Restaurant website: how to build one without an agency
A good restaurant website is short: a guest finds the menu, the opening hours, the address and a button to order or call within ten seconds on their phone. You do not need an agency, a designer for thousands or a complex system. This article shows what a restaurant website should contain, what to leave out and how to launch it in a day or two.
In short
- The core is menu, opening hours, address with map, phone and an order or booking button, on the first phone screen.
- Do not add music that starts by itself, a PDF menu or intro animations. They slow the page and get in the guest's way.
- Design for the phone first: Google uses the mobile version for indexing, and most guests look you up on their phones.
- Compare three routes: agency, website builder or a ready-made Menuto module. The difference is time and who changes the prices later.
- Connect the website to your Google profile and social media so people can find you. See the venue website in Menuto.
What a restaurant website must have
Think of a guest standing in the street, deciding where to have dinner. They look for five things and do not want to search long. Everything else is an extra and should not get in the way of those five.
The menu is the most important page. Do not make it a PDF but text with dishes and prices, in categories that are easy to browse on a phone (see why a PDF menu falls short). Opening hours must be accurate for holidays too, and the address should open in the phone maps with one tap.
Add a clear action: "Order", "Call" or "Book". One main action beats five equal buttons. If you take online orders, make that button the most visible one on the first screen.
The minimum for every restaurant website
- Menu with prices in euro, as text, with categories and (if possible) photos and allergens
- Opening hours by day, including holidays and seasonal changes
- Address and map with a navigation link, plus a note on parking or the entrance
- A phone number that dials on tap, and WhatsApp or Viber if you use them
- An order or booking button on the first screen
- Real photos of the dining room, the dishes and the team
- Languages if you have foreign guests: at least Bulgarian and English
- A short "about us": one paragraph on the kitchen and the place
Total8 items
The structure of one long page
For a single venue one long page with sections works best, not ten subpages. The guest scrolls down and everything is in one place, while the menu and contact are reachable from the bar at the top. The page is faster, easier to maintain and easier to read on a phone.
The layout below follows the order in which guests look for information: first what you offer, then when and where, finally how to get in touch. Separate pages only make sense when you have something that changes often, like a monthly menu or events.
What to leave off a restaurant website
Many common mistakes come from wanting the site to "look impressive". But the guest does not come for impressions, they come for information. Every extra animation, sound or file is an obstacle between them and the menu.
Do add
- A menu as text, sorted by category
- A fast first screen with one clear action
- A phone number and map that open on tap
- Real photos with a short description
- Opening hours updated whenever they change
Avoid
- Music or video that starts by itself
- A PDF menu that has to be downloaded
- An intro animation or a "loading" screen
- Huge photos uploaded without resizing
- A menu in one language with old prices
Phone first, and speed
Google uses the mobile version of a page for indexing and ranking, so the content on the phone must match the desktop. Content tucked in a tab or an accordion is fine, but content removed from the mobile version does not count. Start designing from the phone, not from the laptop.
Speed is measured too. Google and web.dev describe three metrics called Core Web Vitals. For a "good" level they recommend the largest element loading within 2.5 seconds, a reaction to a tap within 200 milliseconds and a stable layout without jumping (up to 0.1).
In practice the main causes of a slow page are unoptimised photos, too many scripts and embedded videos. Shrink photos before uploading, use fewer fonts and skip plugins you do not need. You do not have to be an engineer to check the result: Google's free PageSpeed Insights gives a score per page.
In numbers
- largest element loadedLCP, "good" level
- 2.5 s
- response to a tapINP, "good" level
- 200 ms
- layout shiftCLS, "good" level
- 0.1
Own domain or a platform address
The address is the face of the site. Your own domain (for example the venue name with .bg or .com) looks serious, is easy to say over the phone and stays yours if you change platforms. It is paid yearly to a registrar, and the price depends on the extension, so compare offers.
The alternative is an address on the platform that hosts the site. In Menuto the venue website lives at an address like menuto.app/r/venue-name and is part of the plans from "Basis" upwards (see pricing). The advantage: nothing to set up, the address works at once. The drawback: it is tied to the platform.
