Designing The Perfect Restaurant Website
Having an online menu is key to letting customers know what type of food and drinks they can expect when visiting your restaurant (which, let’s be honest, is the main reason they’ll be heading there). But your website shouldn’t start and end with just the menu. Here, we take a look at how having a website which informs customers about online reservations, provides menu showcases, and includes customer testimonials - can all drastically increase footfall and interest in your establishment
The Bad Restaurant Website Scenario
Often, restaurant owners struggle to get things right with their online presence.
A common scenario will often occur: restaurant owners will be meticulously focused on making the tastiest food, the most appealing interior settings, and creating the most well-trained, service-oriented team of staff members - and while they’re doing all this, they’ll neglect to put any serious thought into of how they’re marketing themselves on their website.
Think of how often you’ve stumbled onto a restaurant’s website only to find that it’s difficult to navigate, or that certain web pages are broken, or there’s no information on multiple pages.
You eventually find a restaurant menu, sure, but by the time you’ve found it you’re sceptical about whether it is fully updated and accurate - you’re wondering whether the prices will have jumped if you head there today with your family (and by how much?), or you’re wondering whether that Beef & Bird you like the look of is even on the menu anymore. Considering how little the restaurant cares about its website, you’re not convinced this place is right for you. And hey, it’s not like there’s any shortage of restaurants out there.
You click out of the website and browse for somewhere different.
Making A Good Restaurant Website
80% of restaurants fail within their first 5 years. There are numerous reasons why this happens, but one of the biggest - and most obvious - is that certain restaurants simply fail to attract customers. There’s nothing necessarily wrong with these restaurants or the food they make, they just didn’t convince patrons to step through the door and spend money in the first place.
Having a good website - one which goes beyond having a menu and nothing else - can change the fate of your restaurant. Cooking, hospitality, and atmosphere aside, a good website is the first point of contact between you and your customer; if it’s in good shape, this will show potential customers that you’re serious about how you can look after them.
With that in mind, here are three ways to immediately improve your restaurant’s website:
Include Online Reservations
It’s worthwhile getting this function set up as soon as possible. Many customers will want to lock in a reservation shortly after they’ve taken a look through the website. Make this process simple and straightforward; the reservation boxes should be mobile-responsive, easy to use, free from technical issues, and they should assure the customer that their privacy and any payment details are looked after. Remember, all it takes is a small seed of doubt for a customer to decide a restaurant they like actually isn’t for them…
Showcase Your Menu Where Possible
While having a written list of menu items is obviously essential for customers who are already seated at a restaurant table, websites aren’t constrained to the same limitations.
If you want your restaurant and your dishes to stand out, showcase them to your online audience. That means the best quality images, excellent written descriptions of what has gone into the dish, and possibly even information about where the ingredients were sourced. All of this will add colour and whet appetites.
Customer Reviews
While it’s good to stress the positives of your own restaurant, no one says it better than a satisfied customer who leaves a good review. Good reviews suggest trust and loyalty - and they speak to your reputation as a competent restaurant.
Where possible, promote these positive reviews everywhere on your website.
Do busy the right way and make sure your restaurant website shows how serious you are about looking after your customers!
