Glossary
Restaurant marketing & SEO glossary
Plain-language definitions of the local SEO, Google Business Profile, and restaurant operations terms operators actually run into. Written for restaurant owners and managers, not marketing agencies.
Last reviewed 2026-05-07. 30 terms.
Local SEO
10 terms
Local SEOThe practice of getting a physical business to show up in Google's local search results when nearby customers search for what you sell.Read definitionLocal PackThe block of three map-based business listings Google shows at the top of local search results, also called the 3-pack or Map Pack.Read definitionNAP ConsistencyMaking sure your business Name, Address, and Phone number appear identically everywhere they show up online.Read definitionCitationsMentions of your restaurant's name, address, and phone number on other websites — directories, review sites, social profiles, local guides.Read definitionLocal SEO AuditA structured review of every signal Google uses to rank a local business — GBP completeness, citations, reviews, on-page SEO, and technical setup.Read definitionProximity SignalsHow physically close your restaurant is to the searcher — the single strongest factor in Local Pack ranking for high-intent queries.Read definitionRelevance SignalsHow clearly your business looks like the right answer for a particular query — driven by category, name, description, menu, and on-site content.Read definitionProminence SignalsHow well-known and well-reviewed your business looks to Google — review volume, review quality, brand mentions, links, and citation breadth.Read definitionLocal Pack RankingWhere your business appears in the three-result Local Pack for a given query — position 1, 2, 3, or off the pack entirely.Read definitionGeographic ModifierA location word added to a search query — "near me", "in chelsea", "downtown phoenix" — that signals local intent to Google.Read definition
Google Business Profile
8 terms
Google Business Profile (GBP)The free Google-owned listing that controls how your restaurant shows up in Google Search and Google Maps.Read definitionGBP Categories (primary vs secondary)The taxonomy Google uses to classify your restaurant — one primary category (the most important ranking signal) and up to nine secondary ones.Read definitionGBP AttributesYes/no flags and tags on a Google Business Profile — outdoor seating, takeout, vegan options, wheelchair accessible, accepts reservations, and dozens more.Read definitionGBP PostsShort timely updates — offers, events, new menu items, news — that appear on your Google Business Profile and influence ranking by signaling activity.Read definitionGBP PhotosThe images on your Google Business Profile — exterior, interior, food, team, menu — that drive both ranking signals and click-through from search.Read definitionGBP Q&AThe public question-and-answer thread on a Google Business Profile, where anyone can ask and anyone — including you — can answer.Read definitionReview Reply RateThe percentage of customer reviews you have publicly responded to — a tracked metric in most local SEO platforms and a visible quality signal to customers.Read definitionReview VelocityThe rate at which a business gets new reviews — typically measured in reviews per week or per month — and a strong prominence signal in local search.Read definition
Restaurant marketing
6 terms
Menu EngineeringThe discipline of designing a menu — items, prices, layout — to maximize profit per cover, using sales data and contribution margin per item.Read definitionFood Cost PercentageThe cost of food ingredients as a percentage of food revenue — typically 28-35% for a healthy full-service restaurant, sometimes 25-30% for fast-casual.Read definitionContribution MarginRevenue minus variable cost on an item — what each unit sold contributes to covering fixed costs and profit.Read definitionCustomer Acquisition Cost (CAC)The total cost — paid ads, agency fees, software, time — divided by the number of new customers acquired in a period.Read definitionCustomer Lifetime Value (LTV)The total profit a single customer generates across their relationship with the restaurant — visits times average ticket times margin.Read definitionAverage Ticket SizeThe average amount spent per check or per cover — a core unit-economics metric and a leading indicator of menu and upsell performance.Read definition
Operations
4 terms
Direct OrdersOrders placed through a restaurant's own website, app, or phone — bypassing third-party delivery platforms and their commissions.Read definitionThird-Party Delivery CommissionThe percentage of each order that DoorDash, Uber Eats, Grubhub, and similar platforms keep — typically 15-30%, depending on tier and market.Read definitionPOS IntegrationConnecting your point-of-sale system to other tools — online ordering, delivery, loyalty, accounting — so orders and data flow without manual rekeying.Read definitionKitchen Display System (KDS)A digital screen in the kitchen that shows incoming orders — replacing paper tickets and integrating directly with the POS and online ordering.Read definition
Data and structured content
2 terms
Schema MarkupStructured data tags on a website (typically JSON-LD) that tell Google explicitly what the page is — a Restaurant, a Menu, a MenuItem, an Event.Read definitionCore Web VitalsGoogle's three measurable scores for real-world page performance: Largest Contentful Paint (loading), Interaction to Next Paint (responsiveness), Cumulative Layout Shift (stability).Read definition
See how your restaurant scores
The fastest way to apply this glossary is on your own restaurant. Run a free Nuxa SEO scan to see your Google Business Profile completeness, citations, schema, reviews, and Local Pack rank in about 10 seconds.