Why social media isn't enough
Instagram and Facebook are great for showing off your cooking and keeping regulars close. But they don't replace a website, for a few reasons:
- Search engines don't index social content properly. Without a site, your restaurant won't show up well in local searches.
- Algorithms change. What works on Instagram today may reach nobody next year.
- You don't own your customer data on someone else's platform.
- A social profile is a poor place to put opening hours, your address and your menu in a form people can actually scan.
The five things you can't skip
A restaurant site has to answer five questions in under ten seconds:
Where are you?
Full address, an embedded map, the neighbourhood and how to get there. Don't make people hunt for it.
When are you open?
Clear opening hours, closing days, holiday dates. Keep them up to date — wrong hours are one of the fastest ways to earn a bad review.
What do you serve?
A taste of your cooking, your signature dishes, the atmosphere. Professional photos of the food make a real difference here.
What will it cost me?
A price range puts people at ease. You don't have to list every dish — a rough idea of the average spend is enough.
How do I book or get in touch?
A phone number visible on the home page, and ideally a booking form or a booking link as well.
“Someone on your restaurant’s website is hungry — literally or otherwise. If you don’t give them the key facts in ten seconds, they’ll go next door.”
Your menu online: PDF or web page?
Every restaurant owner has to make this call at some point. Here's what each option gets you:
A menu built as a web page can be indexed by search engines, reads properly on a phone, and can be updated without touching a design file. It takes a bit more work to set up, but it's the version that actually earns you customers.
A PDF isn't indexed the way a normal page is. On a phone it usually means pinching and zooming to read anything. Fine as an extra download, not as the main menu on your site.
Online booking: do you actually need it?
It depends on the kind of restaurant you run:
- Fine dining, or anywhere with a tasting menu: online booking is close to expected. Guests assume it's there, and it takes a lot of calls off your staff.
- A neighbourhood place or a brasserie: a visible phone number may well be enough. A simple booking form still makes life easier for people who'd rather not ring.
- Fast food or a takeaway counter: online booking is rarely worth it. Put the money into your map listing and good photos instead.
Most of the big booking platforms charge a commission on every cover they send you. If a lot of your bookings come in online, do the maths on running a booking tool directly on your own site instead — over a year the difference can be substantial. Delivery marketplaces work the same way, and their cut is usually bigger.
