Google's AI Mode now spans 180 countries with agentic features that can suggest and help book restaurants.

Introduction

Searching for a restaurant may soon feel like talking to a local assistant. Google has expanded AI Mode to 180 countries and added an agentic restaurant finder that can search, recommend, and even help book a table online. This move pushes AI-powered search and conversational commerce into everyday local discovery, changing how customers find and interact with businesses.

Background: The evolution of AI search

AI Mode marks a shift from passive results to active assistance. Instead of bouncing between review sites, maps, and reservation platforms, users get a unified conversational experience. This agentic search approach reduces friction between discovery and action, helping users complete tasks such as reservations, directions, and contact requests within the AI flow.

Key features to watch

• Agentic restaurant discovery: AI suggests restaurants based on preferences, dietary needs, and location. It can handle complex requests like finding a quiet Italian place with outdoor seating that is available tonight.
• Integrated booking assistance: The system helps facilitate reservations and can connect users to reservation systems or provide streamlined contact methods for instant reservation and confirmation.
• Contextual planning: Recommendations factor in travel time, parking, public transit, and weather to deliver practical, localized suggestions.
• Local signals and data: The feature leverages Maps, reviews, and business profiles to provide trustworthy, actionable recommendations.
• Upcoming expansions: Google plans agentic event and appointment finders, extending capabilities into healthcare, entertainment, and professional services.

What this means for consumers

Customers get faster outcomes. Queries like “best sushi near me” or “book a table for two tonight” move from search intent to completed action. The rise of conversational booking and AI-driven shopping assistants means users will increasingly expect seamless end to end experiences from discovery to reservation.

What this means for local businesses

Agentic search can increase conversion by reducing booking abandonment and delivering qualified leads. At the same time, it raises the bar for local presence. Businesses should focus on:

• Optimizing Google Business Profile and keeping hours, menus, and contact info accurate.
• Implementing structured data for menus, reservations, and reviews so AI systems can extract and cite information.
• Highlighting real customer experience to demonstrate E E A T, with clear expertise and trust signals.
• Making online booking seamless so the AI can complete transactions or pass a confirmed reservation to users.

Local SEO and optimization tips

To be discoverable in this new era of AI search results, focus on semantic relevance and clear intent signals. Practical steps include:

• Use conversational phrases in content such as “how to appear in Google AI Mode results”, “book a table online”, and “best restaurant near me”.
• Apply schema markup for local business, menus, and reservation availability so agentic systems can cite your site.
• Publish concise, scannable content that answers common reservation and accessibility questions.
• Collect and surface recent reviews and local awards to support authority in AI summaries.

Conclusion

Google’s expansion of AI Mode to 180 countries and the roll out of an agentic restaurant finder signals a larger shift toward conversational commerce and agentic search. For consumers, discovery becomes faster and more actionable. For businesses, the opportunity is clear: adapt local SEO, improve booking flows, and use structured data to be found and cited by AI. Those who optimize for this AI driven landscape will be best positioned to capture reservations and local customers as the system rolls out more agentic capabilities for events and appointments.