Restaurant Marketing Agency (RMA)
7 Tips for Making a Good Restaurant Website
Imagine for a minute that you’re the customer. Perhaps you’re a fellow foodie that’s on the hunt for the next best bite in your city.
What’s the first thing you do?
Google search, of course!
Let’s say you decide to search for the best French restaurant in Montreal. Google responds by giving you a lovely output and a map pinned with French restaurants and reviews.
What happens next?
You start clicking around and exploring restaurant websites.
Now, this process may seem very self-evident, however, countless restaurants fail to prioritize their website. In the digital era, fewer and fewer customers discover restaurants by simply walking by. It is therefore imperative that restaurants adapt and learn to leverage the transition towards digital consumption by developing a restaurant website that encapsulates their restaurant's unique offerings.
When it comes to a restaurant's website, owners should conceptualize it as a window into their restaurant. The food, the drinks, the experience, and the ambiance should all be accurately illustrated on the website.
Today, consumers form beliefs with a single click. The right restaurant website has the power to attract clientele and grow your restaurant.
So, what makes a good restaurant website? Continue reading and discover 7 features that every restaurant website needs.
Tell a Story: Stand Out and Sell the Experience of Your Restaurant
Every restaurant has a story. Perhaps it's a unique origin story that shares the restaurant's growth from concept to conception or a history of being passed from one generation to the next. In the well over-saturated restaurant industry, restaurant owners need to leverage their points of differentiation to stand out!
When it comes to restaurant websites, it’s imperative that customers feel like they’ve got a taste of the restaurant, while still being left wanting more. To do this, it’s important that the website positions the restaurant and illustrates the restaurant's extended product offering.
Telling a story is the most effective way that restaurants can position themselves. For example, a fine-dining restaurant might choose to highlight its chef on the website. Where the chef trained, the experience they bring, and their source of inspiration can effectively garner the attention of website visitors and motivate them to visit your restaurant.
Talking about the source of inspiration for the restaurant is another effective way to segment your restaurant and position it for success. Was your Neapolitan pizzeria inspired by a trip to Naples? Share this story! Talk about the sourcing of your ingredients and the traditional methods you use that lend to the pizza’s authenticity.
Stories have the ability to add value to your restaurant. They can be thought of as part of the restaurant's extended product offering. They can’t be tasted or touched, but they can be felt. Interestingly, extended product offerings are the best way for restaurants to communicate the value of their product and experience. And, customers are willing to pay for this experience!
By telling a story that allows customers to feel the experience of the restaurant through your website, customers will be motivated and interested in the concept of your restaurant.
High-Quality Pictures
The restaurant experience, whether it’s at a dining restaurant or a quick service establishment, is sensory in nature. The taste, smell, feel, and appearance of both the food and drinks contribute to this experience. Restaurant websites offer only one sense to potential customers, sight!
High-quality photography is an essential element of every restaurant website. Showcasing the atmosphere, food, and drinks, has the ability to appeal to the consumer senses. For dining restaurants that seek to add value to their service by offering an exceptional experience, high-quality photography is a great way to communicate this value to potential customers before they’ve even entered your restaurant.
Visitors to your restaurant's website already possess some degree of interest and motivation to visit your restaurant. Feast their visual senses with high-quality photography that entices them to indulge in your offering.
Updated Menu
One of the first things restaurant-goers seek out when visiting restaurant websites is the menu. Online menus serve several purposes. They allow customers to manage their expectations and make informed decisions ahead of time. For picky eaters, online menus are essential. By offering an online menu, you allow your customers the opportunity to read about your restaurant’s offerings ahead of time and build excitement about what you have to offer. Additionally, online menus are extremely important for restaurants that offer seasonal menus.
For quick-service restaurants that offer online ordering, online menus are a must-have. Allow your customers to browse, make selections, and order online for delivery or pickup. Streamline processes by offering a robust online menu that allows customers to convert quickly!
Integrated Reservation System
Integrated reservation systems are essential for all dining restaurant websites. By including an integrated reservation system, customers can benefit from the convenience of browsing your website, making an informed decision, and reserving a table all in one place.
For restaurant owners, reservations allow for a more reliable estimate of the restaurant occupancy and table turnover for the night. This information allows restaurant owners and managers to staff accordingly and plan for success!
Make reserving a table at your restaurant a no-brainer and include an integrated online reservation booking tool on your restaurant’s website.
Online Ordering
Embrace the power of omni-channel marketing by offering your restaurant’s food and drinks online! Omni-channel marketing is a win-win for restaurant owners. With a high-quality website, customers will either order online or visit your restaurant in person. By providing both options to customers, you can increase conversions and boost your restaurant's daily sales.
Level up your restaurant website with an integrated online ordering system. Pizza restaurants have leveraged in-house online ordering services for years. With an integrated system, you can capture more online orders and earn higher profits, without requiring the involvement of third-party services.
Integrated Social Media Content
Strengthen your restaurant's brand with integrated social media content. Social media allows restaurants to share organic content. Pictures of menu items, satisfied guests creating memories, and immaculate vibes, paint a picture of your restaurant with pictures and videos that will have guests itching to visit!
By integrating social media content into restaurant websites, restaurant owners can benefit from a strengthened brand and organic growth. Redirect website visitors to your restaurant’s social media profiles where they can follow along and share their own experiences.
Hours, Address, and Contact Information
Although this might seem obvious, having the correct information on your website and Google my business account is essential! When crawling sites, Google looks for consistency when assigning authority to your restaurant's website. Having the correct address listed across online directories, as well as your own website is an easy way to boost your restaurant’s website traffic.
Manage customer expectations with accurate information on your website. There’s no greater disappointment than turning up to dinner only to discover that the restaurant is closed or that its kitchen is past its last call. List your restaurant’s opening days, hours, special event and holiday closures, and kitchen hours so your customers know what to expect.
Conclusion
Building an excellent restaurant website is no easy task. Restaurant websites have the unique challenge of having to transform an experience into a digital format that accurately conveys their service offering.
Don’t skimp out on your restaurant's website with do-it-yourself templates that ignore best practices. Consider outsourcing your website development and management to position your restaurant for success! Showcase your restaurant’s excellence and simplify the conversion process for customers, whether they decide to order online or visit in restaurant.
RMA has a team of experts that share a deep passion and understanding of the restaurant industry. Elevate your restaurant’s digital presence and watch your business grow! Discover our website as a service (WAAS) solution here and see how RMA can help you.
