In our increasingly digital world, much of what people learn about your restaurant online is out of your control. Your guests post reviews on platforms like Yelp, OpenTable, or Google. They take and share their own pictures—even on your own social channels. Their comments and engagement (or not) with your content are out of your control. The media decides whether or not to write about your restaurant, and it controls the editorial narrative. All of these factors make it essential that your website—which is the one place where you completely control your brand—is working to best represent and market your business.
Your website should be the primary information hub and up-to-date authority on all that is happening within your four walls. From displaying the most current menus to special events to accurate operating hours, it’s crucial that potential guests are able to easily find the information they want—and that the platform you choose matches your operational needs and capabilities.
Select the Platform that Matches Your Business Goals
The first step in building a website is having a clear understanding of what business goals your site needs to be able to accomplish. Do you want to provide a seamless online ordering experience? Do you have a large product or merchandise offering and need inventory management or shipping solutions that are easy to control? Knowing what operational goals need to be met—and what kind of experience you want your customers to have—is a crucial first step in your website project and informs which platform, functionalities, and design needs are right for you.
A custom Wordpress website allows the highest level of personalization and can create highly compelling and unique user experiences. They also tend to require a little more training and onboarding around how to make updates in the backend, and you might need ongoing developer support to add new features, integrations, and functions. Other hosting platforms like Bentobox, Squarespace or Shopify utilize design templates that are less customizable; however, their easy-to-use backends make regular updates and changes an efficient process. Plus they continuously update their third party partnerships, making it easy to adopt new technologies and services as trends change.
Create a Clear and Consistent Brand Experience
Websites are no longer one-way transactions with consumers merely searching for information; they are a critical part of your business’s identity and often a guest’s first interaction with your brand. It's also the first opportunity you have to set your audience up for what kind of experience they can expect. Your website should reflect what makes you unique and convey the level of attention to detail that you put into every moment of interaction with your guests.
Cohesive branding that reflects your verbal and visual identity is mandatory for creating a seamless experience. It sets a tone for what the ambiance and service style is like, and for what types of occasions your venue is best suited. Professional photography, consistency in fonts and color palettes, and clear storytelling are elements that work together to help set these expectations. When applied uniformly across your website and social media channels in a way that reflects the in-person experience, it builds trust and loyalty. For example, when a user has a seamless experience leaving a brand’s Instagram to visit their website, continuity in messaging and visual cues fosters the user’s trust in the brand’s authenticity and prevents any confusion.
Success entails starting any customer relationship off on a strong foot and continuously reinforcing the expectations you've set through each part of the customer journey. Was the user able to find your website easily on Google? Are the keywords and messaging cohesive? When a social media follower clicks a website link in an Instagram bio, will they recognize the branding on the landing page they see? Does that landing page address whatever question or call to action that brought them to your site? Regardless of the page someone is being sent to, the content should be tailored to represent your brand narrative in a way that is consistent throughout the discovery process.
Be User Friendly in Every Way
Any website needs to be intuitive to navigate, with key information such as contact details, location, and menus that are easy to find. If something isn’t in the expected place, it quickly becomes frustrating, which leaves the wrong first impression and can easily prompt someone to leave the site.
There are a number of best practices to keep in mind when optimizing your site’s customer journey. Don't overcrowd the navigation bar, make sure it’s clear and simple; this sets the framework for the entire experience on your website. People expect to find your Home button at the far left and key information on the right such as About, Menus, or Contact Information. Reserve the far right corner for your call to action such as your reservations tab or your link for online ordering.
Online ordering integrations can be a particular source of frustration for users intent on placing an order. Is it easy to navigate your online ordering menu? Is it searchable? Are items grouped in a logical way? Is everything visible at once or does the guest have to scroll to navigate through other menu sections? Make sure the menu is arranged in a way that is clear and easy to navigate. This often means leading with starters, following with mains, and then sides or desserts, with drinks last.
Guests these days utilize a variety of devices to access websites, and it’s critical that your site be optimized for desktop, mobile, and tablets. According to Google search data from 2019, 89% of dining searches in advance of visiting a restaurant are now carried out on a mobile device. If a potential guest can't navigate your website wherever they’re viewing it, or if they can’t read your menu on their phone, you will quickly drop from the consideration set.
You also want to ensure that your website is ADA compliant. Some hosting platforms integrate some level of ADA compliance into the pre-designed templates they provide, but it's always best to install your own widgets, set up regular WCAG scans, and work with your developer or hosting platform’s customer service to make sure your site remains compliant.
Use Your Website as a Marketing Tool
Your website is not only a go-to resource for people looking to learn about your establishment, but also a valuable marketing tool. People will go to your website looking for information, so this is an opportunity to tell them about your business and everything you have to offer. The best method takes into account how people use the site, where they arrive from, and what is the end-goal or call to action. Ongoing promotions like happy hour should be easy to find; they can be promoted with an evergreen banner on your homepage, and should also be reflected in your restaurant hours and on your menus page.
On the other hand, a one-time special event is best suited for a specific landing page where you can direct traffic. This can be linked to from social media, in an email newsletter, or other sites, and people will arrive with their curiosity piqued. When people click for information, you want to make sure they can find everything they need on that page (description, hours of event, location, any regulations, price, how to reserve, etc.) You can also create a temporary pop-up on your homepage that promotes the event so that people see it immediately when they visit your site and can be directed to the landing page to learn more. Fast casual outlets may want to have an area on the homepage to feature a limited time offer—including photography, price, and a description—in order to drive traffic through special deals or promotions.
Additionally, if your establishment has received accolades, you should promote them on your website, letting others’ words act as a testimonial for your business.
Your website should also be used as a tool to collect information and data about current and prospective guests. Integrating your site with Google Analytics provides valuable information about how people use your site, how much time they spend there, where they spend it, and from where they arrived. Including an email sign up where guests can opt-in to your mailing list is another important marketing tactic. Your website should have a direct integration to any email marketing platform you use, allowing you to capture guest contact information and avoid any unnecessary steps.
Finally, simple graphical tools—like highlighting reservations or online ordering in a colored box—can be an effective way to call people to action and achieve your desired result.
While some of these tactics may seem straightforward or obvious, there is a lot of thought that must go into designing any website. Web designers need to think carefully about the business operations, how customers will interact with the website, and what you want them to do when they’re there. A website for an independent bar or restaurant will have different needs than a multi-unit operation, and a quick-service outlet will have different goals from a fine dining establishment. Regardless of the operation or concept, an effective website will be designed with your business’s specific needs and goals in mind and an understanding of how your website is a part of the guest experience you are delivering.
Leith Steel has over 20 years of experience in the culinary arts, media relations, and brand strategy. Steel is a Senior Strategist and Head of Insights at Carbonate, responsible for spearheading the agency's annual Hospitality Trends Report.
Are you registered for our Crave and Crave on the Menu newsletters? Sign up today!
Plan to Attend or Participate in the 2024 Bar & Restaurant Expo, March 18-20, 2024
To learn about the latest trends, issues and hot topics, and to experience and taste the best products within the bar, restaurant and hospitality industry, plan to attend Bar & Restaurant Expo 2024 in Las Vegas. Visit BarandRestaurantExpo.com.
To book your sponsorship or exhibit space at the 2024 Bar & Restaurant Expo, contact:
Veronica Gonnello (for companies A to G) e: [email protected] p: 212-895-8244
Tim Schultz (for companies H to Q) e: [email protected] p: 917-258-8589
Fadi Alsayegh (for companies R to Z) e: [email protected] p: 917-258-5174
Also, be sure to follow Bar & Restaurant on Facebook and Instagram for all the latest industry news and trends.