Your Restaurant Website Needs to Have These 5 Things

Written by Justine Nightingale
Wednesday, December 28, 2022 at 08:00am CST

When it comes to your restaurant website, you want to put your customer first. Design your website and add features that will enhance the overall customer experience.  

Putting your website visitors first is vital if you want to convert customers into diners.  

To help you know how to accomplish this, we look at these five things your restaurant needs to have.

#1: Your Location and Contact Info

According to MenuMag, the most important thing you need on your website is accurate information.

This means you want your address, phone number, hours of operation, and contact method (email address or contact form) in a prominent place on every page.

The basics are vital on your restaurant website as many people visit your site to find out where you are located and how long you’re open.

Make sure it’s easy to find because you don’t want people to have to click around or scroll all over to locate this information.

While you’re at it, make sure that your Google business page has the exact same address information as on your website. You’ll find that Google favors consistency, and it makes it easier for your potential restaurant diners.

#2: Your Restaurant Menu

After your location and hours, the most important feature on your website is your online menu.

According to one study, about 80% of diners visit a restaurant’s website before deciding to dine in or order takeout.

Whether you offer online ordering or not, you can bet that potential diners are visiting your website to see what your menu looks like and whether it sounds appetizing.

First, your menu must be easy to find. Along with links in the top navigation bar, you also want easy access to your menu on your home page.

Do not use a pdf menu that users have to click on to open. Using a pdf menu means that mobile visitors will have a hard time viewing your menu on their cell phones.

The user experience is paramount when it comes to viewing your menu, so take this into account when creating your menu pages. Use high-quality, professional images and an enticing description.

Take it a step further and add nutrition info as well. You’ll find that this improves the overall customer experience while providing your customers with all the information they need to make an informed decision about where and what they are eating.

#3: Customer Reviews

This is an absolute must on your restaurant website. This website feature appeals to your visitors’ need to know what others think.

In today’s digital age, your potential diners are not only visiting your website to see what your food looks like, but they are coming to see what other people think about your food.

Make it easy for them to see what Google, Facebook, and Yelp reviewers are saying by adding these reviews to your website. By putting them on your site, customers don’t have to leave your site to go to a third-party site to view reviews.

You can keep them right on your website, ready to place an order once they check out your reviews.

You’ll find many available plugins to help you add reviews to your website. Reviews and customer testimonials are powerful marketing tools, and this customer feedback helps encourage others to dine with you.

#4: Online Ordering

Providing online ordering on your website not only increases your revenue, but it meets your customers where they are and provides excellent customer service.

Takeout and delivery options are the choices of many diners today.

When crafting your website design or refresh, you want to take this into consideration. You may find that you have loyal customers who never step foot in your restaurant and only order for takeout or delivery.

When adding online ordering options, make sure it’s easy for customers to find. You also want to ensure it’s intuitive and quick to use. Speed is an issue, and your customer won’t wait if it takes too long. (tweet this)

Customers should be able to order in just a few clicks. In addition, you want professional imagery and good descriptions. Go overboard with descriptions and let people know how much they are going to get. You can do this with images and text. For example, if people are ordering mozzarella sticks for an appetizer, let them know how many they’ll get.

For checkout, make this easy for customers, too, by providing a secure website with multiple checkout options.

#5: Quality Design

The last thing your restaurant needs to have is a professional, quality design. This means having a professional company design your website. It also means having a fast website with a mobile-first design.

In addition, your website must convey your brand in an enticing manner. You want excellent images of the interior of your restaurant, your food, and even your staff.

Consider adding some video as well so potential customers can really get an idea of your restaurant’s ambiance.

Finally, your restaurant must have good usability, a good customer experience, and be usable by all.

To Conclude

Your website is the pivotal piece of your digital marketing – it’s your central hub for everything users need to know about your restaurant.

The last thing that needs to be on your restaurant website is updated information. For example, if you post a special to Facebook and Instagram, make sure it also shows up on your website. (tweet this)

Keep your website updated with fresh content, including blog posts, videos, specials, and event information.

Finally, anticipate what your customers are looking for and make sure to provide the right website features on your website. Doing this helps draw people to your restaurant or your online ordering form.

You can guide them through your website so they have an excellent customer experience. This service is the beginning, and once they are in your doors, you can continue to provide the best service and overall customer experience.

At Restaurant Engine, not only do we create great, responsive websites, but you can count on us to create a website that is highly usable, fast, and user-friendly. Let us help you make the perfect site that draws customers in, improves your conversion rate, and enables you to grow your business! Ready to take the plunge and create a new website? Get your free website consultation today!

Images: Des Récits and Chris Liverani on Unsplash