A restaurant website needs to answer the key questions a potential diner has: what kind of food do you serve, where are you, how do I book, and what is the atmosphere like? Getting these four things right will turn website visitors into reservations.
Menu and Pricing Should Be Front and Centre
The most common reason people visit a restaurant website before booking is to look at the menu. Make your menu easy to find, readable on mobile, and up to date. PDFs are not ideal — menus embedded as proper website text are much easier to read on a phone screen, and they also help with SEO by allowing search engines to index your dishes and cuisine type. Include prices where possible; many potential customers will move on if they cannot get a sense of whether a restaurant fits their budget before visiting.
Booking and Reservations Should Be Effortless
Whether you use OpenTable, ResDiary, a custom booking form, or simply a phone number, make the booking process clear and prominent. A "Reserve a Table" button should be visible in the header of every page. If you take walk-ins only, say so clearly. For special events, private dining, or set menus, dedicated pages with separate booking options work well. Removing friction from the reservation process directly increases covers.
Photos Should Sell the Experience
People eat with their eyes before they arrive. Invest in quality food photography and atmosphere shots that show your dining room, bar, and people enjoying themselves. Authentic, well-lit photos of your actual dishes and real customers are more effective than generic stock images. Update your gallery regularly when seasonal menus change or new dishes are introduced. A restaurant website with poor or dated photography consistently loses bookings to competitors who have invested in it.
What Practical Information Must You Include?
Address with a Google Maps embed, opening hours (including any changes for bank holidays or seasonal periods), parking information, accessibility details, allergen and dietary information (or how to request it), and your contact number. This information sounds obvious but is missing from an alarming number of restaurant websites. A diner who cannot quickly find your address or current opening hours will book somewhere else.