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Why does ChatGPT say my restaurant is closed?

Updated By Akkrev

ChatGPT or Google's AI telling diners you're closed? Where the wrong information comes from, how to trace it and whether you can contact OpenAI.

Key points

  • AI repeats what it finds. If it says you're closed, a source somewhere says so, or used to.
  • The usual culprits: an old 'temporarily closed' flag, last year's holiday hours, a forgotten directory or a previous business at your address.
  • Some AI models answer from memory, not a live search, so old facts can linger after you fix them.
  • There is no form to edit ChatGPT's answer. You correct the sources, then flag the answer.
  • Fixes show up at different speeds. Check again over the following weeks.
How to fix a wrong 'closed' answer
  1. 1

    Find the source

    Ask an AI that shows citations and open every link.

  2. 2

    Correct it

    Google, Apple, Bing, Yelp, TripAdvisor, booking sites and your own website.

  3. 3

    Flag the answer

    Use the thumbs-down or feedback button in ChatGPT, Gemini and Google.

  4. 4

    Recheck

    Ask the same question weekly until the answer is right everywhere.

ChatGPT says your restaurant is closed because a source it reads says so, or did until recently. The usual causes are an old “temporarily closed” flag on Google, last year’s holiday hours, a forgotten directory listing, or a previous business at your address. Some AI models also answer from older training data instead of a live search, so wrong facts can linger. There is no form to edit ChatGPT’s answer directly. You fix the sources, flag the answer and check again.

Few things cost a restaurant or café more quietly. Diners don’t complain. They just go somewhere else.

Where the wrong information comes from

  • Google “temporarily closed”. Set during a refurbishment, a holiday or the pandemic and never cleared.
  • Holiday hours from last Christmas or last summer still showing. A long run of “closed” special hours, such as a winter break, can also lead Google to show you as temporarily closed.
  • Old or duplicate listings on Yelp, TripAdvisor, Foursquare, Bing, Apple Maps or local directories you have forgotten.
  • A previous business at your address that is marked as closed, and gets mixed up with you.
  • Your own website, if a page still shows old hours or a “we’re closed for winter” notice.
  • Old articles and reviews that mention a closure.
  • Model memory. Some assistants, or some modes, answer without searching the web. They repeat what they learned months ago.

How to trace it

  1. Ask an assistant that shows its sources, such as Perplexity, ChatGPT with search on, or Google AI Mode: “Is [restaurant] in [town] open on Mondays?”
  2. Open every cited link and look for the wrong fact.
  3. If no source is cited, the answer may come from memory. Correct the sources anyway, so the next search finds the right answer.
  4. Search your address on Google Maps, Apple Maps and Yelp to catch old businesses or duplicates.

How to fix it

  • Google Business Profile. Check the status is “open”, update regular and special hours, and remove any old closure. Google’s Business Profile Help explains how to mark a business as reopened.
  • Apple Business Connect and Bing Places. These feed Apple Maps, Siri, Bing and tools that use Bing data.
  • Yelp, TripAdvisor, OpenTable, Resy and delivery apps. Update hours and status. Report duplicates.
  • Your website. One clear opening hours section, in text, with seasonal hours dated.
  • Old businesses at your address. Use “suggest an edit” on Google Maps to confirm the old one is permanently closed and is a different business.

Can you contact OpenAI or Google?

There is no business support channel to edit what ChatGPT or Gemini says. What you can do:

  • Use the thumbs-down or feedback button on the wrong answer and explain the error.
  • On Google, use the feedback link on the AI Overview.
  • Make sure OpenAI’s search crawler is not blocked on your website, so ChatGPT can read your corrected page. OpenAI says sites must not block OAI-SearchBot to appear in ChatGPT search.

Then check again

Answers built from a live search can change within days. Answers from model memory can take months. Ask the same question every week in a temporary chat until it is right everywhere, and look out for the error coming back after a listing is edited by someone else.

Akkrev checks the questions diners ask every week across ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Grok models and keeps the answers and sources, so you can spot a wrong fact and where it came from. See plans, or read why isn’t my business showing up in ChatGPT.

Questions

Why does ChatGPT say my restaurant is closed when it isn't?

Because a source it reads says so. Common causes are a temporary closure on Google that was never cleared, old holiday hours, an outdated directory listing, a previous business at your address, or a model answering from older training data.

Can I contact OpenAI to correct what ChatGPT says about my business?

There is no business form to edit answers. You can flag a wrong answer with the thumbs-down button and explain the error. The lasting fix is correcting the sources ChatGPT reads, so the next search finds the right information.

How long does it take for ChatGPT to update my opening hours?

When ChatGPT runs a live search, it can pick up a corrected source within days. Answers that come from a model's memory can take months to change. Keep checking with the same question.

Why does Google's AI say we're permanently closed?

Check your Google Business Profile status first. Then check whether Google Maps users have suggested a closure, and whether another listing at your address is marked closed.

Sources

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