Restaurant website: what it needs and how to set it up

The short answer

A restaurant website needs the address, opening hours, a menu written as a web page, a clear way to book or order, and contact details, all readable on a phone without zooming. Add real photographs, notes on dietary and access needs, and a way to tell visitors about closures. Check it whenever hours or dishes change.

What a restaurant website needs

A restaurant website is mostly read on a phone by someone choosing where to eat, often while standing in the street or travelling to meet friends. That person wants the address, the opening hours, the menu and a way to book, usually in that order. Everything else comes second. Put these details in text, and not just in images, so they load fast and can be read by anyone.

Should the menu be a PDF or a web page?

Publish the menu as a web page and, if you want a printable design, offer the PDF as an extra. A web page adjusts to the screen, loads quickly and can be changed in minutes. A PDF often needs pinching and zooming on a phone, takes longer to open and has to be redesigned and uploaded again each time a dish changes.

Never post a photograph of a menu as the only version. Write the dishes as text, with a short description for each, and show the date of the last update if the menu changes with the seasons. If prices are shown, change them on the site whenever the printed menu changes, and show whether they include sales tax or VAT where local rules ask for it.

Information about allergens and ingredients is regulated in many countries, and the rules differ. Ask your local food authority what you must state and in what form, and make sure the website matches what staff say in the room.

How do I handle bookings and opening hours?

Choose the booking route your team can run every day, then make it obvious. There are four common options:

• A booking form on your site that emails the restaurant. It is simple to set up but does not show live availability, and someone must check it and reply.
• An embedded booking system that shows live availability and sends confirmations. It needs setup and a decision about who manages tables and how many seats are released online.
• Phone or email only, with a number that can be tapped to call.
• Walk-in only, which the site should say plainly so nobody expects a table to be held.

Whichever you use, send a confirmation that repeats the date, time, party size and cancellation terms. Keep a separate enquiry form for groups and private events, asking for the date, the number of guests and any dietary needs.

Write opening hours as text, one line per day, and state when the kitchen stops taking orders if that differs from closing time. Add public holidays and special closures as soon as they are known. A short notice at the top of the page works for a closure. A pop-up that covers the menu annoys people who came for the menu, as the guide to website pop-ups explains.

Takeaway and delivery

If you sell food to take away, give the ordering route its own button near the top of the home page. You can take orders through your own system or link to a third-party ordering service. The choice depends on order volume, the fees a service charges, how much control you want over the customer relationship and how much time staff have to run it. Say which areas you deliver to, and what a customer can expect when an item is unavailable.

Keep ordering and booking separate in the layout. Someone planning a meal out and someone ordering supper at home want different things.

Photographs, words and tone

Use real photographs of dishes as they are served, the dining room and the people who work there. Stock images of food that you do not serve mislead and are easy to spot. Compress every image so the page loads quickly, and write alt text that describes the picture in a sentence. Avoid background music or video that plays with sound.

Describe the place in plain words: the kind of cooking, the style of service, the neighbourhood and who it suits, whether families, couples or large groups. Name dishes and add a line about what is in them. Words such as ‘authentic’ and ‘fresh’ say little unless you explain what you mean. If you quote diners, quote the specific remark and use only comments you have permission to reuse.

Practical details diners look for

Short answers to the questions below reduce calls and last-minute surprises. Include the ones that apply to you.

• Parking and the nearest public transport stop
• Step-free access, lifts and accessible toilets
• High chairs, a children's menu and baby-changing facilities
• Whether dogs are allowed, and in which areas
• Dietary options, such as vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal, described honestly
• Payment methods accepted
• Gift vouchers and how to use them
• Private hire, group menus and event enquiries
• Jobs, with an email address for applications

If a private function or corporate booking is a regular source of work, the enquiry looks more like a service business than a table booking. The guide to a professional services website describes how to set up that kind of enquiry process.

Helping people find the restaurant

Keep the restaurant's name, address and phone number written the same way on the site and wherever else they appear online. Give the menu, the booking page and the private dining page their own pages and descriptive titles, so each can be found by the question it answers. Google documents structured data for local businesses and for events such as special evenings. Check the current documentation for which properties it supports and what it requires, because those details change, and no markup promises a particular search feature.

Launch, security and upkeep

Before launch, work through the website launch checklist, then test the booking form and the ordering route yourself, from a phone. Booking forms collect names and contact details, so the website security checklist for small businesses applies: keep software updated, use HTTPS and protect forms from spam.

Old menu links on printed cards, social posts and emails often outlive the pages they point to. A helpful custom 404 page sends visitors to the current menu rather than to a dead end.

Decide who edits the menu and hours. Staff should be able to change them without calling a developer, and someone should read every page on a phone at the start of each season. If you want a site built around your menu and booking routine, Liftup Technologies offers website development and can brief the editing setup with you.

Related guides

• Website development
• Website launch checklist 15 things to check before you go live
• Website pop ups when they help and when they hurt
• Website security checklist for small business
• 404 Page Design: What a Good Custom 404 Page Needs
• Nonprofit website what it needs

Questions and answers

What should a restaurant website include?

Include the address, opening hours, the menu as a web page, a booking or ordering route, contact details and real photographs. Add access, dietary and group dining information, and a quick way to post closures. Make every one of these readable on a phone.

Should the menu be a PDF or a web page?

Use a web page. It adjusts to small screens, loads fast and can be edited in minutes. Offer a PDF as an extra if people want to print it. Avoid a photograph of a menu as the only version, since it cannot be read aloud or resized.

How do I handle bookings and opening hours?

Pick one booking route your team can manage daily, such as an embedded booking system, a form that emails you, or a phone number, and put it on the first screen. Write opening hours as text, add kitchen times if they differ, and post special closures as soon as they are known.

Do I need a website if I use delivery apps and social media?

Those channels reach people, but you do not control how they display your details, and they can change. A website is the one place you control, where the menu, hours and booking route are always correct. It does not have to be large, but it should be accurate.

Do I have to list allergens on the website?

Rules on allergen and ingredient information differ by country and change. Ask your local food authority what must be stated and how. Whatever the rule, the website should match what staff tell diners in the restaurant.

How often should I update a restaurant website?

Whenever hours, dishes or booking arrangements change. Also read every page on a phone at the start of each season to check the menu, hours, links and forms. Out-of-date hours are a quick way to lose a diner's trust.