Restaurant and Café Website Design: What You Need and What to Avoid

Your food might be incredible — but if your website doesn't do it justice, you're losing bookings and walk-ins every day.

Here's what hospitality businesses need from their website (and what to avoid).

What Every Restaurant/Café Website Needs

1. High-Quality Food Photography

This is non-negotiable. Poor food photos kill appetite and credibility. Invest in a professional photographer for your hero images.

For smaller budgets, a modern smartphone with good lighting can produce surprisingly good results.

2. Online Booking

Online table booking has become an expectation, not a nice-to-have. Options range from free integrations (Google Reserve) to platforms like ResDiary, OpenTable, or Collins.

At minimum, make it easy to call or email to book.

3. Menu — Always Up to Date

Outdated menus are one of the biggest hospitality website failures. If you change your menu seasonally (or more often), either:

• Use a PDF menu that can be updated easily
• Build your menu into the CMS for easy editing
• Link to a third-party menu management tool

4. Opening Hours — Prominently Displayed

Visitors will bounce in seconds if they can't immediately see your hours. Put them in the footer, on the homepage, and on the contact page.

5. Address With Map

Embed a Google Map. Include parking information and public transport links if relevant.

6. Events and Special Occasions

Do you host private dining, birthday parties, live music, or themed events? Dedicated pages for these can generate significant additional bookings.

7. Reviews Integration

Display your TripAdvisor rating, Google review score, or testimonials prominently. Social proof drives bookings.

What to Avoid

1. PDF Menus That Are Hard to Read on Mobile

PDFs often render poorly on phones. A web-based menu is almost always better.

2. Autoplay Music

This is deeply unpopular. Never do it.

3. Flash Intros or Splash Pages

Gone are the days. Visitors want information instantly.

4. Overcrowded Design

A clean, elegant design reflects well on your food. Cluttered layouts suggest chaos.

5. Stock Images of Food

Nothing says 'we don't trust our own food' like stock photography. Always use real photos.

Local SEO for Restaurants

• Claim and optimise your Google Business Profile
• Encourage TripAdvisor and Google reviews after positive experiences
• Create a 'Find Us' page with directions from major routes
• Use 'restaurant in [town]' as a target keyword throughout your site

We Build Restaurant Websites That Fill Tables

Get a free quote for your restaurant or café website — and see the difference professional design makes.