Say hello to AIO
Imagine this: you have tickets for The Lion King in London this Saturday at 7.30pm. You want to find a great pre-theatre spot for two.
Where do you turn?
Until recently, the answer was simple: Google. Or perhaps TripAdvisor or OpenTable. But the way customers discover restaurants is shifting fast. Increasingly, people are turning to TikTok, Instagram, and—most importantly—AI assistants like ChatGPT to make dining decisions for them.
And the results are radically different.
The Experiment
I asked the exact same question to both ChatGPT and Google:
“I’m going to see The Lion King in London this Saturday at 7.30pm and I want to book a pre-theatre meal for 2 beforehand.”
Here’s what they recommended:
ChatGPT’s picks:
Hawksmoor Seven Dials
Coral Pearl
The Ivy Market Grill
Flat Iron Covent Garden
Dishoom Covent Garden
Rules
Google’s picks:
Palm Court Brasserie
The Delaunay
Gilgamesh (closed!)
Flesh & Buns
Boulevard Brasserie
Sushi Samba
On one side: Covent Garden classics that match the brief perfectly. On the other: a mixed bag, including outdated results and options that don’t quite fit the occasion.
This isn’t just a curious difference—it’s a wake-up call.
What This Means for Restaurants
Customers are no longer just searching. They’re asking AI to make decisions on their behalf.
Here’s why this matters:
No ads, no endless scroll. AI assistants cut straight to curated answers. You’re either recommended or you don’t show up at all.
Context matters. ChatGPT understood the query was about pre-theatre dining and suggested restaurants based on location, timing, and atmosphere.
Google does not equal AI. Being number one on Google does not guarantee you’ll appear in AI recommendations.
For restaurants, this means discovery is fragmenting—and you cannot just rely on SEO anymore.
Enter AIO: AI Optimisation
So, what’s the answer? AIO (AI Optimisation).
AIO is the process of ensuring your restaurant is visible and well-represented in the data sources, knowledge graphs, and signals that large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT use to generate recommendations.
It overlaps with SEO, but with important differences:
SEO is about ranking on Google. AIO is about being mentioned and recommended in AI answers.
SEO rewards keywords. AIO rewards reputation, authority, and consistency.
SEO is a marathon. AIO can deliver faster wins if you optimise the right signals.
Think of AIO as preparing your restaurant not just for search engines, but for AI-driven discovery.
Why AIO Is a Huge Opportunity
SEO can take months—or even years—to move the needle. AIO can be quicker, because you are working with smaller, more focused signals:
Making sure your menu is structured and up to date.
Ensuring your restaurant is listed consistently across trusted sites and directories.
Encouraging customers to leave descriptive, contextual reviews (“Perfect pre-theatre dinner spot near Covent Garden”) that AI models pick up on.
Generating brand mentions across press, blogs, and social media.
For hospitality brands, this is a huge opportunity to get ahead. Most of your competitors aren’t thinking about AIO yet.
Better Visibility and Better Conversions
Here’s the real kicker: traffic from LLMs isn’t just more targeted—it converts better.
When someone asks ChatGPT or another AI assistant for a restaurant, they’re not casually browsing. They’re being specific: “Pre-theatre dinner near Covent Garden” or “Romantic Italian spot for a date.”
That’s high-intent traffic.
Because the AI narrows the options to a small, curated list, customers are far more likely to act. They don’t need to scroll through ten pages of Google results or sift through ads. They trust the shortlist—and they book.
For restaurants, that means not just more visibility, but more reservations, faster.
The Hospitality Angle
Pre-theatre dining. Date nights. Family occasions. Group bookings.
These are high-intent, high-value searches that are increasingly happening inside AI tools, not Google. If you are not optimised for AIO, you risk being invisible at the exact moment a customer is ready to book.
Snack Hospitality’s AIO for Hospitality
At Snack Hospitality, we’ve developed an AIO service tailored specifically for restaurants, bars, and hospitality brands.
It bridges the gap between SEO and the new AI-driven discovery landscape—ensuring your brand shows up when customers ask ChatGPT (or any other LLM) for a recommendation.
Because in 2025, it’s not just about where you rank on Google. It’s about whether AI chooses you.
Ready to Be Recommended?
Want your restaurant to be the one ChatGPT suggests? Let’s talk.