You know what's tough for many restaurant owners? Building a website from the ground up. You’ve got a restaurant to run and aren’t a web developer, so why waste time trying to build a site that may not even work?
Don’t worry, there are website builders specifically for restaurants that make it fast, easy, and affordable to create a website that will actually get results and increase your sales. Instead of shelling out hundreds or thousands of dollars to a developer, these tools can help showcase your menu, take online orders, and include promotions for a fraction of the time and cost.
I’m a firm believer that a good website will have the highest return on investment for your business, so I created this guide to teach you step-by-step how to create a restaurant website.
1. Use a Restaurant Website Builder
A restaurant website builder is like a cheat code for skipping all the hassle and intimidation of starting a website from scratch. Instead of dealing with time and attention-draining tasks like picking a domain name, figuring out web hosting, and picking a content management system, restaurant website builders offer tools that will seriously lighten your load and free up more time for what really matters: your restaurant and your customers.
Your restaurant website should be easy to update, and, most importantly, should get more customers into your restaurant. I'm here to help walk you through options that we've recommended to restaurant owners before. Plus, you can check out our roundup of the best restaurant websites to help steer you in the right direction.
Owner.com
Owner.com is a great choice for restaurants that want to drive more direct online orders. The platform provides more than just a basic online presence. It rebuilds your website with search engine optimization in mind so that customers can find you, resulting in more orders and boosted sales.
It also features an online ordering system designed to convert and make upselling easier. Owner.com can be a great fit for you if you’re already getting sales through third parties and want to turn your efforts into getting direct orders through your website.
My team and I did thorough research and testing to ensure that Owner.com is simple to use and attracts more customers. Our platform features a simple design template made specifically for driving sales — it’s so easy to use that even those with limited technical skills can navigate it. However, if you’re looking for a larger selection of template options that you can customize, I’d recommend BentoBox with its in-house design team.
Owner websites come with an online ordering system that drives direct sales.
BentoBox
If you want a website that truly reflects your brand, BentoBox could be your go-to choice. Its in-house design team specializes in creating unique, eye-catching sites that leave a lasting impression. Each design is tailored to your brand, but keep in mind that BentoBox retains ownership of the final design. Once it's done, major changes might cost you.
BentoBox also prioritizes digital accessibility, ensuring your site is user-friendly for all customers and compliant with ADA guidelines, making it a solid option if accessibility and custom design are high on your list.
Popmenu
Popmenu is a restaurant marketing solution with a strong focus on menu design, complemented by features like:
- Online ordering
- Reservations
- Personalized offers
Its standout service lies in photography, providing a three-hour shoot to capture enticing images of your dishes, which you own and can use across various platforms. Popmenu also caters to restaurants of all sizes, making it a viable option for those seeking comprehensive marketing solutions.
While its website features are great for customizability robust, Popmenu doesn’t specialize in driving new users or sales and doesn't offer loyalty program perks.
Squarespace
Squarespace offers various customizable templates for creating visually stunning websites, as well as tools for editing page layouts and design elements.This platform allows for basic site building with templates, but deeper customization may require coding knowledge. It also features Tock, which allows restaurant owners to easily manage reservations and online ordering in one place.
Once you’ve chosen your website builder, you’re ready to begin adding elements that will make your site more visible to customers. This can be done through search engine optimization (SEO) — I’ll show you what this is, how you can do it and why it works below.
2. Build a Strong SEO Foundation
SEO is your friend when it comes to your restaurant website and can help customers find you. SEO is the way that you tell search engines (Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc.) what your website is about.
To help your website stand out more and attract more visitors, we made this SEO for restaurants guide with steps for a more useful and effective website, including:
- Use relevant keywords: Sprinkle relevant keywords throughout your website, including in titles and body text. Think about what hungry customers might be searching for – like "best pizza in [your city]" or "cozy brunch spot near me." You can see an example of this from one of our customers below.
- Make pages for key menu items: By creating unique pages for your stand-out dishes, you can help your site rank for more keywords. For example, Talkin Tacos created a “popular items” page on its online menu featuring its three top sellers. This strategic move aimed to grab the attention of those craving this dish in proximity to any of their locations.
- Create a user-friendly experience: When it comes to SEO, the time visitors spend on your website helps Google decide if your site is helpful. Adding pages like Home, About, and Menu can inform and interest your customers, making them stay longer on your site.
- Add local flavor: Don't forget to claim your Google My Business listing and ensure all your contact details are accurate. Encourage satisfied diners to leave positive reviews – they're like little love letters to Google, boosting your local search ranking.
Notice how Upper Crust uses relevant keywords on their homepage.
To make things easier, Owner.com’s restaurant website builder has SEO capabilities baked in to increase search visibility, so you don’t have to do the heavy lifting with the technical stuff.
