Restaurant Website Design That Puts Diners in Your Seats
Every time a hungry customer finds your menu on a third-party app instead of your own website, you're paying 15-30% commission on that order. Your own website means your customers, your margins.
Why Restaurant Businesses Need a Website
The National Restaurant Association reports that 90% of diners research a restaurant online before visiting. The first thing they look for is your menu. If they can't find it - or if it's a blurry PDF from 2019 - they move on. 'Restaurants near me' is one of the most searched phrases on Google, with over 7 million monthly searches in the US alone.
Third-party platforms like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Yelp dominate restaurant discovery, and they charge 15-30% commission per order. Your own website with online ordering lets you keep those margins. Even if you still use delivery apps for reach, driving direct orders through your website can save a mid-volume restaurant $2,000-$5,000 per month in commission fees.
What Makes a Great Restaurant Website
- Mobile-friendly HTML menu (not a PDF) that's easy to read and always up to date
- Online ordering system for pickup and delivery without third-party commissions
- Reservation booking widget integrated with OpenTable, Resy, or a built-in system
- Professional food photography prominently displayed throughout the site
- Location page with hours, parking info, and embedded Google Maps
- Events and specials page for prix fixe menus, happy hours, and live music
- Catering and private dining inquiry form for high-ticket bookings
- Google Reviews integration showing your star rating and recent feedback
Real Results
A family-owned Italian restaurant in Portland, OR shifted 30% of their takeout orders from DoorDash to their own website, saving $3,200/month.
They launched a website with built-in online ordering and promoted the direct link on their receipts, table cards, and social media. By offering a 10% discount for direct orders, they incentivized customers to skip the delivery apps. At $14,000/month in takeout volume, eliminating the 25% DoorDash commission on 30% of orders saved them $3,200 every month.
Common Restaurant Website Mistakes
- Menu posted as an unreadable PDF instead of a clean, searchable HTML page
- No online ordering - handing 100% of delivery revenue to third-party apps and their commissions
- Missing hours and location info above the fold (the #1 thing diners are looking for)
- No professional food photos - relying on text descriptions that don't make anyone hungry
- Slow-loading website that loses the 53% of mobile users who leave after 3 seconds
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a restaurant website cost?
Professional restaurant websites cost $500-$800 to build, with $79-$149/month for maintenance. Compare that to the $2,000-$5,000/month you're losing to delivery app commissions. A website with direct online ordering pays for itself in the first week.
Should my restaurant website have online ordering?
Yes, unless you have no takeout business at all. Third-party delivery apps charge 15-30% per order. Your own online ordering system costs a flat monthly fee and you keep 100% of the revenue. Even shifting a fraction of orders to direct saves thousands.
How should I display my restaurant menu online?
Never as a PDF. We build your menu as a clean HTML page that's mobile-friendly, searchable by Google, and easy to update when prices or dishes change. Menu pages are the most visited page on any restaurant website - they need to look great and load fast.
Do I need a website if my restaurant is on Yelp and Google?
Yelp and Google are directories you don't control. They can change algorithms, show competitor ads on your listing, or bury your profile. Your website is yours - it ranks independently, captures direct orders, and builds your email list for repeat business.
How do I get my restaurant website to rank on Google?
Local restaurant SEO focuses on your Google Business Profile, a keyword-optimized website with your menu and location, schema markup for restaurants, and Google Reviews. We also target specific searches like '[cuisine type] restaurant [neighborhood]'.
Ready to Get More Restaurant Customers?
Get a free audit of your current online presence, or book a call to discuss your new website.