Do Restaurants Need a Website? Costs and Must-Haves

Most people searching for a restaurant want a few facts: the type of food, the menu and prices, opening hours, the address and parking, whether they can book, and whether the place suits their group (kids, large parties, dietary needs). They find this on Google Maps, delivery apps, review sites and the restaurant's own website. When your own site is missing or out of date, they rely on third-party pages that may contain old menus, wrong hours or no photos.

Controlling this information matters, because outdated hours and a missing menu lose walk-ins. The restaurant website examples page shows how different styles of restaurant present it.

• Commissions. Third-party delivery platforms commonly take a significant percentage of each order. Direct orders through your own channel keep more margin, though you must handle delivery or pickup.
• You do not own the audience. Followers, reviews and rankings sit with the platform.
• Weak search presence. An Instagram feed seldom ranks for "best brunch in [neighbourhood]".
• Inconsistent information. Menus and hours differ across apps unless you manage each one.
• Limited storytelling. A site can tell your story, show private event options and list catering, which sell higher-value bookings.

Use social media and delivery apps for discovery, then send people to your website for booking and direct ordering.

1. Menu as real text. Not only a PDF or image, which is hard to read on phones and invisible to search engines. Mark vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and common allergens carefully.
2. Hours, address and map. Including holiday hours and parking.
3. Reservation or order link. A direct booking tool, a phone button, or your own online ordering page.
4. Photos. Real dishes, interior, staff. Good lighting matters more than expensive cameras.
5. Private events and catering. A short page with capacity, packages and an enquiry form.
6. Contact and accessibility information.
7. Google Business Profile link and consistent details.

The site should load fast on mobile and show the most important facts within the first screen.

Prices vary, so treat them as ranges. See restaurant website costs and the platform comparison.

Worked example: if a restaurant shifts 40 orders a month from a delivery app with a 25 percent commission to direct ordering at an average of $40, that is roughly $400 per month of commission avoided, before payment processing fees. The saving can cover a site, though results depend on how many customers actually switch.

• Quebec: French must be available and prominent on commercial content aimed at Quebec consumers under Bill 96. Many restaurants publish French menus with English translations as needed.
• Allergens and menu claims: Be accurate about ingredients and allergens. Canadian food labelling and advertising rules apply, and false claims can create liability.
• Taxes and tips: state whether menu prices include taxes. GST/HST and PST rules for prepared food vary by province.
• Alcohol advertising: provincial liquor boards regulate how licensed venues advertise. Check your province's rules.
• Privacy and email: booking forms fall under PIPEDA and Law 25. Newsletters need consent under CASL.
• Tourism areas: restaurants in tourist regions may want English, French and other language options.

A one-page restaurant site can work well. Start with a header showing the name, cuisine and neighbourhood, then a large photo of the dining room or signature dish. Below it, place a block with today's hours, address, phone and a reserve or order button. Follow with the menu in web text, a short story about the kitchen, three to six photos, and a map. End with a private event enquiry form and links to social profiles.

Update the hours block for holidays at least a week early, and refresh the menu seasonally. Test the page on a phone while standing outside the restaurant: if a stranger can find your hours and the way to the door in under twenty seconds, the site is doing its job.

Add alt text to photos, which helps accessibility and image search.

• Menu is readable text, with prices and allergens flagged.
• Hours, holiday hours and address are correct everywhere.
• Reservation or ordering link works on mobile.
• Photos are your own and compressed for speed.
• Phone number is tappable.
• Google Business Profile, delivery apps and the site match.

Common mistakes: a PDF-only menu, outdated specials, slow auto-playing video, music that plays on load, hiding the address, and forgetting to update hours for holidays. Another is ignoring local search. Read the local SEO guide to improve visibility in map results. If you want help, Lead4Pro builds websites for Canadian hospitality businesses.

If you run more than one location, give each its own page with its own hours, address and phone number, and keep one shared menu where the menus match. Search engines and customers then find the right location quickly, and you avoid the confusion of a single address in the footer. Review each location page whenever staffing or hours change.

Think about accessibility from the start. Use readable text sizes, good contrast between text and background, and descriptions for photos, and state clearly whether the entrance, washrooms and tables are wheelchair accessible. Diners with mobility needs search for this detail, and answering it earns repeat visits and good reviews. Keep the information in the text of the page, not only inside an image.