Restaurant Website Essentials: Must-Have Features & Examples

Your restaurant's website has one job: make people hungry enough to visit or order from you. Everything else is secondary.

The best restaurant websites don't just look pretty—they answer questions quickly, showcase food beautifully, and make it dead simple to take the next step (whether that's making a reservation, viewing the menu, or placing an order).

In this guide, you'll learn exactly what your restaurant website needs to turn browsers into diners.

1. Your Menu (Make It Easy to Find and Read)

This is the #1 thing people want when they visit a restaurant website. If they can't find your menu easily or it's hard to read, they'll go somewhere else.

What Makes a Great Online Menu:

Easy to find: Put "Menu" in your main navigation. Don't bury it.
Readable on mobile: Most people check menus on their phones. Use actual text, not just a PDF or image that requires zooming.
Organized by category: Appetizers, Entrees, Desserts, Drinks—make it scannable.
Include prices: People want to know what they'll spend. Hiding prices frustrates potential customers.
Describe dishes: Don't just list "Chicken Sandwich." Say "Crispy buttermilk fried chicken, pickles, honey aioli on a brioche bun."
Highlight specials or signature dishes: Call out what you're known for.
Note dietary options: Mark vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, etc.

Pro tip: Keep your menu updated. Nothing frustrates diners more than showing up excited for a dish that's no longer on the menu.

2. Mouthwatering Food Photography

People eat with their eyes first. Great food photos can be the difference between someone choosing your restaurant or a competitor's.

Photo Guidelines:

Invest in professional photos: Blurry phone pics hurt more than they help. Hire a food photographer.
Show your signature dishes: Feature your best-sellers and most photogenic items.
Use natural lighting: Food looks best in natural light, not harsh overhead lighting.
Include people enjoying food: Photos of happy diners create an emotional connection.
Showcase your space: Interior shots help people visualize eating there.
Update seasonally: Fresh photos keep your site feeling current.

Where to use photos: Homepage hero image, menu pages, about page, gallery, social media. Use them everywhere.

3. Location, Hours & Contact Information (Always Visible)

This information should be impossible to miss. If someone has to hunt for your address or hours, you're making it too hard.

Essential Information to Display:

Full address: Include neighborhood or landmarks if helpful ("in the Pearl District" or "next to City Hall")
Phone number: Make it clickable on mobile so people can call with one tap
Hours of operation: Show each day clearly. If you have different lunch/dinner hours, specify.
Parking information: Let people know if there's parking, street parking, or a nearby lot
Public transit info: Note nearby bus/train stops if relevant
Google Map: Embed a map so people can get directions easily

Best practice: Put this information in your website footer so it appears on every page. Also create a dedicated "Visit Us" or "Location" page.

4. Online Reservations or Ordering (Remove Friction)

Make it as easy as possible for people to book a table or place an order without picking up the phone.

For Reservations:

Integrate with OpenTable, Resy, or similar booking platforms
Prominent "Reserve a Table" button on homepage
Allow walk-in or call-ahead options too (not everyone wants to book online)

For Takeout/Delivery:

Link to your online ordering platform (your own system, DoorDash, UberEats, etc.)
Clear "Order Online" button
State delivery radius and fees upfront
List takeout hours if different from dine-in hours

Important: If you don't offer reservations or online ordering, make that clear. "Walk-ins welcome" or "Call to order: (555) 123-4567" sets expectations.

5. Your Story (Why Should People Choose You?)

An About page helps people connect with your restaurant beyond just the food. It answers: Who are you? What makes you different? Why should I care?

What to Include:

Your origin story: How did the restaurant start? What inspired it?
Your culinary philosophy: Farm-to-table? Family recipes? Authentic regional cuisine?
The team: Introduce the chef, owner, or key staff. Put faces to the name.
What makes you unique: House-made pasta? Wood-fired oven? Secret family sauce?
Community involvement: Do you source locally? Support local causes?

Keep it human. People connect with stories and personality, not corporate-speak.

6. Customer Reviews and Testimonials

Social proof matters. When potential diners see that others love your food, they're more likely to give you a try.

How to Showcase Reviews:

Feature 3-5 standout reviews on your homepage
Link to your Google reviews or Yelp page
Highlight specific praise ("Best tacos in town!" "Amazing service!")
Include reviewer names and photos when possible (with permission)

Don't be shy about asking happy customers to leave reviews. Most are happy to help—they just need a reminder.

7. Special Features Worth Considering

Private Events or Catering

If you offer catering or host private events, create a dedicated page explaining:

Event space capacity
Menu options for groups
Pricing or package information
How to inquire or book

Gift Cards

Selling gift cards online can be a nice revenue stream. Make it easy to purchase and send digital gift cards.

Newsletter Signup

Collect emails to announce new menu items, special events, or promotions. Offer an incentive like "Sign up for 10% off your first order."

Social Media Integration

Link to your Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok. Consider embedding your Instagram feed to show fresh, user-generated content.

8. Mobile Optimization Is Non-Negotiable

More than 70% of restaurant website traffic comes from mobile devices. If your site doesn't work perfectly on phones, you're losing customers.

Mobile Must-Haves:

Click-to-call phone number: Make calling you effortless
Readable menu without zooming: Use actual text, not images or PDFs
Fast loading: Compress images so pages load in under 3 seconds
Easy navigation: Clear menu, big buttons, simple layout
Map integration: One tap to open directions in Google Maps

Test your site on a real phone before you launch. If it's hard for you to use, it's hard for your customers too.

Common Restaurant Website Mistakes to Avoid

1. Hiding your menu behind a PDF

PDFs are terrible on mobile. They require downloads or zooming. Use actual web pages with text.

2. Using only images for your menu

Images aren't searchable by Google and are hard to read on small screens. Use text.

3. Auto-playing music or videos

This annoys people. Let visitors choose to play media.

4. Not updating hours for holidays

Nothing frustrates diners more than showing up to find you closed. Update your hours for holidays.

5. Slow-loading images

Beautiful food photos are great, but not if they take 10 seconds to load. Compress them.

6. No clear call-to-action

Tell people what to do: "View Menu," "Make a Reservation," "Order Takeout." Don't make them guess.

SEO for Restaurant Websites

Local SEO is critical for restaurants. You want to show up when people search "restaurants near me" or "best Italian food in [city]."

SEO Essentials:

Claim your Google Business Profile: This is how you show up in Google Maps and local results
Use location keywords: Include your city/neighborhood in page titles and content
Get reviews: More positive reviews = better rankings
List your business in directories: Yelp, TripAdvisor, local restaurant guides
Use descriptive alt text for food photos: "grilled salmon with lemon" instead of "IMG_1234"

Your Restaurant Website Checklist

Before you launch, make sure you have:

✓ Full menu with prices and descriptions
✓ High-quality food and restaurant photos
✓ Location, hours, and contact info (visible on every page)
✓ Embedded Google Map
✓ Reservation or ordering system (if applicable)
✓ About page with your story
✓ Customer reviews or testimonials
✓ Mobile-optimized design
✓ Social media links
✓ Fast loading speed
✓ Clear calls-to-action

The Bottom Line

Your restaurant website doesn't need to be fancy—it needs to be functional. Answer the questions people have (What's on the menu? Where are you? When are you open? How do I make a reservation?), show them beautiful food photos, and make the next step obvious.

A simple, well-designed website that loads fast on mobile and makes people hungry is worth more than a complicated, slow site with all the bells and whistles.

Focus on getting the fundamentals right, and your website will do its job: turning website visitors into diners.