (see Popular dishes, below).
Turn a menu photo or PDF into a text menu
Typing 60 items takes a while. Google has an experimental feature that reads a menu photo and fills in section names, item names, descriptions and prices for you [1]:
- In your profile, choose Edit menu.
- At the top, choose Photos of menu, then Select photos. Take a photo or pick one.
- Choose Generate a menu.
- Read every line it made. Fix names, prices and anything it misread.
- Choose Publish and edit. You can keep editing and add item photos after [1].
The rules: you accept Google's Generative AI Additional Terms of Service; the photo must be sharp and high-contrast; and the whole menu must fit on one page, in one photo [1]. A two-sided or multi-page menu means generating one page and typing the rest, or making a one-page version to photograph. Prices are where reading mistakes cost money, so check each one against your printed menu before you publish.
Add a menu link
The menu link sends diners to a page you choose. It's the route that stays right with the least work, as long as the page it opens is current [1]:
- Open your profile and choose Edit profile.
- Go to Business information → Contact → Menu link. On a computer you can also start from Google Search: Edit profile → Contact → Menu link [1].
- Paste the address of your menu page and choose Save.
Link to a menu page, not your home page and not a PDF. A text menu page reads well on a phone, and Google can read it; a PDF or a menu photo reads poorly for both, which is the whole subject of how Google reads your menu. If you don't have a menu page yet, you can build a free menu page from a photo of your menu and paste its address here.
Don't put a delivery app's page in the menu link. Diners who start there order on the app, and you pay its commission on an order that came from your own listing.
Add menu photos, and remove old ones
Menu photos sit under the Menu tab, next to any text menu. Diners can add them too [1].
- Add yours: Edit menu → Photos of menu → Select photos or a PDF, or drag files in [1].
- Delete yours: find the photo and choose Delete [1].
- A diner's old photo: you can't delete it. Flag it for removal as out of date, then upload your current menu so the right one is there [1].
Shoot the menu flat, in daylight, the whole page in frame, no glare. After a price change, upload the new menu the same day and flag the old diners' photos: a diner who sees an old price and pays a new one blames you.
Pick which menu Google shows: the preferred source
When Google finds more than one menu (your editor menu, your website, an app that lists you), the Menu tab shows the options and when each was last updated. You choose which one is public [1]:
- Open your profile and choose Edit menu.
- Open the Full menu tab.
- Select the source you keep up to date and choose Save.
Pick the source you actually update. If you change prices on your website and never touch the editor, pick your website. If Google later suggests items from an app ("Add these menu items?"), click the provider's name to see where they came from before you accept them [1].
Why your menu isn't showing on Google, and how to fix it
| What you see | Likely reason | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| No Edit menu option at all | The menu editor is for food and drink businesses, decided by your category [1] | Check your primary category is a food one (Restaurant, Pizza restaurant, Cafe, Bakery). Change it only if it's wrong; the category also decides how you rank |
| No Edit menu, and a provider's name on the menu | The menu comes through the Business Profile API from a provider; Google says you may not have the editor then [1] | Change the menu at the provider (your POS or ordering company), or ask them to stop sending it, then set your preferred source |
| You saved, but nothing shows | Changes take 24 to 48 hours [1]; an unverified profile doesn't publish edits | Wait two days; check the profile is verified |
| An old menu shows | Another source is preferred, or a diner's old photo sits on top | Set your preferred source; flag the old photo; upload the new one |
| Wrong items or prices you never typed | Google copied them from your website [1], or an app's menu is showing | Fix your website menu; edit or delete those items in the editor [1]; or opt out of copying through Google's Search Central steps, linked on the help page [1] |
| Menu link opens a delivery app | The app's link was added to your profile | Replace it in Edit profile → Contact → Menu link with your own page |
| "Something went wrong" on save | A temporary error | Try again, wait 24 hours, then contact support [1] |
| Owner tools missing from Search | Google's dashboard has had bugs where profiles vanish from the admin panel for a time [6] | Try business.google.com or the Maps app; check you're signed in to the right account |
How to edit or remove your menu on Google
All in Edit menu [1]:
- Change an item or a price: select it, change the text, Save.
- Delete one item: open the item, choose Delete at the bottom, confirm.
- Delete a whole section: open the section, Delete at the bottom, confirm. Every item in that section goes with it [1], so move items you're keeping first.
- Remove the menu link: Edit profile → Contact → Menu link, clear the field, Save.
- Remove your menu photos: Photos of menu, Delete on each.
