The new restaurant advertising channels, explained without the hype.

Where people find restaurants is changing faster than at any point since the smartphone: ads inside ChatGPT, ads coming to Apple Maps, Google answering with AI before anyone sees a listing, and AI engines that sell no ads at all. Each post below covers one channel with dated, sourced facts, the math for a restaurant budget, and a plain call on who should act and who should wait. Posts get updated when the platforms change, and every claim carries its date.

The series

One channel at a time.

Published August 4, 2026

ChatGPT ads for restaurants: what's real, what it costs, how to run them

Live since early 2026 and open to small budgets since May. The reported pricing, the math on a $30-a-day test, the user-trust tension, and who should wait.

Coming this month

Apple Maps ads are coming: what restaurant owners should do now

Ads arrive in Apple Maps for the US and Canada this summer. The one move that costs nothing and matters today: claiming your place in Apple Business before the auction starts.

Coming this month

You can't buy your way into Perplexity (and what works instead)

Perplexity shut its ads program down entirely in February 2026. What that means for the growing set of AI engines where the only way in is being worth citing.

Coming this month

Google's AI Overviews are already running your ads

You cannot buy AI Overview placement, you cannot opt out of it, and your existing campaigns are already eligible. What actually changes for a restaurant's Google budget.

The organic side: how restaurants show up in AI search Restaurant marketing FAQ Ask us about your restaurant