Restaurant and café website design: what fills tables

Choosing where to eat is rarely a careful decision. It happens on a phone, in a few seconds, often while someone is already out. A restaurant or café website has two jobs at once: make people hungry, and make it effortless to book, order or find you.

The first screen

Before anyone scrolls, they should see one great photo of your food or your room, what kind of place you are, and one obvious button: “Book a table”, “Order now” or “See the menu”. Skip the slideshows and autoplaying videos. They slow the page down on a mobile signal and split attention.

Put the menu on the page, not in a PDF. A proper web page is readable on a phone, works with screen readers and can be found by Google. Offer a PDF as an extra if you like.
Show prices clearly. Surprises at the bill cost you return visits.
Mark dietary options such as vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free, consistently.
Keep it up to date. An old menu online causes awkward conversations at the table.

Allergen information

UK food businesses must be able to tell customers which of the 14 major allergens are in their food. Since October 2021, Natasha’s Law has also required full ingredient labelling on food that is prepacked for direct sale, such as sandwiches made and wrapped on the premises. Your website should make it easy to find allergen information, or say clearly how to ask for it. The Food Standards Agency publishes current guidance.

Booking and ordering

Every extra step between “that looks good” and “booked” loses people. Link your booking system directly from every page, and make sure it works well on a phone. If you do takeaway, make ordering obvious. Delivery apps are convenient, but ordering through your own site avoids their commission.

Photography

If you spend money on one thing beyond the website itself, make it photography of your actual dishes and your actual room. Stock photos of someone else’s burger fool nobody. Natural light and honest presentation work well, and you’ll get years of use from a good shoot across your site, menus and social media.

The practical details

Opening hours, address, a map, parking and phone number should be on every page, usually in the footer, and must match your Google Business Profile exactly. Wrong hours online are one of the quickest ways to lose a customer for good.

Getting found locally

Most restaurant searches are local: “café near me”, “Sunday lunch Seaham”, “steakhouse Newcastle”. Keep your Google Business Profile complete, add new photos regularly, reply to reviews, and add restaurant structured data to your site so search engines understand your menu, hours and location. More on local SEO.

Examples

Two of my concept projects show what this looks like in practice. Ember & Bone is a steakhouse concept with cinematic motion and a dedicated phone layout, and Sorrel is a café and bakehouse concept. Neither is a real business: I designed and built them to show how I would approach a hospitality website.

What you’ll need to provide

your current menu, with prices and dietary information;
photos of your dishes and your room, ideally from a professional shoot;
your booking or ordering system, if you use one, so I can link it properly;
opening hours, including seasonal and bank holiday changes;
a few words on what makes your place different: your story, your suppliers, your style.

Common questions

Should my menu be a PDF?

Put it on the page as text, and offer a PDF as an extra if you like. A text menu reads properly on a phone, works with screen readers and can be found in Google searches for dishes you serve.

Can I update the menu myself?

Yes. I’ll set it up so you can change dishes and prices yourself. If you’d rather not, Website Care includes up to 30 minutes of small changes each month.

Do I need online booking?

If you take reservations, it helps: many people would rather book at 11pm than ring during service. Most booking systems can be linked from your site, and a custom booking set-up can be quoted as a Bespoke project.

How long does it take?

As a guide, most sites take one to two weeks once I have your content and photos. Larger or Bespoke builds take longer, and I’ll give you a date in writing before we start.

What it costs

My prices are fixed. Starter is £295 for up to five pages, which covers a café with a menu, a gallery and contact details. Growth is £595 for up to ten pages and a design made for your venue. Online ordering or payments are Bespoke, from £995. You own the finished site.

Tell me about your place and I’ll come back with a fixed price.