How does Google know a restaurant's hours?

Google pulls hours from several places at once: what the owner enters in their Business Profile, the restaurant's own website, data it licenses from other companies and facts that Maps users contribute. It also checks some listings itself, sometimes by calling the business.

Google lists those sources in its Business Profile help, along with information from its own interactions with a place. Owners who claim their profile can set and change the hours, but Google doesn't rely on them alone.

How Google spots hours that look wrong

In 2022, Google described a model that flags business hours that are likely wrong. It looks at signals like how long since the owner last updated the profile, the hours of nearby shops and Popular Times data. If a place looks busiest during hours Maps lists as closed, that's a clue. Google then predicts new hours using the restaurant's website and Street View photos of hours signs on the door.

Those predictions get checked. Google may send an automated call, text or WhatsApp message to the number on the profile to confirm details such as hours. Changes from those calls are marked "Pending" while they're reviewed, which can take up to 5 business days.

Maps users help too. If you've visited a place, Google may show a "Know this place?" prompt. Those questions focus on details Google is less sure about, and your answers are combined with input from other users and the owner.

None of this guarantees tonight's hours, since a kitchen can close early without anyone telling Google. Late Night Food Spots shows the date each listing's hours were last verified, so you can see how fresh they are.