Do restaurants need a website
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Part of the What a Website Really Costs in Canada series. Related: How To Make A Website Load FasterDo Contractors Need A Website
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Yes, restaurants need a website. Even with strong social media and delivery-app listings, a website is the one channel you fully control. In Canada, most diners check a restaurant's hours, menu, and location online before visiting, and many decide where to eat based on what they find. A simple, fast website with your menu, address, and reservation or order links captures that traffic and keeps you from paying a commission on every booking or order.
Why social media isn't enough on its own
Facebook and Instagram are great for showing off dishes and building a following, but they have real limits as your main online home. You don't own the platform, the algorithm decides who sees your posts, and a customer searching "best brunch near me" on Google rarely lands on a social profile first.
- Discoverability: A website ranks in Google search and Google Maps, where most local diners start.
- Control: If a platform changes its rules or suspends your account, your website keeps working.
- Trust: A professional site signals that you're an established, legitimate business.
- Speed: Customers can see your menu and hours in one tap instead of scrolling a feed.
Think of social media as the conversation and your website as the front door.
What a restaurant website actually needs
You don't need anything elaborate. The pages that matter most to a hungry customer are simple and load fast on a phone:
- Menu: Up to date, with prices, in plain text (not a PDF or image that's hard to read on mobile).
- Hours and address: Including holiday hours and a clickable map link.
- Phone number: Tap-to-call, prominently placed.
- Reservations or online ordering: A button to OpenTable, your own form, or a delivery link.
- Photos: A few high-quality shots of food and the room.
A clean three-to-five-page site covers all of this. The goal is to answer a diner's questions in seconds so they choose you instead of a competitor whose hours were easier to find.
The cost of relying only on delivery apps
Apps like Uber Eats, DoorDash, and SkipTheDishes bring in orders, but they typically charge commissions of 15% to 30% per order in Canada. On thin restaurant margins, that adds up fast over a year.
A website with your own online ordering or a simple reservation system lets you keep more of every sale. Even when you still use delivery apps, sending customers to your own site for direct orders or bookings shifts the math in your favour. Many restaurants use their site to promote pickup specials and loyalty perks that apps don't allow, encouraging repeat customers to order directly.
Local SEO: getting found by nearby diners
For restaurants, most traffic is local, so your website should be built to win local search. The fundamentals are straightforward:
- Google Business Profile: Claim it, keep hours accurate, and link to your website.
- Consistent name, address, and phone across your site, Google, and directories.
- Mobile speed: Pages should load in a couple of seconds on a phone.
- Reviews: Encourage happy diners to leave Google reviews and respond to them.
A well-optimized site can appear in the Google Map pack for searches like "Italian restaurant downtown," which is prime real estate for new customers. If local SEO isn't your strength, a Canadian agency can set this up so your restaurant shows up when nearby people are deciding where to eat.
FAQ
Can't I just use my Google Business Profile instead of a website?
A Google Business Profile is essential, but it works best alongside a website. The profile shows hours, reviews, and a map, while your website hosts your full menu, ordering, reservations, and story. Linking your profile to a website also helps you rank higher and gives customers a richer experience than a listing alone.
How much does a restaurant website cost in Canada?
A simple, professionally built restaurant website typically runs from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars CAD, depending on features like online ordering. DIY builders can be cheaper upfront but cost you time. Either way, the recurring costs are modest: hosting and a domain usually total well under $200 per year.
Do I still need a website if I'm only doing takeout?
Yes. Even takeout-only restaurants benefit from a website where customers can view the menu, check hours, and order directly without app commissions. It also helps you appear in local Google searches, which is how many people find a quick takeout spot near them.
Should the menu be a PDF on my website?
Avoid PDFs. They're slow to load, awkward to read on phones, and search engines can't index them well. Put your menu in plain HTML text instead so it's fast, mobile-friendly, and shows up in Google searches for specific dishes you serve.