Professional restaurant website design gives visitors a feel of what the restaurant is all about. They want to know more about the atmosphere and the menu choices before they decide to spend their money there. The website has to be easy to navigate and visitors don’t want to be bombarded with information that they don’t need. Wading through a maze of complicated language and restaurant history and events can be a turnoff. So there are certain goals to strive for in the website’s design and they are:
- To provide the information visitors are looking for so they will come to the restaurant
- To give the visitor a feel for the restaurant
- To show visitors that you know what they are looking for
Each restaurant’s website is going to be difference since each needs its own personality. Nevertheless, the same website design formula is followed.
1. Make The Menu Obvious And Easy To Read
Most visitors visit the website to look at the menu so that they can choose what they want to eat before they arrive at the restaurant. Many do this to speed the ordering process when they arrive, while others do it for monetary reasons. No matter the reason why they want to read the menu, it is important to make it easy to find and easy to read.
PDF versions of menus are not necessarily advantageous. They can actually hinder the experience because visitors do not always want to download anything. Sometimes computers do not handle downloads well, so this can result in the loss of a customer.
2. Tell People Where You Are
You have to tell people where the restaurant is located. This is done by providing directions and using a free mapping service. A proximity search function can allow individuals to find the restaurant by typing in their own address. This especially comes in handy if there are multiple restaurant locations.
3. Be Descriptive, Yet Simple With Restaurant Web Design
Language does need to be descriptive, but on a level that anyone can understand. This means no jargon needs to be present on the site because not everyone understands jargon.
4. Photos! Photos! Photos!
What better way for potential patrons to get a feel for the restaurant than to see photos of it? People want to see the outside and they want to see the dining room, which can visually tempt their taste buds. If it doesn’t look like a place they want to eat at, despite how delicious the food is, they won’t eat there.
5. Reflect Marketing Efforts And Materials
Logos, colors, graphics, and even the fonts used in marketing materials need to be consistent by being used within the website. When building a brand, it is important that it is recognizable throughout all correspondence with the public.
6. Stay Updated With Restaurant Website Design
There is nothing more frustrating to a visitor than an outdated website. If prices, menu choices, pictures, etc. are not up-to-date, then that can be a lost customer. Who’s to say the restaurant isn’t closed?
7. Contact Details
Sometimes potential customers need to contact the restaurant by phone or by email. These details must be easy to find. If reservations are required to dine, an online reservation system can come in quite useful.