Removing the whole editor menu doesn't stop Google showing a menu: it may fall back to your website, an app, or diners' photos. If the goal is "show the right menu," fix the source rather than empty the editor.
Several locations? Updating menus across many profiles needs the Business Profile API [1]. For two or three places, edit each profile by hand, one after the other, the same day.
Popular dishes: what they are and how to edit them
Popular dishes is the strip of dish photos with names that Google builds on restaurant profiles. Names and photos come from you and from diners; names you add win over diners' [3]. A photo added through Maps also shows in your general photos, and may show as a dish once it's tagged with a dish name [3].
Add a dish in the Google Maps app [3]:
- Search your restaurant's name and city, tap Menu.
- Add a new item to the menu and add its photo.
- Type the dish name, confirm, and optionally mark it as recommended.
Fix a dish: in Maps, tap Menu, tap the dish, tap More, then under Suggest an edit choose Add a name, Edit dish name, Mark dish as incorrect, Offensive dish name or Dish not served here [3]. Google says it aims to post edits within a few days [3]. There's no plain delete; "Dish not served here" is the way to ask for a dish you've dropped to go.
The more good photos you add of the dishes you want people to order, each named the way it's written on your menu, the more the strip shows those dishes. Your best-margin dishes are worth photographing first; menu engineering shows how to find them.
Prices on your Google menu
- Put a price on every item. A diner deciding between two places compares prices on the Menu tab.
- Same price as in the room. If your delivery apps charge more, Google's menu should still show your in-house price; that's the price on your own ordering page too.
- Sizes: one item per size ("Pizza, 12-inch" and "Pizza, 16-inch") reads clearer than one item with two prices in the description.
- Market price items (lobster, the fish of the day): say so in the description and leave a typical price, or leave them off.
- After a price rise, change the editor, the website menu and the menu photos the same day. Three sources with three prices is the most common complaint on a menu review.
A 10-minute monthly menu check
- Search your restaurant's name on a phone, signed out, and open the Menu tab: that's what a diner sees.
- Check five prices against your printed menu.
- Edit menu → Full menu: is your preferred source still selected?
- Look for new diners' menu photos; flag any that are out of date.
- Check the menu link still opens your menu page, not a home page or an app.
- Add one or two dish photos with names.
Common mistakes
- Only a PDF. It reads poorly on a phone and for Google. Keep text in the editor or on your site.
- Three menus, three prices. Editor, website and photos drift apart. Pick one source and keep the others matching it.
- Menu link to a delivery app. You pay commission on diners who found you themselves.
- Deleting a section to clean up. Its items go with it [1].
- Trusting the photo-to-menu feature without checking. Read every price before publishing.
- Changing the category to get the editor when the real reason is a provider sending the menu.
Questions
Is adding a menu to Google Business Profile free?
Yes. The menu editor, menu link and menu photos are all part of the free profile [1].
Why can't I see the Edit menu option?
Usually because your category isn't a food and drink one, or because a provider sends your menu through the Business Profile API, in which case Google says the editor may not be available [1]. Check the category first, then whether a provider's name shows on the menu.
How long does it take for my menu to show on Google?
Google says 24 to 48 hours on Maps and Search [1]. Dish name edits suggested through Maps can take a few days [3].
Can I upload a PDF menu to Google Business Profile?
Yes, under Edit menu → Photos of menu → Select photos or a PDF [1]. Use it as a backup to a text menu, not instead of one.
Can Google make the menu from my photo?
Yes, with the experimental Generate a menu feature, if the whole menu fits on one page in one sharp photo, and you accept Google's generative AI terms [1]. Check every price it reads.
Does a menu help my restaurant show up on Google?
Google says a complete, accurate profile helps local results [4]. A text menu also lets Google match people searching for a dish to a place that serves it, which a photo can't do as well. More on that in SEO for a restaurant website.
The quickest way to a menu Google can read and a link worth putting in your profile: send us a photo of your menu and get a free menu page with pickup ordering, then paste its address into Menu link. More Google guides are on the guides page.
Sources
- About the menu editor, Google Business Profile Help, read Nov 4, 2026.
- Get started with a Business Profile for your restaurant, Google Business Profile Help, read Nov 3, 2026.
- Find and edit popular dishes for restaurants, Google Business Profile Help, read Nov 4, 2026.
- Tips to improve your local ranking on Google, Google Business Profile Help, read Nov 1, 2026.
- The Google My Business mobile app has stopped functioning, Search Engine Land, 2022, read Nov 4, 2026.
- Google Business Profile admin panel not showing up for some, Search Engine Roundtable, read Nov 4, 2026 (as listed in search).