Original research · 2026-07 edition

AI SEO Statistics: Delis (2026-07 edition)

40 questions · 120 AI responses · 3 models · measured 2026-07-06

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The question bank

The questions we tested — sampled from real buyer journeys in delis.

Each model answered every question once, same wording, same day. These are the prompts behind every percentage on this page.

Who are the best deli caterers for a corporate lunch with a $200 budget?
Is it worth paying more for house-cured meats at a deli versus standard brands?
How many pounds of potato salad do I need to order for a party of 15 people?
What's the difference between a New York style deli and an Italian deli for catering?
Can I find a deli that offers individual lunch boxes for a school field trip?
How do I know if a deli uses fresh-sliced meat or just pre-packaged stuff?
What are the red flags I should look for when checking a deli's display case?
Is it cheaper to buy a pre-made meat platter or just buy the meat by the pound and DIY?
Show all 40 questions
Where can I find a deli that delivers large sandwich orders on short notice?
What are some good vegetarian options at a traditional meat-heavy deli?
How much lead time do delis usually need for a 50-person sandwich order?
Are there any delis nearby that specialize in gluten-free sandwich bread?
What's the standard tipping etiquette for a large deli catering delivery?
How can I tell if the pastrami at a deli is actually hand-carved or machine-sliced?
What are the best-reviewed delis for a breakfast meeting with bagels and spreads?
Is it better to get a giant sub or a platter of assorted wraps for an office party?
Which delis in my area have the highest health department ratings currently?
Can a deli accommodate a strictly nut-free environment for a catering event?
What should I expect to pay for a premium charcuterie board from a high-end deli?
Do most local delis offer a discount for recurring weekly office lunch orders?
How do I choose between a local mom-and-pop deli and a national chain for catering?
What are the must-have items for a classic Jewish-style deli platter for a wake?
Are there delis that provide servers for a private event or is it always drop-off?
How do I keep deli sandwiches from getting soggy if I have to pick them up two hours early?
What's the difference in flavor between corned beef and pastrami when ordering a tray?
Where can I find a deli that offers organic or grass-fed roast beef options?
Can I customize every sandwich in a catering order or do they usually come in pre-set varieties?
What are some unique deli side dishes to order besides standard coleslaw and potato salad?
How do I verify if a deli is truly kosher-certified or just 'kosher-style'?
What's the best way to transport a large deli order across town without the meats getting warm?
Are there delis that offer 'build-your-own' sandwich bars for wedding rehearsals?
How many sandwiches should I order for 25 people if I know some guests are heavy eaters?
What are the visual signs of a high-quality Italian sub before I buy it?
Can I find a deli that does hot catering like brisket, soups, and hot pastrami?
Is it possible to get a partial refund from a deli if the catering order arrived missing items?
What are the most popular deli meats to include for a crowd with diverse tastes?
How do I compare the value of two different deli catering menus that have different pricing structures?
Where can I find a deli that sells artisanal cheeses by the block along with their sandwiches?
What's the best deli for a quick grab-and-go lunch that actually tastes homemade?
Do delis usually include disposable plates, napkins, and utensils with their catering packages?

Model by model

19-point average divergence: which AI you ask changes the answer.

The divergence index is the average gap between the most and least likely model per behavior. Higher = the models disagree more about delis buyers.

Behavior rates across 40 delis buyer questions, 2026-07 edition. Last column: average across models.
ChatGPTClaudeGeminiConsensus
Recommends hiring a professional28%23%18%78%
Suggests DIY first18%13%3%75%
Names specific providers18%25%40%65%
Gives price or cost info20%10%23%83%
Tells to check reviews13%20%3%75%
Tells to verify credentials10%5%3%90%
Mentions case studies / portfolio3%0%0%98%
Mentions local proximity30%48%33%63%
Gives selection criteria53%58%45%58%
Warns about red flags10%13%8%85%
Asks a clarifying question63%73%8%8%
Recommends multiple quotes5%3%0%93%

By model

How each assistant handled Delis questions.

Reading the 120 answers model by model shows how differently the three assistants treat the same delis questions. On the most consequential behavior — whether to send the buyer to a professional at all — the rate ranged from 27.5% (ChatGPT) down to 17.5% (Gemini), a 10-point gap on an identical question set.

