How your Restaurant’s Website Can Build Your Brand

Written by Justine Nightingale
Wednesday, September 27, 2023 at 08:00am CDT

According to a report by the Pragmatic Institute, you have 10 seconds to grab someone’s attention and communicate your brand and your value proposition.

The sheer amount of content on the web means that you likely have even less time than those 10 seconds to share your brand and convince would-be customers that your restaurant is where they want to dine.

This is why building your brand using your website is so important. In this article, we take a long look at how your restaurant website can build your brand to position you ahead of the competition.

What is Your Brand Identity?

Your brand identity tells the owner’s story and the story of your restaurant. It’s integral to your consistent marketing. When it comes to your brand identity, it includes the following:

• Your name
• Your logo and what it looks like
• Your website tagline
• The color scheme of your restaurant
• Your brand imagery
• The content style
• Your overall tone and messaging

Everything about your brand identity should shout out to people who you are and what your restaurant stands for. And you can definitely use your restaurant’s website to build your brand. (tweet this)

Using your website as a vehicle to build your brand is a great way to let people know more about your restaurant. You use your website to showcase your entire ambiance as well as what food and drink you specialize in.

How do you want your customers to perceive you? This is what you want to focus on when identifying and presenting your brand identity.

Now, let’s look at how your restaurant’s website can build your brand.

Your Website Establishes Your Online Presence

Once you’ve decided on your brand identity and all the elements of it, you want to share it with your community. Your first point of contact with most diners is your website.

So, you can see how your website establishes your online presence. It gives people a first look at your brand identity while introducing them to your restaurant, your food, and even your service philosophy.

Most people decide in just a few seconds if they like your brand. You know your brand identity is your vehicle for telling people your story.

Since most people land on your website before dining with you, you have very little time to convey your brand. In fact, you have one tenth of a second to form a first impression. This is why your website is vital to your branding.

Your Website Helps Build Trust

Another way your website helps build your brand is by trust building.

Many people will visit your website while researching where they want to eat. When you showcase your brand on your website, it should include trust-building content. (tweet this)

This could be showcasing your reviews on every page of your website. It might also include any awards you’ve received for your food. If you’re a member of professional organizations, use this on your website, too.

Your Website is the First Point of Contact

As we mentioned earlier, your website is the first chance people have to learn about your restaurant.

It’s also the place where people first meet your brand through your logo, color scheme, content, and style.

Your website also informs people about your brand by including things like photos of your restaurant, your hours, location, and phone number.

Your Website Tells Your Story

Your brand is more than just your logo and your visuals. It’s your story.

And your website is also a vehicle for this amazing story. Your website is all about the owner’s story. People want to learn why you got into the restaurant business. For example, did you start cooking at home at a young age? Did you have a specialty, then? What propelled you to open your restaurant?

Using your brand standards, tell your story.

Your Website is Always Available

Odds are you aren’t open every day, 24 hours a day. But your website is open for businesses every single day of the year.

Whether it’s a new customer or a returning one, your website is the powerhouse of your online marketing and brand building.

Anyone who wants to learn more about your restaurant simply has to visit your website. They’ll find everything they need there amid all the branded content.

Ultimately, after they’ve learned about your brand on your website, they’ll visit you and enjoy the wonderful food you offer.

Your Website Helps with Consistent Marketing

The last way your restaurant’s website builds your brand is through consistent marketing. Everything starts and ends with your restaurant. For example, if you send out a mailer, it generally directs people to your website.

If you send an email to customers, again, it generally leads back to your website. So, you want to make sure that everything on your website is well thought out and matches your brand exactly.

Final Thoughts on Your Restaurant’s Brand

Your brand identity matters. Why? It helps customers recognize you. For example, someone tells their friend about your restaurant. This person looks at your restaurant on the internet, reads more, and decides to eat with you.

Then, both friends recognized your brand at a local craft festival. If everything you put out to the public matches the brand you used to design your website, you’re in great shape.

This means people know and recognize your restaurant and your story, and they know you provide good food.

If you’ve presented your brand well on your website, people can recognize your visuals and your focus. You aren’t a little fish in a big pond anymore. With a well-created brand showcased on your website, you are a strong brand and one recognized in your community.

At Restaurant Engine, we can create a restaurant website for you that builds your brand. Your website is a pivotal piece of your success, and all your marketing leads to and from your website. You can count on us to create a website that presents a unified brand that works across all digital platforms. Let us help you make the perfect site that draws customers in, improves customer engagement and your conversion rate, and enables you to grow your business! 

 Are you ready to take your restaurant to the next level with a new website? 

Get your free website consultation today!  

Images: Joshua Brown and Quaid Lagan on Unsplash