A restaurant website has one job: turn a hungry person who's looking at their phone into someone who walks in, books a table, or places an order. It doesn't need to be fancy — it needs to answer a few questions fast and get out of the way. This guide covers what actually matters when setting up a restaurant website, and what you can safely skip.
Most restaurant sites fail for the same reasons: the menu is buried in a slow PDF, the phone number is hard to tap, and opening hours are missing. Fix those and you're ahead of most of your competitors.
People arrive on a restaurant website hungry and in a hurry. Menu, hours, location, and a way to book or order — everything else is a bonus.
The essentials, in priority order
- Menu as a web page: readable on a phone, not a PDF that has to be pinched and zoomed.
- Hours and location: current opening times and a tappable map and address.
- Click-to-call and book: a phone number you can tap, plus online booking if you take reservations.
- Photos that sell: a few good pictures of the food and the room, not stock images.
- Online ordering: if you do takeaway or delivery, make it easy to order right there.
Getting found on Google
Most restaurant discovery happens on Google and Google Maps, so your Google Business Profile matters as much as your website — keep it accurate and full of photos. Your site should reinforce it with your name, address, and hours in plain text, and a fast mobile experience. For the full picture, see our guide to local SEO for service businesses.
Menu: web page, not PDF
A PDF menu is the single most common restaurant-site mistake. It's slow to open, awkward on phones, and invisible to search engines. Build your menu as a normal web page instead — it loads instantly, reads well on mobile, and Google can actually index the dishes you serve. It's also far easier to update when prices change.
Do you need online ordering?
If you offer takeaway or delivery, ordering directly from your own site saves you the hefty commissions the big delivery apps charge. It's worth setting up once you have steady demand. If you only do dine-in, skip it and put your energy into booking and the menu instead. Build for how you actually make money, not for features you won't use.
Keeping it simple
A clean WordPress site or a focused restaurant builder both work well — what matters is speed, a mobile-first menu, and clear calls to action, not the platform badge. Don't let a slow, cluttered site cost you covers; see why some websites don't bring in business for the common traps.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a restaurant website need?
The essentials are a mobile-friendly menu shown as a web page, current opening hours, your address with a map, a tappable phone number, and a few appetising photos of your food and space. If you take reservations, add online booking, and if you do takeaway or delivery, add online ordering. Everything else is optional — those basics do most of the work.
Do I need online ordering on my restaurant website?
Only if you offer takeaway or delivery. If you do, ordering directly from your own site saves the large commissions the delivery apps charge, so it's well worth setting up once you have steady demand. If you're dine-in only, skip it and focus on your menu and online booking instead. Build for how your restaurant actually makes money.
Should my menu be a PDF or a web page?
A web page, always. A PDF menu is slow to open, awkward to read on a phone, and invisible to search engines. A menu built as a normal web page loads instantly, reads well on mobile, and lets Google index the dishes you serve. It's also much easier to update when prices or items change, so there's really no reason to use a PDF.
How do I get my restaurant found on Google?
Most restaurant discovery happens on Google and Google Maps, so keep your Google Business Profile accurate and full of good photos — it matters as much as your website. Your site should back it up with your name, address, and hours in plain text and a fast mobile experience. Together they make you easy to find when someone nearby is hungry.
WordPress or a restaurant website builder?
Both can work well, so don't get stuck on the platform. What actually matters is a fast site, a mobile-first menu, and clear calls to action to book or order. WordPress gives you more flexibility and ownership, while a dedicated restaurant builder can be quicker to start. Choose whichever lets you launch a clean, quick site you can keep updated easily.
How much does a restaurant website cost?
A simple, well-built restaurant site with a web menu, booking, and good photos is usually one of the more affordable projects, and adding online ordering costs a bit more. The bigger factor is doing the essentials properly rather than paying for features you won't use. Tell us what you need and we'll give you a clear, honest quote with no surprises.
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