Across the 40 delis answers it produced, ChatGPT recommended hiring a professional in 27.5% of them and suggested a DIY approach first 17.5% of the time. It named a specific provider in 17.5% of answers (about 0.9 distinct providers per answer) and included price or cost information 20% of the time. ChatGPT asked a clarifying question before answering in 62.5% of cases, warned about red flags or scams in 10%, and told the buyer to verify credentials in 10%, averaging 359 words per answer. On the remaining cues it told the buyer to check reviews in 12.5%, pointed to case studies or a portfolio in 2.5%, and framed the choice around local proximity in 30%; a selection-criteria checklist appeared in 52.5% of its answers and a recommendation to gather multiple quotes in 5%.

Across the 40 delis answers it produced, Claude recommended hiring a professional in 22.5% of them and suggested a DIY approach first 12.5% of the time. It named a specific provider in 25% of answers (about 0.9 distinct providers per answer) and included price or cost information 10% of the time. Claude asked a clarifying question before answering in 72.5% of cases, warned about red flags or scams in 12.5%, and told the buyer to verify credentials in 5%, averaging 245 words per answer. On the remaining cues it told the buyer to check reviews in 20%, pointed to case studies or a portfolio in 0%, and framed the choice around local proximity in 47.5%; a selection-criteria checklist appeared in 57.5% of its answers and a recommendation to gather multiple quotes in 2.5%.

Across the 40 delis answers it produced, Gemini recommended hiring a professional in 17.5% of them and suggested a DIY approach first 2.5% of the time. It named a specific provider in 40% of answers (about 1.5 distinct providers per answer) and included price or cost information 22.5% of the time. Gemini asked a clarifying question before answering in 7.5% of cases, warned about red flags or scams in 7.5%, and told the buyer to verify credentials in 2.5%, averaging 255 words per answer. On the remaining cues it told the buyer to check reviews in 2.5%, pointed to case studies or a portfolio in 0%, and framed the choice around local proximity in 32.5%; a selection-criteria checklist appeared in 45% of its answers and a recommendation to gather multiple quotes in 0%.

Taken together, ChatGPT is the assistant most likely to route a delis buyer to a professional (27.5%) and Gemini the least (17.5%). ChatGPT produced the longest answers, at 359 words on average. Specific providers were named most often by Gemini (40%) — even there, roughly one answer in 3 carried a name.

Where they disagree

The behaviors where the choice of model changes the answer.

The divergence index for this study is 18.5 points — the average distance between the most and least likely model across the coded behaviors. The gaps below are where which assistant a delis buyer happens to ask matters most:

  • Asks a clarifying question: from 7.5% (Gemini) to 72.5% (Claude) — a 65-point spread.
  • Names a specific provider: from 17.5% (ChatGPT) to 40% (Gemini) — a 23-point spread.
  • Tells the buyer to check reviews: from 2.5% (Gemini) to 20% (Claude) — a 18-point spread.
  • Mentions local proximity: from 30% (ChatGPT) to 47.5% (Claude) — a 18-point spread.
  • Suggests a DIY approach first: from 2.5% (Gemini) to 17.5% (ChatGPT) — a 15-point spread.

The widest single gap — asks a clarifying question, 65 points — means a delis buyer can receive materially different guidance on the same question depending only on which assistant they happen to open, so any visibility strategy built on a single model's behavior describes only part of the delis market.

Where they agree

The points of near-consensus in Delis.

On other behaviors the three models move almost in lockstep — the points of near-consensus for delis, where all three landed within a few points of each other:

  • Mentions case studies or portfolio: 0%–2.5% across all three (a 3-point spread).
  • Warns about red flags or scams: 7.5%–12.5% across all three (a 5-point spread).
  • Recommends multiple quotes: 0%–5% across all three (a 5-point spread).
  • Tells the buyer to verify credentials: 2.5%–10% across all three (a 8-point spread).

Measured question by question, the three assistants coded a response the same way most consistently on "mentions case studies or portfolio" (identical coding in 97.5% of questions) and least consistently on "asks a clarifying question" (7.5%).

Every behavior, measured

All twelve coded behaviors for Delis, averaged across the three models.