3. Publish Engaging Content
Expand your website content — if you want to boost your sales, providing more information for your customers is key. This might include details about your menu and your story, things people often want to know.
Additionally, the content of your website makes you unique and stand out from other restaurants on the block, which can encourage customers to come back and spend money with you.
Now, how do you stand out with content? There’s no shortage of ways, so let’s dive in.
Include Your Menu
The most important piece of content on your website will be your restaurant menu. If a customer comes across your menu and it’s cluttered and hard to read, they may not pick your restaurant for their Saturday night dinner plans, and you could lose a sale.
A good menu on both desktop and mobile will be:
- Easy to read: A menu should be easy to read with all the content in one vertically scrollable row
- Interactive: if possible, let your site visitors jump to different menu sections. They’ll be able to quickly find what they’re looking for, whether that’s main dishes or desserts.
- Use assistive technology: This means that screen readers can read the content to visually-impaired users. Also, translators will be able to translate the content for non-English speakers.
- HTML instead of PDF: You should have an HTML menu typed out rather than only uploading a PDF. A written-out, coded menu provides a much better user experience for your website visitors. The PDF on mobile is far too hard to read and will require “pinching in” and scrolling to make it legible.
A lot of the time, having your menu right there on your online ordering platform makes things so much smoother for both you and your customers. People can check it out easily and also know they can order straight from you. Plus, keeping it updated is a breeze compared to dealing with a PDF menu.
For example, check out the simple and easy-to-read design from AB Crepes:
If you’d like to include a downloadable PDF as an option, by all means, do it. But it should supplement your main online menu, not a replacement.
Tell Your Story On an About Page
Does a restaurant really need an “about us” page? After all, we already talked about why most people visit your site — for the menu and location, right? That’s true. And yet, you should absolutely include an “about us” page because it’s a great opportunity to tell your story.
The substance of your “about us” page depends a lot on the restaurant. To figure out your restaurant’s story, ask yourself these questions:
- When did you know you wanted to open a restaurant?
- Why do you serve your style of food?
- Why is your restaurant located in your city? Were you born there? If not, why did you move there?
- What’s your favorite dish on the menu?
- What do you like about being a restaurateur?
- What are you grateful for?
- What are your business values?
For example, Delta Cafe and Bar used Owner.com to create an awesome “Our Story” page with a headline that makes you want to read more: “Clogging Arteries and Breaking Hearts Since 1994”. At Owner.com we make sure to tell the restaurant’s story because we've seen first hand that it increases conversions.
Show Customers How to Book With You
Providing a space for your reservation details is an easy way to make sure customers know how to book with you and can generate business. While you can provide an online form that you manage yourself, an integration with reservation software, like OpenTable or Resy, may provide a better user experience.
This software lets users book tables under their profile, meaning less typing for the guest and one less barrier to booking with you.
When building your reservations page, you should focus on, including:
- Reservation policies, such as seating incomplete parties, outside food and drink, no-show penalties if you charge for booking
- Party size requirements and any limitations on hours or days of the week
- Cancellation requirements
If you are available for private parties, you should also lay out policies, like:
- Include party size requirements for a private space
- Explain service options. For example, some restaurants require large parties to order family-style platters or buffet service rather than offering plated dinners.
- Describe your venues, such as the restaurant’s square footage, max capacity, and any A/V capabilities if you offer buyouts.
List Contact Information and Social Media
Including your contact information is an obvious one — include your address, email, and phone number on your site. You should also include your social media accounts.
Your customers are going to do some additional research on review sites and your social media accounts. Potential customers don’t just want to know what you’re saying about your restaurant. They want to know what other people are saying, too.
Social media for restaurants, if leveraged properly, can boost business. Many customers may go to your feeds to look at what other customers are saying, and if it’s positive, they’ll be more enticed to come visit. Since 29% of Millennials and Gen Z prefer to search for information on social platforms, make that research easy on them by including links to your social media feeds on your website.
Use High-Quality Images to Attract Visitors
We’ve talked a lot about written content so far, but we haven’t talked about something equally important — images. Food is visual, right? We’ve all heard the saying, “People eat with their eyes.” Going out to eat is an experience that entices all the senses. Unfortunately, you can’t harness smell, taste, or touch over the internet.
So, harness the visuals of your food (and space) to maximum effect when you create your restaurant website. It’s okay to use cell phone pictures for social media. Modern smartphones are perfectly adequate for Instagram and Facebook images. But when it comes to your website, it pays to spring for professional photography.
Tip: Don't forget to add ALT text to your images. ALT text describes what's going on in the image, so people who rely on screen readers can still get the full picture. It's a small step that makes your website more accessible to everyone — plus, it can lead to more customers and more money for your business.
Spotlight Customer Testimonials and Reviews
These days, no one goes anywhere without checking online first. As many as 94% of people will pick a restaurant based on its online reviews. You’ve earned those good reviews. So, make them work for you by including some of your best reviews on your website in a Reviews or Testimonials section.
