Why Your Website Needs the Same Atmosphere as Your Restaurant


Why Your Website Needs The Same Atmosphere As Your Restaurant

Ambiance and atmosphere make your restaurant and your website memorable.

People go out to eat for several reasons.

While some don’t want to cook, and others don’t want to clean up, for many people it’s an altogether different reason.

For many of your diners, they go out to eat because they want an experience.

They might dine on barbecue to feel like they’re part of something rustic and old west. If they dine on Italian, perhaps it’s they want to feel like they’re in Italy.

If you’re like most restaurant owners, you’ve done a lot to create the right atmosphere in your restaurant so it feels like the experience your customers crave.

Yet, have you thought about your restaurant? Many restaurant owners don’t realize that the website is an extension of the restaurant.

Take care to maximize your profits by ensuring your digital branding matches the experience you provide in your restaurant. (tweet this)

You want your guests to have a pretty good idea of what they’ll see in your restaurant just by visiting your website.

In this article, we look at why your website needs the same atmosphere as your restaurant.

The Digital Restaurant

Think of your website as the digital version of your restaurant.

More than 85% of your customers visit your restaurant website before visiting you in person. Because of this, you want your website to match the inside of your restaurant.

Your guests visit your website to learn more about you, your location, hours and to check out your menu. They enjoy seeing real photos of your menu items as well as the inside of your restaurant and even your wait staff.

So, make sure your website reflects your restaurant. Give guests the same in-person experience they’ll have when dining in.

Consider your theme. Is your restaurant upscale, quick service, family-friendly or something altogether unique? Then, build your website upon the same theme.

For example, one new trend this year is to revamp shipping containers to use as restaurants. If you have a novel idea like this, your website should be similarly creative.

Use colors, typography, imagery and design to match your brick-and-mortar restaurant. Showcase items on your website that make you stand out in your restaurant.

The Digital Tone

How do you feel about customer service? Is your staff well-trained on an ongoing basis?

Do your team members treat each of your guests with respect and empathy? What is the tone of your restaurant?

Whatever tone you set inside your restaurant should be reflected in your website.

Perhaps you are dedicated to customer service and going above and beyond for your customers. Your website should mirror this.

In addition, you want to reflect the same attitudes on your website. So, if you are a fine-dining establishment dedicated to sustainability, your word choice on your website should also reflect this.

Consider the family-friendly restaurant. The copy on your website should also be family-friendly and peppered with photos of happy families and colorful text.

Use your copy to show your website visitors what they can expect when they walk in your doors.

Don’t forget your blog and any website videos. They should also have the same tone and unique attitude and personality of your restaurant.

Extra tip: Be sure to carry this tone into your social media posts as well.

The Digital Menu

Admittedly one of the most important parts of your website is your menu.

Most of your website visitors want to look at your menu, so it’s vital that your online menu matches your restaurant menu in items, descriptions, prices, theme and overall look.

Again, the “atmosphere” must be the same.

atmosphere

Your website is the door to your restaurant, so the two should be seamless.

The Digital Experience

The ambiance of your restaurant is important. We mentioned earlier that your customers want an experience. In other words, they want to feel something when they dine with you.

Many patrons want to escape a stressful work day or overwhelming home life. Others want to feel like they’re visiting another part of the world.

For other patrons, they want to visit restaurants based on their theme. This could be the type of food you offer or your ambiance. Or, it might be where you’re located.

This is where your website comes in. It should be a replica of your restaurant. So, whatever ambiance you have inside your restaurant should be related on your website.

Final Thoughts

According to one study, customers are willing to pay more for several things: food, service, quality, speed of service, and ambiance.

You can convey all of these things in your website as well. Here’s how:

  • Your restaurant offers delicious food, so your website needs to portray your food in a well-thought out manner that imitates your restaurant. Use professional photography to capture the essence of your menu.
  • When it comes to your menu and your décor, you care about quality. Show your customers you care about their first reaction with you by having a professional, high-quality website that works flawlessly.
  • Inside your restaurant, you really care about offering top-notch service to your customers. You want to be known as the restaurant that cares about customer service. On your website, show your customers you care with a speedy site that has a great user experience. In other words, make sure it’s easy and intuitive to navigate.
  • You spent time decorating your restaurant and thinking about everything from the lighting to the table linens. Do the same with your website, ensuring that it accurately represents your brand and your restaurant ambiance.

You’ll cement your branding by taking care to ensure your website has the same atmosphere as your restaurant.

Your customer should have a seamless journey from your website to your front door to sitting down to eat. This makes your restaurant more memorable in their mind, and ensures they’ll be in again soon. (tweet this)

Finally, stay a step ahead of the competition by remembering your website is an extension of your restaurant. Your overall theme, colors, logos, and content need to be fluid with your restaurant.

Supervise the design of your website from start to finish to make sure it stays true to the atmosphere of your restaurant.

At Restaurant Engine, not only do we create great, responsive websites, but you can count on us to create a website that drives business to all of your restaurants and edges you above the competition by using mobile-friendly design with a terrific user experience. Ready to take the plunge and create a website with an online menu, blog and beautiful photos? Get your free website consultation today!

Image:  Jason Leung and Toa Heftiba on Unsplash

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