A Comprehensive Guide On Restaurant Website Design

Pandemic has affected every industry and transformed almost all the day-to-day activities like traveling to work, hanging out with friends, or going out at fancy restaurants. The culture of pre-booking in the restaurant is not new but it has become a necessity now. People prefer checking the website of the restaurant for ambiance, food, and booking. And no one expects a poorly developed website from a well-known restaurant.

As a result; the need for well-planned restaurant website development comes into the picture. There is a huge misconception that a website is a website it has to do its job, the look and features don’t matter.

What if we say the same for restaurants and cafes? Food is food; there is no need for fancy brand identical furniture or cutlery. We spend thousands of dollars in designing our restaurant, creating a unique experience, finalizing the menu. But then we sit back and wait for everyone to visit us with zero investment on restaurant website UI/UX.

A website bridge the gap between our restaurant and visitors. You can add images and videos of your interior, amazing food, events, etc. And then you can allow the visitors to book their table directly from the website. Are you also searching for terms like how to create a restaurant website on the internet? Then you are at the right place.

Keeping all of these things in mind we have decided to dedicate an entire blog to cover all the aspects required to design a beautiful restaurant website. Keep reading till the end as each section is connected to the road to your success.

Which Are The Most Popular Restaurant Have Their Website?

Every restaurant has its uniqueness that they try to showcase through their website. We have listed out some popular Michlin star restaurants that have an amazing website with some unique features that can help them to stand out.

Check out these websites for restaurants for some inspiration to build one for yours:

Le Bernardin

The restaurant is owned by Éric Ripert who is a popular French chef. The website design and functionality are outstanding. On the home page only you can check out all the features and information about the restaurant, menu, staff, chef, books and everything else. The reservation option is also present on the home page only. And there is a separate menu for direct checking out menu, books, or making a reservation.

Manresa

Manresa has provided all the essential information that a visitor expects from a restaurant’s website. You can check out the parking facility, working hours, location, and get directions. Moreover, under the menu tab, you will get options for menu tasting along with the prices and we personally loved it. And yes the obvious feature, “reserve a table”. The website has a sleek and minimal design with the best features.

Alinea

The website has a separate section for casual bookings and private event bookings. The images used in the website portray the virtuosity of the chef. Visitors can also check out the images of the interior of the restaurant before making the reservation for their table.

Eleven Madison

The eleven madison has maintained a sleek and minimal design with all the best features we desire from a restaurant’s website. Visitors can make reservations, read about the restaurant’s history and objective, information about eleven madison trucks, press & accolades, Buy cookbooks & gifts, check the team, and book events & private dining as well.

15 Must Have Features For Restaurant Website

• Multiple device responsiveness
  Your restaurant website should be able to work on all the devices and operating systems. A person using an android phone or a person using a MacBook pro should get the same look and feel of your website. Most of the time we just check the website on our computer and launch it. But most of your traffic will come from mobile devices hence it is important to optimize website for mobile devices and make sure it is responsive.
• The theme of the website should match the style of the restaurant
  Your website is the virtual version of your physical restaurant. People will surely judge your restaurant based on your website’s user interface (the look of the website). Make sure the website is showcasing the style of your restaurant via color schemes, images, templates, and other elements.
• Cover your story in the “about” section
  Every restaurant has its own story and the about section of a website is the best way to tell that story to the world. Also include information about the staff their qualification, expertise, experience, etc. Most importantly include your mission statement or objective, this will create a connection between you and your diners.
• Information about booking for catering and events
  There will be people who have heard your name in some conversation about catering and wants to get a quotation. Or there might be someone who attended an event where your staff was responsible for food and he or she loves it. Now they will look for more information about your services. You can either add a phone number for them to call or you can also add a form on the website which they will fill and you can call back with the details.
• Integration of different analytics tools
  There are various analytics tools available in the market that can help you to keep track of all the website visitor activities. You can check the keywords where you are getting high rank, the location of visitors, the information they are check. You can also add goals to keep a track of how many people are filling the contact form.
• Easy access to the contact information
  Allow easy access to the contact information on your website. You can add and highlight your reception number at different places on the website. Or you can add contact forms where users can add their basic details like name, number, date of reservation, number of diners, etc and you can call back.
• Menu
  The menu is the strongest asset of any restaurant, at the end of the day diners are more interested in food right? You can either add an entire page dedicated to your menu where you can add the menu or you can just talk about the cuisines you serve.
• Images of your food
  Having images of the best and popular food on your menu will give a glimpse of the creativity and skills of your staff. Be true to the images that you are posting and the portion size as it might create a problem.
• Options for online ordering
  If you can add online ordering from your website then you can eliminate the dependency and extra cost of third-party websites like Zomato and Uber eats. People can directly order from the website and your staff can deliver the food.
• Allow online reservations
  People love to book a table in advance to avoid waiting and wasting time. You can add forms or calling options for diners to make reservations from the website.
• Showoff your interior with images
  Add images to show how Instagrammable your restaurant is! People love to click pictures with beautiful backgrounds and post them on social media. Plus your diners will also check if the atmosphere is suitable for them or not.
• Include as many videos as possible
  You can use videos to show how the staff works, the efforts required to prepare the world-famous food in your restaurant. Videos are also an amazing way to show your diners the sanitation and hygiene you keep everywhere. List out some USPs and then plan video content for it.
• Event calendar
  Do you host events frequently? Do you have some popular upcoming events? Then you should definitely have an event calendar with all the details of upcoming events with an option to book in advance.
• Add your social media profile links
  In this GenZ and Millenial world you need a strong presence on social media. People have a tendency to FOMO (fear of missing out). If a diner is posting images of your restaurant and tagging you then other people in their account will also check your profile. Adding social media profiles to the website will help diners to check directly.
• Snippets from popular review sites and a list of awards
  Today diners check the reviews on different sites before visiting a restaurant. You can take images of some of the best reviews you got and share them on your website. Also, don’t forget to mention all the awards you have received for the restaurants. If any chef has won an award that also you can showcase on your website.

