When it comes to creating a website for your restaurant there are features that are fundamental to most designs. This guide will take you through those features as well as some tips that will enhance the user experience and usability of your website.

Ambiance

Your website should reflect the atmosphere and space of your restaurant. This allows customers to get a sense of the experience they will get when they visit your establishment. Many details feed into the vibe your website gives off, from the fonts and the colour palette you choose to the imagery you use. Beautiful imagery can show customers how great your restaurant looks or how appetising your food is. By using high quality photography, the restaurant can sell itself.

The most commonly used colour palettes for restaurant websites are red, black, white or light grey, and brown and neutral earth tones.

Red symbolises energy and increases appetites. It is most commonly used in the fast food industry. Muted, earthy toned reds or richer, darker reds are effective for creating a comforting or luxurious feeling.

The colour black exudes sophistication, luxury and simplicity which is why it is often used on fine dining websites. Black is also a prevalent colour for restaurants with a rustic or industrial style.

Websites that use white or light grey convey a sense of cleanliness and openness as well as simplicity and elegance. White is a regularly used colour for upscale restaurants for those reasons. Light grey can also have a similar effect.

Restaurants that use browns and neutral tones on their websites communicate reliability, comfort and adherence to tradition which makes them a popular choice for fine dining establishments as well as those offering hearty, rustic, comfort food.

Usability

Ease of navigation for your customers is central to creating a great website. There are numerous features of a website that provide a simple and more enjoyable user experience.
Have the website designed using a mobile-first approach. 81% of consumers search for restaurants on their mobiles so instead of trying to make a desktop design work for mobile create a better, faster website that will work on all devices. This way each user will have the same experience.

Place your restaurant logo in the top left corner. It’s the traditional positioning for a logo because it’s almost always the first thing your customers read as most customers read from top to bottom, left to right.

Consider using a sticky header; a navigation or menu bar that will remain visible as the user scrolls down and moves around a page. This enables the user to view the information they want wherever on the website they may be.

Avoid PDF menus. Google has menus included in its search metrics so if your menu is in PDF form not only is it harder for the user to access and navigate, it also means that your menu isn’t driving traffic to your website by showing up in Google search results.

Allow you customers to make a reservation through your website. You can either utilise third party booking software like OpenTable or you can have your own booking form created.

Essential pages for a restaurant website

  • Homepage
  • Our story/About us (which may include: the story or inspiration behind your restaurant, where you source your ingredients, a head chef profile, an introduction to your front of house and back of house staff)
  • Gallery
  • Menu
  • Book A Table
  • Contact & Hours

We hope this gives you a better understanding of what to consider when creating the restaurant website of your dreams. If you have any questions or would like some help in putting any of this into action, our dedicated website design team are here to help.
Say hello on 01524 548948, or email info@fatmedia.co.uk.