In this day and age, it’s commonplace for consumers to research restaurants’ websites while choosing a place to eat. This is why websites for restaurants are so important! That being said, the restaurant industry is notorious for poor-quality and outdated websites. A quality website can make the difference between a new customer and a missed opportunity. No matter how great your food, service, and ambiance are, a poorly constructed website can reflect badly on your business.
1. Contact information
When you’re designing a website for your business, you have to consider why people might be visiting your website in the first place. When it comes to websites for restaurants, one of the most common reasons someone might visit your site is to check your location, hours, or phone number to ask a question or make a reservation. In addition to a contact page, your restaurant’s address, phone number, and hours should be visible on all pages.
One of the most common reasons for someone to visit your restaurant’s website is to check out the menu.A responsive online menu is incredibly important. Don’t just upload a photo of your actual menu because:
- It can be difficult for mobile users to scroll through.
- It is more difficult for search engines to read.
This also goes for PDF menus. It’s best to avoid any unnecessary steps to get your website visitors to the information they’re looking for. Forcing people to download a PDF of your menu instead of listing your menu details directly on the site is a major faux pas. Many people will click off your website the second they see the download button. PDF menus are an especially huge nuisance for mobile users since downloading a menu takes up data, and that doesn’t come cheap!
3. Great images of your food
Never underestimate the power of great pictures! Unfortunately, people can’t taste images. Having images of your food on your website is important to give consumers a glimpse of what you have to offer. However, low-quality or unappetizing images can have the opposite effect. One thing to keep in mind when taking photos of your food is that people like seeing portion sizes. Show off how tasty your restaurant’s food is with high-resolution, well-staged images.
4. Online ordering (or at least online reservations)
It’s 2022, and that means more and more restaurants and fast food joints have turned to online ordering options for delivery and takeout. The ease of online ordering is incredibly tempting to consumers, especially over placing orders by phone. Many people feel more comfortable providing credit card information on a secure website than reading the card number over the phone. Plus there are fewer chances of orders being messed up my mishearing someone. Even if you don’t have delivery services or offer takeout. Offering mobile options for placing reservations or placing catering orders can be extremely beneficial to your business.
