Dishoom Hires Brainlabs to Get Found in AI Search — a Sign of the GEO Era
Restaurant group Dishoom has appointed agency Brainlabs, after a competitive pitch, specifically to boost its 'AI discovery' — a clear signal that being recommended by ChatGPT and Google's AI answers is becoming its own marketing discipline.
Why a Restaurant Is Optimising for AI
Beloved Indian restaurant group Dishoom has hired agency Brainlabs following a competitive pitch, with a brief centred on improving its discovery in AI-powered search. In plain terms: making sure that when someone asks ChatGPT, Gemini or Google's AI Overviews 'where should I eat in London?', Dishoom is in the answer.
It's a small appointment with a big signal. When a brand that already enjoys huge word-of-mouth invests specifically in AI discoverability, it tells you the channel has crossed from experiment to necessity.
SEO Is Becoming GEO
The discipline now has a name: generative engine optimisation, or GEO — shaping how AI systems understand, trust and cite your brand, rather than just where you rank on a page of blue links. The mechanics differ: structured data, consistent information across the web, genuine third-party citations and reviews that language models actually read.
The urgency is real. Gartner has predicted that traditional search engine volume will fall 25% by 2026 as consumers shift queries to AI chatbots and virtual agents. If a quarter of searches move to answer engines, being invisible in those answers is a growth problem, not a technical footnote.
What Good AI Discovery Actually Requires
GEO rewards clarity and consistency. That means clean, structured information (opening hours, menus, locations) that machines can parse; a coherent story about what you are and who you're for; and a footprint of credible mentions and reviews that AI models treat as evidence.
Crucially, you can't buy your way in with ad spend alone. AI answers are assembled from what the wider web says about you, which makes owned content, PR and reputation the raw material of visibility — a very different game from bidding on keywords.
Marketing Minute's Read
Our take: Dishoom's move is a prompt for every local and national business to ask a simple question — what does ChatGPT say about us today? Run the queries your customers would, and see whether you appear, and whether the facts are right.
Start with the basics: accurate structured data, consistent listings, and a steady stream of genuinely useful content and reviews. GEO isn't a dark art; it's mostly doing the fundamentals well, in a format machines can read. The brands acting now will own the answers later.
Quick FAQ
What did Dishoom hire Brainlabs to do?
To improve its discovery in AI-powered search — making Dishoom more likely to be recommended by tools like ChatGPT, Gemini and Google's AI Overviews. The agency was appointed after a competitive pitch.
What is GEO (generative engine optimisation)?
The practice of shaping how AI systems understand, trust and cite your brand in their answers — using structured data, consistent information and credible third-party mentions, rather than just traditional page rankings.
Is AI search really that big yet?
Gartner has predicted traditional search engine volume will drop 25% by 2026 as users move to AI chatbots and agents — enough of a shift that AI visibility now matters for growth.
When a brand with word-of-mouth as strong as Dishoom's still pays to be found by AI, that's your cue. The blue-link era is giving way to the answer era, and answer engines don't read your ad budget — they read what the whole web says about you. Get your facts, structure and reputation right now, and you'll own the answers later. — Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing
Answer engines don't read your ad budget — they read what the web says about you, so owned content, structured data and reputation are the new visibility.
Have you actually asked ChatGPT about your business lately — and did it get you right, or get you at all?
If you would like to know more about this topic, please contact us on danieln@merxmarketing.co.uk
Sources: Campaign, Brainlabs, Gartner.
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Written by Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing Ltd and Marketing Minute
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