You can manually select your favorite reviews from sites like Yelp, Google, Facebook and TripAdvisor. Or, you can install a third-party review widget.
Another form of validation is media mentions, like:
- A glowing writeup from your local food writer or your city’s leading food magazine — this is a huge win, and you should share it! You can include simple links to the articles or include article content or quotes right on your site. Adding some quotes to your site is a great way to beef up your content.
- Awards, whether they come from prestigious food publications or simply a local reader’s choice poll.
Just take a look at how Sushi Me Rollin’ uses Owner.com to showcase its raving reviews:
Showcase Upcoming Events
There are several reasons to list all of your events on your site, even if you already do on social media. For starters, not everyone who visits your website will also check your Facebook or Instagram. They might be awfully disappointed to show up for dinner, just to find that you’re closed for a private event that night.
Plus, it’s another opportunity to market your events, whether they’re onsite or offsite. Create an event calendar for things like:
- Live music
- Special dinners
- Parties
- Fundraisers
- Cooking demos
- Trivia night
Tip: Make sure you’re updating it every month — no one likes to get excited about events that have already passed.
Add a Gift Card Page
Adding information about your gift cards or including a gift card page is a fantastic way to encourage ongoing spending. Customers often spend more than the value of the gift card, leading to a noteworthy 6% increase in your overall sales.
For inspiration, look at how Honeybear Cafe incorporates gift cards on its website using Owner.com.
4. Set Up Online Ordering and Delivery
Depending on your restaurant style, you may want to consider offering online ordering. Even if you only offer your online ordering for pickup, the convenience of quick takeout can be a selling point for your customers.
Ensure your website prominently features an online ordering button at the top for easy access. Owner.com enables you to create your own online delivery system, facilitating commission-free deliveries through your website and utilizing third-party driver networks.
Direct ordering from your site can be more cost-effective for customers than apps, fostering repeat business and increased spending. It's a game-changer, and it's as amazing as it sounds. Take a look at how Sauce the City used Owner.com to showcase its delivery page.
Tip: To keep customers ordering through your website, offer a loyalty system — I’ll dive into this in the next point.
5. Include a Loyalty Program
A restaurant website is important for driving direct orders, and a loyalty program is a simple yet effective strategy to offer perks and show gratitude for their patronage. Implementing a loyalty program is an excellent marketing tactic for restaurants because it:
- Drives sales
- Cultivates customer loyalty
- Boosts customer loyalty
- Promotes repeat business
A program like this can incentivize customers to return, increasing your sales. Learn more about how a loyalty program like Owner.com’s can keep your customers ordering directly through you versus third-party apps like DoorDash and UberEats.
6. Publish and Promote Your Website
After making sure your website contains what I’ve mentioned above, you’re ready to publish it. Plus, you’ll want to know some restaurant promotion ideas to make sure your customers know your new and improved website is live.
Here are some quick tips I like to follow when promoting a website:
- Share the page on social media
- Include your website URL on physical things in your restaurant, like the menus and takeaway bags
- Add the URL to your business and gift cards
- Add QR codes. QR codes that customers can scan with their phones to view a menu or promotion deal will likely link them automatically to your website
Tip: Add something about asking friends/family/customers for feedback to see where you can improve on your site
Use Email Marketing to Spread the Word
You can also use email marketing to announce your revamped website. Include the news in a newsletter or email blast to current customers. With Owner.com, you can do this easily by taking advantage of the program's automation features that will disperse promotions and updates for you.
Update Your Google My Business and Yelp
Don't forget about your Google My Business and Yelp pages – they're key ingredients in getting the word out about your restaurant website!
- Google My Business (GMB): Keep your GMB listing fresh and inviting by updating it with your website URL. Anyone searching for your restaurant on Google will be directed to your site.
- Yelp: Your Yelp page is another important platform for reaching potential customers. Update your Yelp profile with your website URL, and consider adding a post or announcement to let your loyal Yelp followers know about the exciting changes.
With up-to-date Google My Business and Yelp pages, you'll ensure that customers can easily find and spend with your restaurant online. Learn more about how to set up and optimize your Google My Business Profile.
Create a Website That Drives More Sales
These days, the best restaurant websites have a blend of traditional components and modern technical tools. Your menu and photos won’t be enough if you aren’t optimizing your site for search engines and making sure that it’s easy to find.
Your website should tell the guest what to expect when they enter your restaurant. Consider it a digital extension of your physical space. The design elements should flow from your restaurant design. A bright, modern restaurant should have a bright, modern website.
If you follow the steps outlined in this article, you will have a website that will provide what users want, be more visible on the internet, and boost your sales. With Owner.com's restaurant website builder, you can connect directly with customers instead of giving away your sales and customer information to third-party apps.
