Websites and marketingfor restaurants.
Diners decide from the menu and photos in under a minute. I design the site, build it, then run the search, email and ads that keep the enquiries coming.
Growing a businesslike yours.
How restaurants win customers online, and what I would put in place to win more of them.
How customers choose
Diners decide where to eat on their phone, often in under a minute. They look at photos, the menu, the location and the reviews, and they book or walk in. A restaurant with a slow site or a PDF menu loses people at exactly the moment they are deciding.
What the website has to do
The site should show the menu as text that loads instantly, offer direct table booking and have pages for private dining, events and special menus. Good photography and accurate opening hours matter more than clever design. Booking through your own site keeps the guest relationship with you instead of a platform.
What keeps it busy
An email list of regulars is one of the most valuable assets a restaurant can build, filling quiet nights with offers and announcements. A well-kept Google profile, reviews and local search for cuisine and occasion keep new diners finding you.
Where it usually leaks
The places restaurants most often lose a customer who was ready to buy.
- The booking button goes to a third party that markets your competitors to your guests.
- The menu is a PDF that will not load on a phone and cannot be read by search.
- Reservations and orders go through apps that take a cut and keep the customer.
- Regulars are never asked to come back, so every visit has to be won again.
Where I’d start
A fast mobile site with a real text menu, direct ordering or booking, and an email list that gives regulars a reason to return.
- A text menu that loads instantly
- Direct table booking
- Private dining and events enquiry
- An email list for regulars
What your customers search
Tap one to run that exact search on Google and see who shows up where you are. If it is not you, each of these deserves a page that answers it directly.
Questionsworth asking.
- How much does a website for restaurants cost?
- It depends on the project, so there is no rate card. The number comes from how many pages and services the site covers, whether it needs booking, payments or integrations, and whether you want the marketing run after launch. After a 30-minute call you get a written scope and a quote, usually within two working days, and I will tell you honestly what your budget can do well.
- Do you work with restaurants anywhere in the world?
- Yes. I work with anyone, anywhere, fully remotely. Calls are booked at a time that suits us both, and everything else runs in writing, so the distance rarely matters. I have delivered for clients in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and France.
- Should my menu be a PDF?
- No. A PDF is slow on a phone and search engines and assistants mostly cannot read it, so someone searching for a dish you serve will not find you. Put the menu on the page as text, and keep the PDF only as a download.
- Can I take orders without paying the delivery apps’ commission?
- For collection and your own delivery, yes. Direct ordering on your site keeps the margin and the customer details. Many places run both, using the apps for discovery and their own site for regulars.
More in food, drink & hospitality
All industries- Cafés and coffee shops
- Bakeries
- Food trucks
- Caterers
- Bars and breweries
- Boutique hotels and B&Bs
- Meal prep and food delivery businesses
Sound familiar?Let’s find where yours leaks.
Book a 30-minute call