The behaviors AI models reproduce most often for delis are gives selection criteria (51.7% on average), asks a clarifying question (47.5%) and mentions local proximity (36.7%); the rarest are mentions case studies or portfolio (0.8%), recommends multiple quotes (2.5%) and tells the buyer to verify credentials (5.8%). Each figure below is the share of a model's 40 answers in which the behavior appeared at least once, averaged across the 3 models with the full per-model range in parentheses:

  • Gives selection criteria: 51.7% on average (ChatGPT 52.5%, Claude 57.5%, Gemini 45%) — a 13-point spread.
  • Asks a clarifying question: 47.5% on average (ChatGPT 62.5%, Claude 72.5%, Gemini 7.5%) — a 65-point spread.
  • Mentions local proximity: 36.7% on average (ChatGPT 30%, Claude 47.5%, Gemini 32.5%) — a 18-point spread.
  • Names a specific provider: 27.5% on average (ChatGPT 17.5%, Claude 25%, Gemini 40%) — a 23-point spread.
  • Recommends hiring a professional: 22.5% on average (ChatGPT 27.5%, Claude 22.5%, Gemini 17.5%) — a 10-point spread.
  • Gives price or cost information: 17.5% on average (ChatGPT 20%, Claude 10%, Gemini 22.5%) — a 13-point spread.
  • Tells the buyer to check reviews: 11.7% on average (ChatGPT 12.5%, Claude 20%, Gemini 2.5%) — a 18-point spread.
  • Suggests a DIY approach first: 10.8% on average (ChatGPT 17.5%, Claude 12.5%, Gemini 2.5%) — a 15-point spread.
  • Warns about red flags or scams: 10% on average (ChatGPT 10%, Claude 12.5%, Gemini 7.5%) — a 5-point spread.
  • Tells the buyer to verify credentials: 5.8% on average (ChatGPT 10%, Claude 5%, Gemini 2.5%) — a 8-point spread.
  • Recommends multiple quotes: 2.5% on average (ChatGPT 5%, Claude 2.5%, Gemini 0%) — a 5-point spread.
  • Mentions case studies or portfolio: 0.8% on average (ChatGPT 2.5%, Claude 0%, Gemini 0%) — a 3-point spread.

Trust signals

How well the models protect the delis buyer.

Beyond whether to hire, the rubric codes how carefully each assistant protects the delis buyer once a decision is made. Telling the buyer to check reviews or ratings appeared in 11.7% of answers on average. Verifying credentials or certifications appeared in 5.8%. Warning about red flags or scams appeared in 10%.

On structuring the decision, a selection-criteria checklist showed up in 51.7% of answers on average and a recommendation to gather multiple quotes in 2.5%. The single least-reproduced protective signal for delis is "recommends multiple quotes" at 2.5% on average — the clearest opening for content that supplies it, since the models are not yet reliably surfacing that guidance on their own.

Referral behavior

Do AI models name Delis providers?

For service providers the decisive question is whether these systems name anyone at all. Across 120 delis answers, a specific provider was named in 27.5% of responses on average — roughly 1.1 distinct providers per answer. In practice the assistants behave far more as an explanatory layer than as a referral engine for delis: visibility comes from being the reasoning a model reproduces, not from being the named recommendation.

The question set

What these 40 Delis questions cover.

The 40 questions behind every percentage on this page were drawn from real delis (hospitality; buyer hiring decisions for this specific service) buyer journeys. Each was put to all 3 models once, with identical wording, so the rates above describe how the assistants handled this exact delis question set — not a general prior or a hand-picked subset. The full list is shown earlier on this page; the coded percentages are what those specific questions produced.

How to read this

A note on the numbers.

A percentage here is the share of a model's 40 answers in which the behavior appeared at least once — not a confidence score. Because each model answered every question exactly once on 2026-07-06, the figures describe this specific delis question set and snapshot rather than a general prior. The full protocol and coding rubric are documented in the study methodology.

Methodology

A controlled snapshot, documented end to end.

40 standardized buyer questions per industry, one response per model per question (ChatGPT (gpt-5-mini), Claude (claude-sonnet-5), Gemini (gemini-3-flash-preview)), collected 2026-07-06, coded against a fixed 12-behavior rubric with human QA. AI outputs vary with model version, location and time — figures describe this sample and window, and are refreshed each edition. Read the full methodology →