My bookings come from Google and Instagram. Why do I need a website?

Because both of them point somewhere. The Google listing and your bio link need a page with the current menu, the hours, the booking button and the address, in your own words. It's also the one place you control when a platform changes its rules.

Is a PDF menu really that bad?

On a phone it is. It loads slowly, needs pinching and zooming, and Google reads it poorly, so people searching for a dish or a cuisine can't find you. Put the menu on the page as text and keep a PDF only for people who want to print one.

Do I need online booking?

If you take bookings by phone and the phone is busy during service, yes, because a booking link catches the people who won't wait on hold. Pick one system, keep it current and link to it from every page, rather than three half-working ones.

What do I say about allergies?

Keep it short and honest. Ask diners to mention allergies when they book and again at the table. Don't promise a dish is free of something unless your kitchen can really guarantee it. Ask us about allergens, beside the menu, is the safest wording.

How do I handle a menu that changes all the time?

Edit the page on the day it changes, or say plainly that the menu moves with the season and show the latest version with a date. An out-of-date menu with prices that no longer match the till causes arguments at the table.

How do I attract function and group bookings?

Give them a page of their own with the rooms described in words, the types of event you do, a sample menu and a short form. Group organisers compare a few venues and prefer the one that answers without a phone call.

Websites for restaurants

Website design and development for restaurants across Australia: the room, the food and the people shot properly, with a map pin to the door.

From AUD 1,500, fixed before we start. No deposit. You pay when it's live.

The quote needs JavaScript. Email hello@freshsite.com.au or use the contact form and we'll reply within 24 hours.

A restaurant dining room set for dinner, with an open kitchen pass behind

What a site for restaurants has to do

A person looking for somewhere to eat decides in about a minute. They want to know if you're open tonight, what the food is, whether you can seat them and where the door is. If the answer is buried in a PDF, a slideshow or the footer, they'll pick the place whose answer was on the first screen.

Past that, the site sells the evening. Photos of the room with people in it, the menu written out as text that Google can read, a booking button that goes somewhere real and a short note about who cooks. Add a line for groups and functions, because a big table books itself from the website while the phone is busy.

What the site carries

Tonight's hours and the address with a map link, on the first screen of a phone.
The menu as text on the page, not a PDF, with prices as they appear on the till.
A booking button that goes to a working booking page, plus a phone number for anything the page can't do.
Allergen and dietary information written plainly, with an invitation to ask about allergens beside the menu.
A page for groups, functions and private dining, with a short enquiry form.
Photos of the room with people in it, the pass and the plates as served, shot at the table in daylight.
A note on walk-ins, so people know whether to turn up or book.
Parking, public transport and step-free access, said clearly.
Gift vouchers and any set menus, each with its own simple page.
A short line on who cooks and where the produce comes from, only if you can name it.

The work your customers look for

dinner bookings
weekend lunch
set menus
shared plates
private dining
functions and events
group bookings
birthday dinners
takeaway orders
gift vouchers
wine lists

What they type

"restaurant near me"
"restaurants"
"book a table"
"best restaurant"
"private dining"
"group booking restaurant"
"dinner"

The rules that shape the words

Allergen information for unpackaged food has to be available on request, so an invitation to ask is the safe wording, and allergen free is a claim only if you control cross-contact.

Under the ACCC's single price rule, the total including any compulsory charge, such as a surcharge on set days, has to be at least as prominent as any part price.

Alcohol advertising on a website or in social posts falls under your state's advertising rules, so check them before running a drinks promotion.

Keep the web menu in step with the till and date seasonal menus, since a price shown is a price promised.

Awards and ratings quoted on the site have to be current and credited to whoever gave them.

Rules change. Have your licence and wording checked against your regulator before the site goes live.

Sample designs

The closest designs to a site for restaurants

We haven't built a sample for restaurants yet, so here's the nearest kit. Yours is built on your own words and photos.

Daylight, butter and the hours up top

A daylight photograph of the room, then the hours with today marked, the address and the booking button on a butter band.

Sample design. Little Kurrajong is a fictional business.

Open the demo of daylight, butter and the hours up top

What goes wrong on older sites

A PDF menu that has to be pinched and zoomed on a phone, and which Google reads poorly.
Booking buttons that lead to a dead page or a service you stopped using.
Different hours on the home page, the booking widget and the Google listing.
A video that plays over the first screen and hides the opening hours.
A seasonal menu with last season's dishes still on it.
A menu with no prices, which sends diners to a competitor who prints them.

Questions from restaurants

My bookings come from Google and Instagram. Why do I need a website?: Because both of them point somewhere. The Google listing and your bio link need a page with the current menu, the hours, the booking button and the address, in your own words. It's also the one place you control when a platform changes its rules.
Is a PDF menu really that bad?: On a phone it is. It loads slowly, needs pinching and zooming, and Google reads it poorly, so people searching for a dish or a cuisine can't find you. Put the menu on the page as text and keep a PDF only for people who want to print one.
Do I need online booking?: If you take bookings by phone and the phone is busy during service, yes, because a booking link catches the people who won't wait on hold. Pick one system, keep it current and link to it from every page, rather than three half-working ones.
What do I say about allergies?: Keep it short and honest. Ask diners to mention allergies when they book and again at the table. Don't promise a dish is free of something unless your kitchen can really guarantee it. Ask us about allergens, beside the menu, is the safest wording.
How do I handle a menu that changes all the time?: Edit the page on the day it changes, or say plainly that the menu moves with the season and show the latest version with a date. An out-of-date menu with prices that no longer match the till causes arguments at the table.
How do I attract function and group bookings?: Give them a page of their own with the rooms described in words, the types of event you do, a sample menu and a short form. Group organisers compare a few venues and prefer the one that answers without a phone call.

From AUD 1,500

Fixed before we start. No deposit. You pay when it's live.

Your site goes live on your domain and you've got 7 days before the invoice is due.
The first year of hosting and care is included. After that it's AUD 25 a month, billed yearly (AUD 300 a year).
You edit your own words and photos, and your old site stays where it is until you're happy.

Get a quote We reply within 24 hours.