Some restaurant owners make the mistake of thinking that all they need for their website is to have their menu posted for customers to order from. While that may be true for some repeat customers, consider that any would-be customer may be looking at multiple restaurant websites before deciding to visit yours at this time.

A successful restaurant website can certainly influence whether they patronize your business or another. It can influence what they order, how much they order (think add-on items), what they might want to order next time, who else they know who might like your offerings. A good restaurant website will make desirable and easy for them to share your link or menu with others — whether it’s before or after they dine with you.

The “right” content for your restaurant website can make a big difference in whether it drives traffic to your door. Your website should be well thought out and executed. If your website looks “ho-hum”, then customers will treat it as such.

The following checklist will give you some suggestions for the type of content you should consider including on your restaurant website.

Branding

• Your name and logo on every page (in the header and the footer)
• Your descriptive tagline: e.g., “Serving modern Chinese cuisine in Farmington since 2012”
• Phone number, full address, link to a Google Map, operating hours
• Colors and visual theme to match your restaurant – e.g., atmosphere, style, ethnicity, modern or traditional, etc.

Your menu

• as a downloadable, print-friendly PDF file
• also on your web pages with more descriptions, links, and photos

About your food

• description of what makes it special? e.g., special ingredients, careful preparation, freshness, locally sourced, traditional or updated, customer service
• specialty items
• accommodations for dietary needs – no MSG, gluten-free, low fat, vegetarian
• seasonal items
• featured menu items, special of the day
• beer, wine, other

About your establishment

• history – e.g., a little background about the founders, how the business evolved, previous name or former location if relevant or interesting
• key personnel – e.g., owner or chef and their bio, 3rd generation, family owned
• atmosphere – e.g., family-friendly, romantic, quiet, busy, business
• gift certificates available
• join our birthday club, rewards/loyalty cards

Special amenities

• valet parking, handicapped accessible, languages spoken
• private party room
• delivery services — DoorDash, Uber Eats, etc.
• order online, pay online
• reservations

Special services

• catering, private parties, business luncheons, picnic

Photos

• food items – well-lit, high quality shots only!
• people – e.g., customers eating and enjoying, employees interacting, local celebrities
• kitchen shots, food being prepared
• special occasions, holidays
• exterior shots
• interior – hinting at the ambiance
• staff – in action and/or posed