5 things that diners look for on a restaurant website
12 Comments
Tiny Bites Consulting
March 3, 2009
We pulled from personal experiences and the testament of our network to highlight some of the key pieces of info that people look for when visiting a restaurant’s website.
Restaurant overview
If your restaurant has been recommended by a trusted source, it’s likely that your site visitor already knows who you are and what you serve. But don’t leave it to chance. Have an easy to find summary of what cuisine you deliver and the vibe your space gives off. While it’s highly convenient to have this info on your front page, you could also go into more detail on a dedicated About page.
Take a look at Fude, a restaurant in Winnipeg’s Osborne Village. A highly visual graphic header and descriptive About page tells you about their regional focus and already makes you curious to dine there.
Location and hours
Don’t make your readers work to find where you’re located and when you’re open. Many restaurant websites include this critical information at the top or bottom of every page. We like that.
If you wish to be even more helpful, list a clearly marked Location page with an embedded map (a Google map, for example) and link to a service that can provide custom directions.
We like how Seattle’s Le Pichet does it.
Online menu and pricing
One of the first things we do when choosing a restaurant from a list of possibilities is to compare menus. Some nights call for a culinary adventure. Other times, humble, homestyle meal will hit the spot. Let site visitors easily figure out what you serve and what you charge.
It may seem easier for you to upload your menus as a PDF download, but your site is not for your convenience: it’s for your customer’s convenience. The best restaurant websites let people peruse the listings as a regular page that loads quickly and is easy to scan.
We love the menu section of Seasons 52.
Photos of your food and space
Although your menu may describe your dishes well and clarify price range, people still want to know what to expect when they walk in the door and when a plate is set in front of them.
To prove that your meals entice, use vibrant food photography from the home page to the deepest corners of your site. Have a special gallery of your wares and decor if you have a collection of great photos. Don’t let your visitors leave your site without craving what you make.
Browse through the photo gallery of Atlanta’s South City Kitchen and see if you can leave it without a little rumble in your tummy.
Reservation instructions or contact info
If a diner has been won over by the allure of your restaurant, a search for phone numbers, email addresses, or reservations instructions may result. Consider integrating a real-time reservation application into your restaurant’s contact section. People do appreciate the convenience.
New York’s Restaurant David Drake has a reservations link that seats tables using Open Table.
Common search obstacles
People do not go to restaurant websites to look for:
- Splash screens
- Animations
- Music
- Menus in unusual places
Often, the items above interfere with a diner’s hunt for these 5 things, causing your reader enough frustration to result in a lost table.
Table talk
It’s time to chat. Please respond to the questions below or let us know which restaurant sites are doing a good job of fulfilling your information search quickly.
Diners: what else do you go to a restaurant website for?
Restauranteurs: how easy does your site make it to find these 5 things? What else do you offer at your restaurant that you promote on your website?
Categories: Consulting, Featured
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12 Responses to “5 things that diners look for on a restaurant website”
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I’m always grateful when a restaurant will indicate price level somewhere on their site (usually with the menu or on OpenTable). It’s not because I’m cheap, but so many of us are on budgets now, it’s nice to have a CLEAR ballpark to aim for or work within.
A picture of the front of the restaurant, so newbies can find it easily when they drive by.
I’m celiac and lactose intolerant, so I like to know upfront, without having to call the restaurant, if your restaurant is a place where I’ll be able to find something to eat.
There’s usually two reasons why I’d visit a restaurant website: Location/contact information, or deciding where to go.
When choosing between restaurants I haven’t been to yet, I’m always interested in reading their mission statement. For instance, are they dedicated to sustainability or a particular culinary concept? That always rings truer to me than ‘generic pacific-north-west cuisine blurb’.
I’m also interested to read other people’s opinion of the restaurant. I once saw a restaurant website that has a link to dinehere.ca forum on their website. I find it convenient as I usually do a research before heading to a new restaurant.
Le Pichet is absolutely my favourite restaurant on the face of this planet. Period. End of discussion.
I really like Local’s website, in Courtenay, BC. Lots of great photos ,lunch and dinner menus’, events, etc. And the food is fantastic too.
No flash required. Biggest irritant of a restaurant website. Even more so if they have an “Intro” graphic/animation. Two of my fav places (Fuel and Campagnolo) use flash for their sites and it’s very very annoying. Even more annoying with flash is not being able to copy/paste phone numbers.
I recently landed on a restaurant website
from dubai, they have videos on it and more
visual enticements like 360 views. I like the
idea of seeing the ambience any one else here agree
With me on this one?
I think the site name was dineoutemirates.com or diningoutemirates.com
I definitely prefer that restaurants put location and hours in several places throughout their website. And, I’m always taken aback when music emanates from my speakers when I’m viewing a site. Would be great if the volume on those soundtracks was just a bit lower
Thanks for your ideas. It ‘s a good article for me. I will apply your ideas to my bussiness.
I look for restaurants where the clientel has enough savvy to shut off their cellphones and leave thei baseball caps at home. I am of a generation where dress and manners were important and I can still hear my mother say “Look for a place where tablecloth’s are white and no condiments adorn the table”.