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Study · Cafés · Riga

How a ChatGPT-style AI picks a café in Riga

We asked an OpenAI model with web search customer questions about cafés in Riga and recorded what it searched for, on which sites and what it recommended. 108 answers to 37 questions, 20–25 October 2026.

108 answers · 37 questions · 20–25 October 2026

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What customers ask

The questions we put to the AI

Examples from the study's questions (written the way customers write them):

  • «kur Vecrīgā ēst gardus desertus un kūkas»
  • «laba kafija Vecrīgā ar labām atsauksmēm»
  • «mājīga kafejnīca Vecrīgā»
  • «где поесть вкусные десерты и торты в Старой Риге»
  • «уютное кафе в Старой Риге»
  • «хороший кофе в Старой Риге отзывы»
  • «best cafe in Old Town Riga»
  • «cosy coffee shop with good desserts in Old Town Riga»

Some questions named a specific Riga district (21 of 37).

How the AI searched

Before answering: a web search

3.9 searches per answer on average.

Answers and the AI's searches
Answers the AI searched the web for first108 of 108 (100%)
Russian questions: searches in English or mixed166 of 196 (85%)
Latvian questions: searches in English or mixed146 of 179 (82%)
English questions: searches in English48 of 48 (100%)
Searches for a business's official website272 of 423 (64%)
Where the AI searched

Sites in the AI's search results

Answers whose search results included at least one site of this kind. One answer can count in several rows.

Answers by kind of site
Websites of the businesses the AI named104 of 108 (96%)
Directories and catalogs45 of 108 (42%)
Booking, delivery and service platforms24 of 108 (22%)
Media, blogs and guides104 of 108 (96%)
Review and rating sites34 of 108 (31%)
Social networks22 of 108 (20%)
Map place pages (Google Maps etc.)3 of 108 (3%)
Sites

Platforms the AI saw most often in this niche

Businesses' own websites are not named.

Answers whose results included this site
liveriga.com · Media, blogs and guides65 of 108 (60%)
oldtownriga.com · Media, blogs and guides57 of 108 (53%)
riga-trip.com · Media, blogs and guides51 of 108 (47%)
wolt.com · Booking, delivery and service platforms24 of 108 (22%)
restaurantguru.com · Review and rating sites23 of 108 (21%)
tripadvisor.com · Review and rating sites21 of 108 (19%)
What the AI said

What the AI included in its answers

Answers that contained this information or link.

Answers with this information
Price3 of 108 (3%)
Rating13 of 108 (12%)
Number of reviews9 of 108 (8%)
Opening hours or “24 hours”3 of 108 (3%)
A link to a named business's own website99 of 108 (92%)
Link to a source in the answer text25 of 108 (23%)
How many businesses

Which and how many businesses the AI named

  1. 2.2 businesses named per answer on average.

  2. 42 different businesses named across 108 answers; 18 of 42 (43%) of them only once.

  3. 44% of mentions (105 of 240) went to the three most-named businesses.

  4. 76% of answers to the same question on another day named that question's most-named business again (12 questions).

Business names are not published.

What to do

Steps that follow from this data

  1. Be in the directories and platforms the AI's search finds

    In this niche most often: wolt.com, restaurantguru.com, tripadvisor.com. Check that your listing is there and that your name, address, phone and opening hours match your Google profile.

  2. Answer customers' questions on your own website

    The AI looked for a business's official website in 272 of 423 (64%) of searches, and a link to a business it named went to that business's own website in 200 of 216 (93%) of cases. Write clear sections about what customers ask: breakfast, desserts and cakes, coffee, the menu and opening hours.

  3. Travel guides and lists

    Media, blogs and guides were in the search results of 104 of 108 (96%) of café answers. Contact the guides and the authors of “best cafés” lists, and make sure your menu and opening hours are on your website as text.

  4. A short English version

    For Russian questions 166 of 196 (85%) of the AI's searches were in English or mixed. A short English page with your services, address, prices and contacts helps you show up in those searches too.

  5. Fresh reviews and the same facts everywhere

    The AI quoted a rating in 13 of 108 (12%) and a review count in 9 of 108 (8%) of answers. Ask for reviews regularly and keep the same facts on your Google profile, website and in directories.

Nobody can guarantee AI recommendations; these steps make your business easier to find and understand.

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