Restaurant Marketing Workshop

No clicks given: How to get AI to recommend your restaurant

The shift has brought us to a new frontier: GEO (Generative Engine Optimization). If SEO was about being found by a search engine, GEO is about being recommended by an AI. And while the weekly algorithm shifts can feel like a game of Whac-A-Mole, it's time to stop scrambling and start strategizing.

Photo: ChatGPT

April 24, 2026 by Cherryh Cansler — Publisher, FastCasual.com

Summarize with

If you've spent any time in the restaurant marketing trenches lately, you know the old SEO playbook is feeling a little... dusty. The days of obsessing over "ten blue links" on a Google search results page are fading. Now, Google simply gives an AI-generated paragraph at the top that answers the question directly, so those blue links are pushed so far down the page that nobody sees them. Customers are getting the answer without a single click.

No clicks given

In 2026, our guests aren't just searching; they're conversing. They are asking AI assistants for recommendations, using voice search while driving, and expecting precise, real-time answers without ever clicking a single link.

This shift has brought us to a new frontier: GEO (Generative Engine Optimization). If SEO was about being found by a search engine, GEO is about being recommended by an AI. And while the weekly algorithm shifts can feel like a game of Whac-A-Mole, it's time to stop scrambling and start strategizing.

That's why I'm so excited about a specific session we're hosting at the upcoming Restaurant Marketing Workshop in Boston (June 2-3). We're moving past the hype to give you a "No Code Required" roadmap for the AI age.

The Session: 'Getting Discovered in the Age of AI Search'

We've all heard the "just do this one thing!" advice that floods our LinkedIn feeds. This session is the antidote to that. We are bringing together two leaders who are actually doing the work and seeing the results to demystify how AI chooses which restaurants to highlight.

The Presenters:

Zane Donahoo, VP of technology & digital marketing at P. Terry's Burger Stand, has a reputation for staying ahead of the digital curve without losing focus on the guest experience.
Kelsey Verdier, VP of marketing at Marqii. is at the forefront of local search and has been instrumental in helping brands navigate the transition from traditional SEO to AI discovery.

What's on the agenda?

This isn't a high-level theory session. It's a playbook. You'll walk away knowing:

The 2026 Guest Journey: How search behavior has fundamentally changed and what "zero-click" discovery means for your foot traffic.
Actionable GEO Tactics: Actual, no-code changes you can make to your digital presence right now to improve how AI interprets (and recommends) your brand.
Real-World Results: Zane and Kelsey will share case studies of brands that have already pivoted to GEO and seen fast, measurable gains in visibility.

Stop guessing, start growing

The reality is that if your website and data aren't "machine-readable," your brand is becoming invisible to the very tools guests use to decide where to eat.

The Restaurant Marketing Workshop is designed to cover every touchpoint of the modern guest journey. If it impacts your brand's bottom line, it's on our schedule.

Don't let the AI era leave your brand behind. Join us in Boston to get the playbook you need to win the discovery game. Register here.

Marketing

About Cherryh Cansler

Cherryh Cansler is Publisher of FastCasual.com and Vice President of Connect Food. She has been covering the restaurant industry since 2012. Her byline has appeared in Forbes, The Kansas City Star and American Fitness magazine, among many others.

Connect with Cherryh: