Websites for Restaurants: Get More Customers & Online Orders (2025)

Your restaurant's empty because customers can't find you online. Here's the complete guide to websites for restaurants that turn hungry searchers into loyal customers—with online ordering, reservations, local SEO, and conversion strategies that actually fill tables and boost revenue.

The Restaurant Website Crisis: Every day without a proper website, you're losing customers to competitors. The average restaurant loses $5,000-$15,000 monthly in potential online orders alone. Let's fix that—fast.

Think social media is enough? Think again. 75% of diners check a restaurant's website before deciding where to eat. No website = invisible to potential customers. We've built websites for 15+ restaurants, and the pattern is clear: restaurants with custom websites get 3x more reservations and 200% more online orders than those relying on third-party apps.

One pizza place we worked with went from $2K to $15K monthly online orders after we built their website—cutting out those brutal 30% delivery app fees. That's $3,900 saved monthly, or $46,800 per year back in their pocket. Websites for restaurants aren't optional anymore; they're survival.

Your restaurant website needs more than pretty food pics—it needs to be a conversion machine. The best websites for restaurants combine these essential features to drive orders, reservations, and foot traffic.

One bistro added online ordering to their site and cut third-party fees by $3K monthly. Another fine-dining restaurant added a reservation system and increased bookings by 250% in 60 days. These aren't flukes—they're what happens when you get the essentials right.

Beyond the basics, these advanced features separate good restaurant websites from revenue-generating machines:

• Loyalty program integration: Reward repeat customers, increase lifetime value by 40%
• Catering/event booking: Capture high-value orders ($500-$5K per booking)
• Wait time estimator: Reduce customer frustration, increase walk-ins
• Menu customization: Let customers build their perfect meal (increases AOV 25%)
• Allergen information: Critical for customer safety and trust
• Nutritional data: Required for health-conscious diners
• Pre-order for pickup: Reduce wait times, increase order volume
• Live chat support: Answer questions instantly, boost conversions 30%
• Email automation: Send birthday offers, new menu alerts, win-back campaigns

Best website in the world means nothing if nobody finds it. Local SEO puts you on Google's first page when hungry people search 'restaurants near me.' We've helped restaurants rank #1 for local searches in 2-4 weeks, not months. One taco joint went from page 3 to #1 in 3 weeks—calls jumped 300%. Here's exactly how we do it:

1. Google Business Profile Optimization: Complete every field, add 20+ high-quality photos, post weekly updates, respond to ALL reviews within 24 hours
2. NAP Consistency: Ensure Name, Address, Phone match EXACTLY across your website, Google, Yelp, Facebook, and all directories
3. Local Keywords: Target '[Cuisine] restaurant in [City]' (e.g., 'Italian restaurant in Austin'), include neighborhood names, add 'near me' variations
4. Location Pages: Create separate pages for each location if you have multiple restaurants
5. Review Strategy: Get 3-5 new Google reviews weekly, encourage keyword use ('best pizza in Brooklyn'), respond to every review
6. Local Content: Write blog posts about local events, neighborhood guides, seasonal ingredients from local farms
7. Schema Markup: Add Restaurant schema with menu, hours, location, price range, cuisines
8. Local Backlinks: Get featured in local food blogs, newspapers, 'Best Of' lists, Chamber of Commerce
9. Mobile Optimization: Google prioritizes mobile-friendly sites for local searches (60% of searches are mobile)
10. Speed Matters: Local search ranking drops if site loads slower than 3 seconds

Pro Tip: Use location-specific keywords naturally in your content. Instead of just 'best Italian food,' use 'best Italian food in downtown Seattle' or 'authentic Italian cuisine near Pike Place Market.' Google loves this specificity.

DoorDash and UberEats take 30% of every order—that's $30 on a $100 order straight out of your pocket. Websites for restaurants with built-in ordering systems let you keep 100% of the profit. We've built custom ordering systems for $2K-$4K that pay for themselves in 4-8 weeks.

Real Numbers: One client was losing $5K monthly to delivery apps ($60K annually!). We built them a website with online ordering—customers loved it, and they kept all the money. Within 3 months, they had $15K more in profit compared to using third-party apps.

Not all online ordering systems are created equal. Here's what converts browsers into buyers:

Conversion Psychology: Display popular items first, use hunger-triggering food photography, show 'Most Ordered' badges, offer combo deals, and create urgency with 'Order now for delivery by 7 PM' messaging.