4 Things To Keep In Mind During Restaurant Website Design And Development

Features of your website are one of the most essential elements but there are other elements as well that defines the success of your restaurant website. And in this section we have listed out some important things to consider during the development phase:

1. Define Your Target Audience

The first step for developing a beautiful website is to decide who you want to target. Analyze and finalize the category or group that you think will be interested in your menu. Also, consider the fact that your target audience should be able to afford your food.

2. Website Structure As Per The Usability Of The User

A well-designed website has a user flow and structure that helps the website visitors to learn about your business effectively. We all love easy-to-use and explore websites and hence the structure of the website should be in accordance with your target audience.

3. Keep A Ration Of Images And Content Copy

Talking about your back story is important, we understand that! But too much content on the website makes it a bit more about the business and less about the consumers. Images attract the audience and showcase your expertise and uniqueness. Images will also prove instrumental in forking out your own brand identity.

‘Brand imagery isn’t about liking or hating the way an element looks on a page. It’s about going deeper into the history, mission, and personality of a company and then choosing visuals that convey those to visitors without the need for words.’

Says Ronit Cyjon, Head of Design at Elementor

4. Consistency Across Each Page And Overall Theme

Decide one theme for your website and it will include elements like colors, images, shapes, and typography. Keep consistency of all the elements across each page of the website but also make sure the elements are in alignment with your branding.

4 Mistakes To Avoid During Restaurant Website Development Phase

1. Avoiding the essential information on the website
   When a person visits your website there is certain information that he or she expects like phone number, location, how to make reservations, and operating hours. If diners are not able to find the desired information then they will surely change the restaurant and go to your competitor.
2. Not hiring a professional photographer
   We think we can click the images of your restaurant and food by ourselves but there is a huge difference between a professional’s work and our work. The cost of hiring a professional photographer is not too much high, you can hire one on an hourly basis and get all the pictures done in one hour.
3. Not developing the website as per SEO
   Once you have an amazing website, the next step you need to take is to optimize the website as per the search engine optimization rules. You want people to visit your website and check your amazing restaurant then you will have to consult a digital marketing company that can optimize your site. Hence, your website will get ranked on top results for terms like “ Best restaurants near me” “Unique dining experience in XYZ city” etc.
4. No email signup tab
   Emails are an amazing way to turn your website visitors into loyal and retaining consumers. All you need is an email signup form where visitors can submit their basic information to stay updated about the latest events. Make sure to store this data securely and use it only for sending legitimate marketing emails that are actually beneficial.

How To Select A Proficient Restaurant Website Design Company?

Now comes the most important part; how to decide if a company is right as per your requirements and business objective. We have curated a list of factors that you can check in a company before making a decision:

• The portfolio of that company
  The portfolio of a company showcases the real work delivered by the designers and developers of a company. Every web design company has a dedicated section of the portfolio on their website you can always check that. If a project or work grabs your attention then you can ask for more information about it.
• Credibility
  The best way to check the credibility of any business is to check the reviews, testimonials, and feedback on different websites. Yes, you will find multiple reviews and testimonials on the company’s website itself but the most reliable ones will be on the third-party websites that are not related to that company. For example; Google My Business, Clutch, Glassdoor, and many more.
• Our Industry Experience
  This factor is not 100 percent reliable as there will be companies out there with zero experience in the restaurant industry but still can design an astonishing website. But if a company has some experience in the industry then you can expect better results and they can put up their own suggestions.
• Communication Skills
  Communication is the key to build any project. Make sure the team is capable to communicate easily and smoothly in your convenient language. If English is a barrier for you when selecting a company that has English-speaking employees or vice versa then the chances of a communication gap will arise.
• Affordability
  Another important factor to consider is the ratio between the money you can invest in the website and the quotation from a designing company. Decide your budget in advance and then ask the company if they can send you the quotation around that figure.

FAQs

Conclusion

That was everything you ever need to know about restaurant website design. A website is the most essential element of your branding make sure it is designed well. Add all the features we have mentioned above and avoid the mistakes we have informed you about. Bookmark this blog as a restaurant website design checklist for future reference.

Looking for a reliable team to build a website for your restaurant then we have experts for you. Get in touch with us today to add the best branding element for your restaurant.

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