Google Business Profile Adds Ordering Controls and Messenger Links, Asks Some for an EIN

Key takeaways

• Ordering controls (confirmed by Google): restaurants can now turn off specific third-party ordering providers, such as Uber Eats, DoorDash, Instacart and Grubhub, directly from their Business Profile dashboard. Google's Lisa Landsman announced it on LinkedIn, and Search Engine Roundtable reported it on October 28, 2026.
• Messenger links (reported): Google has been emailing some businesses to say it is automatically adding Facebook Messenger m.me links to their profiles. Search Engine Roundtable reported the emails on October 28. Google has not published an announcement.
• EIN request (reported): some businesses setting up the message button say Google asked for their Employer Identification Number (EIN) and a privacy policy link before a "Google partner" reviews their details, according to Search Engine Roundtable.
• None of the three is described as a ranking change. They change how customers order from, and contact, a business.

1. You decide which delivery apps appear on your profile

Restaurant owners have long asked for more say over which ordering links show on their profile. Landsman put it plainly in her announcement: "One of the most frequent requests we hear from restaurant operators is simple: more control over their ordering links." She said businesses can now "manage and opt out of specific providers directly from your dashboard," with "direct control, zero back-and-forth."

According to Search Engine Roundtable, providers can be turned off fully or partially, without sending a request to each delivery platform. Its screenshot suggests the setting can be applied to pickup, delivery or both, though the article presents that as its reading of the screenshot.

Ordering options sit in the Food ordering settings of the profile, where Google's help page on managing online ordering options also describes marking a preferred provider for pickup or delivery.

What to do: open your profile's food ordering settings, list every provider currently shown, and switch off the ones you don't work with, or whose fees make those orders unprofitable. Then mark your preferred provider, or your own ordering page, where that option is available.

2. Messenger links your business may not have added

The emails seen by Search Engine Roundtable say Google is "automatically adding Facebook (Meta) Messenger M.me links" to Business Profiles. An m.me link opens a direct Messenger chat with a Facebook Page. Barry Schwartz noted that he had not seen Google add m.me links to profiles before.

This follows the WhatsApp button seen in local panels earlier in October, also drawing on contact details Google can add to a profile itself.

What to do: check your profile for a Messenger link you didn't add. If it points to the right Facebook Page and someone answers Messenger, keep it. If the Page is old or unmonitored, update or remove it: an unanswered chat costs you the enquiry.

3. An EIN request when turning on messages

A business owner told Search Engine Roundtable that Google "is asking for an EIN and an additional Privacy Policy URL" when setting up messaging on the profile. The screenshot shows Google's explanation: "To help protect you and your customers, a Google partner will review your details before you can receive messages."

Only "some businesses" have reported it, and Google has not said which businesses are asked or whether it will become standard. An EIN is a US federal tax ID, so this applies to US businesses.

What to do: if you want messages on your profile, have your EIN and a live privacy policy page ready before you start. Only enter your EIN inside your Business Profile, never in reply to an email or call claiming to be from Google.

What this means for local SEO

All three are about conversion rather than rankings. Google's guidance on improving local ranking still rests on relevance, distance and prominence. What these changes affect is what a customer can do once they find you: order through the app you choose, message you, or reach a dead end.

That makes a profile check worth doing this week: open your profile signed out, on a phone, and tap every button a customer would. You can follow every Business Profile and Maps change in our local SEO news.

Quick answers

Can I remove Uber Eats or DoorDash from my Google Business Profile?

Google says restaurants can now opt out of specific third-party ordering providers directly from the Business Profile dashboard.

Why is there a Messenger link on my Business Profile?

Google has emailed some businesses saying it is automatically adding Facebook Messenger m.me links. Check that the link goes to your current Facebook Page.

Why is Google asking for my EIN?

Some businesses report being asked for an EIN and a privacy policy link when setting up messages, so a Google partner can review their details. Google has not published details of who is asked.

Sources

• Google Business Profiles Finally Adds Third-Party Ordering Controls — Search Engine Roundtable, October 28, 2026, citing Lisa Landsman of Google on LinkedIn.
• Google Business Profiles Adds Facebook Messenger M.me Links — Search Engine Roundtable, October 28, 2026.
• Google Business Profiles Asking Businesses For EIN — Search Engine Roundtable, October 28, 2026.
• Manage online ordering options — Google Business Profile Help.
• Tips to improve your local ranking on Google — Google Business Profile Help.

Last verified: 29 October 2026.