The practical approach is to start with one working address and publish it everywhere: in the Google profile, on Instagram, on the table menu, on business cards. If you plan to buy a domain, check with your chosen platform whether and how it connects to your own domain before you pay.
| - | Own domain | Platform address |
|---|---|---|
| Who owns the address | You, at a registrar | The platform |
| Setup | Registration, DNS, connecting | None, works at once |
| Easy to say and remember | Yes | Depends on the name length |
| Yearly cost of the address | Yes, at a registrar | Included in the plan |
| If you change platforms | The address stays yours | The address changes |
Website and Google profile
Most guests will find you not through the website but through Google Maps and search. So the website and the profile work as a pair: the profile shows the place, photos and reviews, and the website provides the menu, ordering and details. The link between them is a URL.
Detailed steps are in the article on the Google Business Profile. In short: add the website address and the order link to the profile and keep the opening hours identical in both places. Menuto can take the regular opening hours from your Google profile every morning, so you do not type them twice.
- #01
Verify the profile
Claim and verify the venue profile in Google.
- #02
Add the website
Put the website address into the website field.
- #03
Add an order link
If you take orders, add the link to the ordering page.
- #04
Align the hours
Opening hours should be the same in the profile and on the site.
- #05
Put the link everywhere
Social media, tables, paper menus, business cards.
Agency, builder or ready-made module: a comparison
Do not compare price alone but time and the work after launch. A website without upkeep soon shows old prices. The table below gives an order of magnitude: the figures are example ranges, not quotes, and they do not come from a source. Ask for at least two quotes before deciding.
| - | Agency | Builder (Wix, WordPress, etc.) | Menuto module |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | A one-off sum, usually the highest (example: from a few hundred to a few thousand euro) | Low or zero if you do it yourself | Included in the plan, see pricing |
| Running cost | Hosting and upkeep, often separate | Subscription and domain | Included in the subscription |
| Time to launch | Weeks | Days | Hours, once the menu is entered |
| Who changes the prices | Often the agency | You, in two places | You, in one place |
| Menu, QR and ordering connected | No | Only with add-ons | Yes |
| Design freedom | Greatest | High | More limited, template based |
An agency makes sense when you run a chain or want a distinctive look. For a single venue the biggest pain is upkeep, not design. That is why a module fed by the same menu as the QR code saves the most work. Also read how to take orders without commission.
Legal basics: only the general picture
Any website that collects data (a form, analytics cookies, an embedded chat) needs a text on how personal data is handled, and sometimes cookie consent. The exact requirements depend on what you put on the site.
A practical rule: if you do not need it, do not collect it. A site without forms, chat and advertising scripts has less to explain. If you take online orders, look for the privacy texts the platform already provides and review them with your adviser.
Checklist before you launch
Before you share it
- The menu is entered as text, with current prices in euro
- Opening hours are right for this week and for holidays
- The phone number dials on tap and the address opens a map
- The first phone screen shows name, photo and one clear action
- No music that starts by itself and no PDF menu
- Photos are resized and load fast
- The site is linked from the Google profile and social media
- You have a privacy text checked by an adviser, if needed
- You tested everything on two different phones
Total9 items
Frequently asked questions about restaurant websites
Do I need a website if I have Facebook and Instagram?
Social media does not replace a website. The site is yours, arranged your way and free of ads. The menu and opening hours live on one page that does not depend on an algorithm.
How many pages should a restaurant website have?
For a single venue one long page with sections is enough: menu, hours, address, photos, contact. Separate pages make sense for events or very different menus.
Can the website be just the menu?
Yes, if the menu is on a web address and contact details and hours sit below it. But a page with a call button and a map adds very little work and a lot of value.
How long does a restaurant website take?
With a builder or a module usually a few hours to a few days if you have the menu and photos ready. With an agency more often weeks.
Do I need my own domain?
Not necessarily. Your own domain looks more serious and stays yours, but a platform address works at once. Start with a working address and switch later if needed.
How do I add bookings to the website?
The simplest way is a button to call or to message on WhatsApp or Viber. If you use a separate booking system, put its link as a button on the first screen.
Can I take orders through the website?
Yes, if you use an ordering system. In Menuto, pickup and delivery orders are connected to the same menu. More in the article on pickup instead of delivery.
This article is for information only and is not legal or tax advice.