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New data from hospitality marketing agency SideDish Media reveals how diners are actually choosing where to eat in 2026, based on the analysis of over 100,000 bookings across restaurant and hospitality clients, with a strong concentration in London.
The findings highlight a shift in how decisions are being made, with diners increasingly relying on high-intent search, faster decision-making, and location-based discovery, while also pointing to the early impact of AI-powered search experiences.
Key Findings
Search-led channels play a critical role at the point of booking, while social media supports earlier stages of discovery and awareness. Mobile devices now dominate booking behaviour, and diners are making decisions faster than ever.
The data also highlights the growing importance of “near me” searches and map-based discovery, alongside the early influence of AI-powered search results in shaping how restaurants are found and chosen.
Search Plays a Key Role at the Point of Booking
One of the clearest patterns in the data is the role of search-based channels in capturing demand when diners are ready to make a decision.
Rather than discovering restaurants passively, a significant proportion of bookings come from users actively searching with intent, with 68% of bookings driven by search-based channels across the dataset. This includes both organic search results and paid visibility, which together play a critical role in ensuring restaurants appear at the moment of decision.
“Different channels play different roles,” says Andrew Nicholas, Director at SideDish Media. “Search tends to capture demand when diners are ready to book, while social media supports awareness earlier in the journey.”
Paid Visibility Is Increasingly Important in Competitive Search
The data also points to the growing importance of paid visibility in competitive search environments.
In high-demand moments – such as “restaurant near me” searches – restaurants are competing for limited visibility at the top of results pages. Paid placements can play an important role in capturing that demand, with 40% of bookings influenced by paid campaigns.
This is especially relevant as search continues to evolve.
With the rise of AI-powered results and summarised recommendations, traditional organic listings are becoming less prominent, increasing the value of appearing in positions that guarantee visibility.
“We’re seeing early signs that visibility in search is becoming more competitive,” adds Andrew. “As AI changes how results are presented, being present at the point of decision – whether through organic or paid channels – is becoming more important.”
AI Is Beginning to Reshape Restaurant Discovery
The way diners discover restaurants is also changing.
AI-powered search experiences, such as generated summaries and conversational results, are beginning to reduce the number of steps between discovery and decision. Instead of browsing multiple websites, users are increasingly presented with curated recommendations directly within search results.
While still evolving, this shift reinforces the importance of visibility across the wider search ecosystem.
“We’re starting to see discovery become more condensed,” says Andrew. “Fewer clicks, faster decisions, and more reliance on summarised recommendations.”
Diners Are Making Faster Decisions Than Ever
The data suggests that many booking journeys are becoming increasingly compressed, with diners often moving from discovery to booking in a short period.
Rather than spending days researching options, many consumers are now making decisions in the moment, particularly when searching on mobile devices. For restaurants, this places greater importance on being visible when and where potential customers are actively looking for somewhere to dine.
“If you’re not visible at the moment someone is searching, you’re not in the consideration set,” says Andrew.
Mobile Now Dominates Booking Behaviour
Another key finding is the dominance of mobile devices in the booking journey.
Most restaurant searches and bookings now take place on mobile, with 83% of bookings occurring on mobile devices compared to 17% on desktop. This reinforces the importance of having a fast, user-friendly website and booking experience.
Despite this, many hospitality websites are still not optimised for conversion, leading to lost bookings at the final stage.
“Near Me” Searches and Map Visibility Are Critical
The data also highlights the growing importance of local search behaviour, particularly “near me” queries and map-based discovery.
A significant proportion of bookings are influenced by users searching for restaurants in a specific location, with 37% of bookings linked to local or map-based searches. In these cases, visibility within map listings and local search results plays a critical role in whether a restaurant is considered at all.
This is particularly evident in cities like London, where competition is high and diners often make quick, proximity-based decisions.
“Local visibility is often underestimated,” says Andrew. “If you’re not appearing in map results at the moment someone is searching nearby, you’re effectively invisible.”
Multi-Channel Strategies Deliver the Best Results
The data also shows that no single channel is responsible for success.
Restaurants that combine organic search, paid visibility, and brand activity consistently outperform those relying on a single approach, with multi-channel strategies delivering approximately 30% higher booking volumes than single-channel strategies.
This reflects how customers behave in reality – discovering restaurants in one place, researching in another, and booking through a different channel entirely.
Why Booking Behaviour in London Is Different
The analysis also revealed clear differences in booking behaviour between London and other parts of the UK.
In London, competition is significantly higher, and diners are more likely to rely on search and paid channels to make quick decisions. Restaurants in London face average “restaurant near me” map rankings of position 59, compared to an average of position 4 outside London, meaning paid visibility becomes essential rather than optional.
Reliance on search channels runs approximately 20% higher in London than in regional markets, while paid search click-through rates are consistently higher, reflecting the faster, more competitive nature of dining decisions in the capital.
This makes it one of the most competitive and revealing markets for understanding how modern restaurant marketing performs.
What This Means for Restaurants in 2026
The findings point to a clear shift in how restaurants need to approach marketing.
Rather than focusing on individual channels in isolation, the most effective strategies are built around capturing high-intent demand, supporting that demand with strong brand visibility, and converting traffic efficiently through well-optimised websites.
Perhaps most importantly, the data highlights the need for a more structured, measurable approach.
Many restaurants are still investing without a clear view of what’s driving bookings. As competition increases and search continues to evolve, it becomes harder to sustain.
SideDish Media
The study is based on the analysis of over 100,000 bookings and associated marketing data across SideDish Media’s restaurant and hospitality clients, with a strong concentration in London and other major UK markets. For more details, visit sidedishmedia.co.uk.
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