Google Business Guidelines For Virtual Food Brands & Delivery-Only Businesses

Google has added new local business profile guidelines for virtual food brands and delivery-only food brands. This would be for businesses that re-package a local restaurant’s food but technically does not have its own location or business in that area. Kind of like MrBeast Burgers as Joy Hawkins explained at LocalU.

In short, Google now allows virtual food brands if they follow the conditions listed below or in the guidelines.

You can find the new guidelines added under the Chain Brands section of the guidelines. They read:

Virtual food brands

Virtual food brands are permitted with conditions.

Co-located food brands offering pick-up

– Food brands that are co-located each must have permanent separate signage. They should display their address only if they offer pick-up to all customers.

— Delivery-only brands (no-pick up option) out of shared kitchens must hide their address and add service areas to that specific brand to avoid confusing their customers.

Delivery-only food brands

• Delivery-only brands (i.e. those operating out of virtual kitchens) are permitted if they have distinct branded packaging and a distinct website.
• Multiple virtual brands operating out of one location are permitted, but are subject to additional verification steps.
• Delivery-only brands must add their service areas and hide the address on their business profile to avoid confusing their customers.
• If there is a partnership where a food brand has authorized the virtual kitchen as a verified provider of the food, the virtual kitchen may manage each authorized brand’s business profile once the authorization is confirmed.
• The facility that houses the delivery-only brands, i.e. Doordash Kitchens, is permitted to have its own separate business profile. Only someone affiliated with the facility can claim and verify this profile.

You can see MrBeast Burgers coming up in Google Search under “Meal Deliveries” headline in the local pack:

Forum discussion at Twitter.