Your online menu isn't just a list—it's a sales tool. Proper menu design increases average order value by 25-40%. Here's how:

• High-quality food photos: Items with photos sell 30% more than those without
• Strategic pricing: Remove dollar signs, use .99 pricing, highlight high-margin items
• Menu engineering: Place most profitable items in the 'golden triangle' (top-right of screen)
• Descriptive names: 'Grandma's Homemade Lasagna' sells better than 'Lasagna'
• Category optimization: Limit to 7-10 items per category (decision paralysis is real)
• Upsells & combos: 'Add fries for $3' or 'Meal Deal: Save $5' increase AOV 20%
• Dietary tags: Vegan, GF, spicy icons help customers find what they want fast
• Seasonal specials: Rotate menu items, create FOMO, boost repeat visits
• Load time: Optimize images to load under 2 seconds or lose 40% of customers

Case Study: A burger restaurant added professional food photos and strategic upsells ('Add bacon $2, cheese $1.50'). Result? 35% increase in average order value from $22 to $29.70. That's an extra $7.70 per order in pure profit.

60% of restaurant website traffic is mobile. If your site doesn't work perfectly on phones, you're losing more than half your customers. Mobile isn't just smaller desktop—it's a completely different user experience.

Real Results: We rebuilt a burger joint's mobile experience—online orders jumped 80% in the first week. Another pizza place optimized their mobile menu and saw 65% reduction in cart abandonment. Mobile-first isn't a trend; it's survival.

Let's talk real numbers. Restaurant websites range from $3K-$12K depending on features, complexity, and integrations. Here's exactly what you get at each tier:

ROI Reality Check: One client invested $6K in a full website with online ordering. They made back their investment in 3 weeks from online orders alone. By month 3, they were $15K ahead compared to using delivery apps.

The Math: If you do $20K monthly in delivery through third-party apps (30% commission), you're paying $6K in fees. A $6K website pays for itself in one month, then saves you $6K every month after. That's $72K saved annually.

The real question isn't 'Can I afford a website?'—it's 'Can I afford to keep losing $6K+ monthly to delivery apps?' Your competitors already have websites. Don't let them eat your lunch.

Most restaurant websites take 2-3 weeks from concept to launch. Here's the exact timeline:

1. Week 1: Discovery & Design - Initial consultation (1 hour), menu digitization and organization, design mockup creation, photography recommendations, brand alignment, client review and approval
2. Week 2: Development - Website build (homepage, menu pages, contact), online ordering system integration, reservation system setup, payment gateway connection (Stripe/Square), mobile optimization, speed optimization
3. Week 3: Testing & Launch - Quality assurance testing (all devices, browsers), menu accuracy verification, order testing (place test orders), SEO implementation (schema, meta tags), Google Business Profile optimization, staff training (how to manage orders), soft launch with monitoring, full public launch

Expedited Timeline: One breakfast spot needed their site live for a grand opening in 10 days—we delivered in 8 days. Rush fees may apply, but we prioritize getting you online fast when it matters.

What You Need Ready: High-quality food photos (or we'll arrange a photoshoot), complete menu with descriptions and prices, your logo and brand colors, Google Business Profile access, and social media links.

Don't just take our word for it—here are real results from restaurants we've built websites for:

These aren't flukes—they're what happens when restaurants get websites that actually work. Your turn to join them.

You now know exactly what it takes to build a restaurant website that drives orders, reservations, and foot traffic. Here's your action plan:

1. Today: Contact us at theplum.us/contact for a free consultation
2. Tomorrow: Receive your custom quote and timeline (24-hour turnaround)
3. Week 1: Approve design mockup, provide menu and photos
4. Week 2: Watch your website come to life with online ordering and reservations
5. Week 3: Launch your site, train your staff, start taking orders
6. Week 4+: Watch revenue grow, save thousands in delivery fees, own your customer relationships

The Bottom Line: Every day without a proper website, you're losing $200-$500 in potential orders and paying $100-$200 in unnecessary delivery app fees. That's $9K-$21K lost monthly. Your restaurant deserves a website that works as hard as you do.

Visit theplum.us/contact today and let's build a site that fills your tables, boosts online orders, and puts money back in your pocket. Don't wait—your competitors already have websites, and they're eating your lunch. Let's change that. Get your quote in 24 hours. Launch in 2 weeks. Start profiting immediately.

🍕 Pizza places: Save $3K monthly on delivery fees | 🌮 Tacos & casual: Rank #1 on Google in 3 weeks | 🍔 Burgers & fast food: 80% mobile order increase | 🍷 Fine dining: 250% more reservations | Your restaurant is next.