The restaurant industry is a highly competitive space. Restauranteurs must think about crucial elements like restaurant website design and marketing to rise above competitors. In 2024, exceptional website design and stellar website maintenance are essential for restaurant businesses to succeed and thrive. In this article, restaurant marketing experts discuss 13 things a great restaurant website should have.

Restaurant Websites Need To Have The Ability To Quickly Update Information, Be Optimized

“Now, more than ever, restaurant websites need to have the ability to quickly update information. Static websites with fixed information, when information is so quickly changing, can be the difference between a never-again customer and a life-customer.

This information, in a simplified and generic manner, should include: menu, specials info, address linking to Google Maps (or, ideally, the Google Business Listing), an online form for reservations and general contact, hours of operation (including kitchen hours if traditionally an issue), and social media profiles.

Having the menus available in text form, not only for accessibility purposes but also to spare clients the download of an often-heavy pdf that doesn’t even allow for quick updates, is also a need to ensure the path of least resistance.

On the point of creating as little friction as possible, mobile-ready and optimized websites are a must. People are spending more time on social media and on their phones. As people become accustomed to a certain level of convenience during the lockdown and the resulting aftermath, they will expect it to continue in the future. They will expect products and information to be readily available in a convenient and visually pleasing format.”

João Pedreda, Production Manager, Web Diner

Fast Running, Attractive Website, Contact Page, and Menu Details

“If you are planning to start a new website, then we are sure that you know building an online presence is a challenging job due to more competitors in the market. But, food is the one thing that people want to try from different outlets to get variety. Now, the question is, how one can attract customers through a new live website?

Here are some simple tips that one can follow to get sales:

1. Fast Running:

For fast running and easy to use web pages, fast hosting is required to show your customer how quick services you provide from the time they search your website. If the web pages are taking more time to get loaded, then it will be a disadvantage. One will not be able to retain the customer.

2. Contact Page:

There are two reasons for placing the contact page with updated information. First, it will help you get feedback on the food and resolve the complaints. It will help you to know where you are lacking and where more attention is required.

3. Attractive Website:

For an attractive site, you need to place perfect graphics and pictures for your food and menu. Be simple and precise, and try to show more varieties in fewer places.

4. Menu Details:

Now, place a picture or details of your menu on the first most columns. It is because you are going to sell it; hence, it should be easily reachable for a customer.

5. Quick Online Ordering Service:

Now, while accepting the order, try to place less and easy steps. If a customer finds errors or long process, they may leave your website.

Apart from these, there are many other pages and the graphics you can add related to your business.”

Erin Miller, MustReviews

Online Payment Platform For Deliveries, Customer Reviews, Mobile-Optimized

“To stand out and capture the customer’s attention, a great restaurant website should first arrive at a landing page. By providing minimal text, this will allow the audience to absorb the content and not feel pressured by the huge chunks of text. Especially in 2024, the restaurant should look to implement an online payment platform for deliveries, and once the pandemic ends, a booking system that customers can choose time slots in advance. As always, there should be the contact page detailing the address of the restaurant, which can be implemented in the form of google maps pinpointing the location of the restaurant, as well as any other emails for concerns to be addressed.

A great restaurant should always incorporate reviews from other customers, and even provide links to various food-review websites, such as Yelp. An online menu and prices for each item is a must for great restaurant websites – many customers have been deterred from visiting a certain restaurant, because of the lack of information available beforehand to decide what to eat.

Aside from the actual content of the website, the website must incorporate smooth transitions and complementing colors that are appealing to the eye, as many people judge the content of the restaurant from the initial design of the website. The content should not be overloaded with text, and should meld well with the background of the website.

Finally, in this day and age where more consumers use mobile than desktop, it is ESSENTIAL to have the website optimized for mobile users. Especially when searching for restaurants to eat, there is a huge audience to attract with a responsive website that works for mobile users. This not only attracts all forms of customers available, but having a responsive website that works well with mobile also improves the website’s search engine

results, allowing this great restaurant to appear higher on the Google rankings!”

Lucas Wang, Founder, SmartSEO

Great Quality, Crisp Pictures Of Actual Food Served There, A Clear Menu Visible Above The Fold With Strong CTAs And Good Copywriting

“A good website for restaurants should start by having great quality, crisp pictures of actual food served there (instead of relying on stock photography). That’s usually the first thing people get influenced by. Furthermore, displaying photos of the work and kitchen areas and how it is maintained hygienically instills a lot of trust in an establishment.

Upfront pricing, a clear menu visible above the fold with strong CTAs (call-to-actions) and good copywriting that entices visitors to order food, should be the aim for all restaurants’ websites. Responsive web design with some nice transition on the food graphic can be a nice touch. For instance, take a look at the In-and-Out Burgers website. The burger slides into frame giving an impression of it being served on the table. This level of interactive makes the site’s experience more enjoyable.

Also, due to the unfortunate pandemic, restaurants have been hard hit – thus incorporating an online ordering system, preferably coupled with delivery service too, will help attract more customers who are averse to eating outside. Importing reviews from 3rd party sites such as Yelp and displaying them on the website is also a clever way to inform visitors of your good service, name, and transparency.”

Noman Nalkhande, Founder, WP Adventure

Link/Button To Your Online Reservation Form, An Interactive Map With Directions, And Clean Design

“First off, there are four basic elements that any decent restaurant website should have, which include an up-to-date menu that’s easily readable on smartphones; your phone number and a link/button to your online reservation form in the header of every page on your site; an interactive map with directions (like an embedded Google map); and a page with customer reviews and/or links to your ratings on Google, Yelp! and any other site that has glowing customer reviews.

However, the two things that make a restaurant website great are amazing photography and clean design. When people stop by your website to consider dining with you, they are consciously or unconsciously using two criteria to decide if they want to visit your establishment: the anticipated experience and the quality of the food. As such, your site should prominently display high-end photography of key features of your restaurant (exterior, dining areas, special rooms, staff interactions with patrons) as well as staged food photography that puts your product in its best light. These images should be laid out in a clean design with fonts and color schemes that align with your brand and that also reflects the essence of your establishment. Needless to say, you should hire a professional photographer and web designer to create these for you, as your web site will be one of the primary ways that people first encounter you and you don’t want to skimp on making a great first impression.”

Jeff Kear, CEO, Planning Pod

Even in the best of times, the restaurant business is an ultra-competitive space. Now more than ever, an exceptional online presence is critical for restaurants to succeed. In addition to great website design, restaurant owners should understand things like custom web development and social media management are paramount in our digital age. Ultimately, utilizing effective design and marketing services is essential for establishments to succeed and flourish in 2024.

Sarah Bauder

Sarah Bauder is a senior content specialist at Little Dragon Media. Sarah has a degree in journalism and has a decade of experience writing content at numerous renowned publications. She enjoys writing about digital marketing, business, entrepreneurship and more.