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The Expanding Doors of Food Discovery

Discovery has always shaped how restaurants grow. The way diners find you is just as important as the food you serve them. And every few years, a new door opens — adding to the many ways customers can discover your restaurant.

Sep 2, 2025—
5 分鐘閱讀
The Expanding Doors of Food Discovery

From the Desk of Jonathan Lim, Founder & CEO, Oddle

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Think back over the last 20 years. Each new “door” didn’t just add a channel — it changed how restaurants attracted customers:

  • Word of Mouth → Food Blogs
  • Food Blogs → Google SEO & Maps
  • Google → Social Media
  • Traditional Media (still relevant today)
  • Now: Generative Engines

Each door matters because it plays a different role: intent capture, brand virality, credibility, or curation. And restaurants that want to grow need to be present across all of them.

A Personal Anecdote

The other day, I overheard a younger colleague say she discovers new restaurants through Threads. That surprised me. Threads wasn’t even on my radar for food discovery.

It reminded me: every generation interacts with the internet differently. What feels foreign to one group quickly becomes second nature to the next.

When AI Becomes a Door to Discovery

Just a few weeks ago, we signed up a restaurant in Australia. Curious, we asked how they found us. Their answer?

“Through ChatGPT.”

That floored me. Our presence in Australia is still in its infancy — yet we were already being surfaced by AI engines before we even ran local campaigns.

It’s proof that generative engines are no longer futuristic. They’re already part of how consumers discover options.

GEO in Action

I tested this myself. I searched “best zi char restaurants in Singapore”.

  • Google Maps surfaced Chuan Kee, Keng Eng Kee, Yang Ming Seafood and J.B. Ah Meng.
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  • The AI summary highlighted KEK, Two Chefs, Sin Hoi Sai, Por Kee and Long Ji Zi Char.

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Both felt authoritative. Both looked different.

That’s GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation) at work — and here’s how engines decide what to show.

The 3 Inputs AI Engines Reward

1. Trust

  • Reviews, ratings, and the freshness of feedback.
  • Engines prioritise places with consistent, positive customer signals.

2. Authority

  • Mentions in credible sources: media, critics, awards, “Best of” lists, Wikipedia.
  • The more your restaurant is cited, the more weight you carry.

3. Clarity

  • Consistency across platforms: Google, Instagram, TikTok, review sites.
  • If your name, address, or menus don’t align, engines get confused — and you get excluded.

In other words: GEO isn’t just about keywords. It’s about the total digital footprint of your brand.

How Restaurants Can Improve Their GEO Today

If you’re new to this, start with impact order — not everything needs to happen at once:

  1. Fix your Google Business Profile: highest immediate impact. Keep menus, photos, and hours updated.
  2. Collect reviews consistently: freshness matters as much as volume. Spread them out over time.
  3. Earn authority mentions: aim for credible directories, food critics, and awards.
  4. Be present and consistent across channels: align your name, address, and menu highlights everywhere.
  5. Publish content that others cite: blog posts, collaborations, or press releases strengthen your footprint.
  6. Surface your authority mentions: if you’re featured in Straits Times or 8Days, cite it on your website and socials. Cross-linking reinforces credibility.

Think of GEO as the new SEO. Just like restaurants a decade ago had to learn keywords and optimise for Google Maps, today’s winners will be the ones who manage their broader footprint across engines.

From Discovery to Dollars

But discovery alone doesn’t pay the bills. At Oddle, we see discovery as just the first spark in a bigger journey:

  • Activate your revenue channels — so when diners find you, they can buy (delivery, reservations, terminal).
  • Build your database & brand — turn anonymous searchers into identifiable diners.
  • Convert for sales — drive repeat visits, upsells, and cross-channel growth.

Discovery through AI is just the first spark. But unless you’ve activated channels, built your database, and can convert them into repeat visits, you’ve only won the search — not the sale.

Looking Ahead

Discovery will keep expanding. From blogs to Google to TikTok to AI, new doors keep opening every few years. The restaurants that win aren’t just the ones that cook well — they’re the ones that make sure they’re discoverable wherever customers are looking.

And here’s the prediction: within five years, being cited in AI summaries may matter more than being on page one of Google search. Restaurants that don’t optimise for GEO risk becoming invisible to the next generation of diners.

The next door is already here. The question is: will your restaurant be visible when tomorrow’s diners step through it?

👀 Curious where your restaurant stands today?

Try BrandCheck — it’s free and shows you how customers (and engines) are finding you.

👉 Get your free brand report:

🇸🇬 https://brandcheck.oddle.me/sg

🇲🇾 https://brandcheck.oddle.me/my

🇭🇰 https://brandcheck.oddle.me/hk

🇦🇺 https://brandcheck.oddle.me/au

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