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Website Design for Restaurants, Cafés & Takeaways: How to Win More Diners Online in 2026
Why Restaurant & Food Business Websites Are Different (And Why Most Get It Wrong)
Running a restaurant, café, or takeaway in 2026 means competing in one of the most intensely online-researched industries in existence. Before anyone steps through your door or places an order, they’ve already Googled you, checked your reviews, looked at your menu, and decided whether you look worth visiting. Research shows that 90% of diners research a restaurant online before visiting — and 57% say they won’t go to a restaurant that doesn’t have a website.
The problem is that most food business websites are either non-existent, outdated, or suffer from the same critical mistakes. Menus saved as PDF files that don’t load on mobile. Booking systems that are clunky and unreliable. Pages crammed with stock photography instead of real food photos. Zero social proof. Poor Google rankings. The list goes on.
At SinceCode, we understand what makes a food business website succeed. In this guide, we’ll walk you through exactly what your restaurant, café, or takeaway website needs — and how to get one that starts bringing in more bookings and orders from day one.
The Essential Elements of a Restaurant Website That Converts
1. An Up-to-Date, Mobile-Friendly Menu
Your menu is the single most important element of your food business website. But it must be accessible and readable. A PDF menu is the worst possible approach — it doesn’t display well on mobile, it can’t be indexed by Google, and it often fails to load entirely. Your menu should be presented as actual HTML text on a dedicated menu page, styled to match your brand, with clear sections, pricing, and allergen information where required.
A well-structured online menu also helps your SEO — Google can read and index it, helping you rank for specific dish searches like “fish and chips Redditch” or “vegan brunch Worcester”.
2. High-Quality Food Photography
People eat with their eyes — and nowhere is this truer than online. Professional food photography is one of the highest-ROI investments a food business can make. Even photos taken on a modern smartphone, properly lit and well-composed, are dramatically better than stock imagery. Show real dishes from your kitchen, real photos of your space, and real images of happy customers (with their permission).
3. Easy Online Booking or Ordering
Every friction point between a customer deciding to visit or order and actually completing that action costs you revenue. Your website should make booking a table or placing an order as simple as possible. Integrated booking systems (like OpenTable, ResDiary, or a simple booking form) should be prominent on the homepage — not buried in a sub-menu.
4. Opening Hours and Location — Front and Centre
This sounds obvious, but you’d be amazed how many restaurant websites make customers hunt for basic information. Your opening hours and address should be clearly visible on the homepage, ideally in the header or above the fold. Include a Google Maps embed so customers can get directions with one tap. Also make sure your Google Business Profile hours exactly match your website — inconsistency confuses Google and reduces your local search visibility.
5. Customer Reviews Prominently Displayed
Reviews are the most powerful conversion tool available to any food business. Embedding or displaying your Google or TripAdvisor reviews on your website provides social proof that persuades undecided potential customers to commit. If you have a strong average rating (4.0+), show it off prominently on your homepage.
6. Clear Brand Identity
Your website should communicate what kind of experience customers can expect — before they even arrive. A family-friendly pub, a fine dining restaurant, a trendy brunch café, and a late-night kebab shop all need fundamentally different website designs and tones. Your branding — colours, typography, photography style, and copy tone — should all work together to set accurate expectations and attract your ideal customers.
Google My Business: Your Secret Weapon for Local Restaurant SEO
When someone searches “Italian restaurant near me” or “Sunday roast Redditch”, Google shows a map with three local results — the “local pack”. Getting into that local pack is arguably more valuable for a food business than any paid advertising. Here’s how to maximise your chances:
- Claim and fully complete your Google Business Profile, selecting the most specific category (e.g., “Italian Restaurant” not just “Restaurant”)
- Upload high-quality photos regularly — GBP listings with photos get significantly more clicks
- Keep your opening hours meticulously accurate, especially over holidays
- Respond to every Google review, positive and negative, within 24 hours
- Add your menu to your GBP listing
- Use GBP posts to promote specials, events, and seasonal menus
Your website and your Google Business Profile work together. A fast, well-optimised website reinforces the signals from your GBP and vice versa. SinceCode builds every food business website with local SEO as a core consideration.
Avoiding Third-Party Delivery Platform Dependency
Platforms like Uber Eats, Deliveroo, and Just Eat have transformed the takeaway and delivery market — but they come at a steep cost. Commission rates of 25–35% per order dramatically cut into already-thin margins. Many food businesses are now actively driving customers to order direct through their own websites, where they can retain significantly more of each sale.
A direct ordering system on your website, promoted through your social media and marketing, can meaningfully reduce your reliance on these platforms and increase profitability per order. The website investment pays for itself quickly in commission savings alone.
How Much Does a Restaurant Website Cost?
Food business website costs vary widely depending on complexity:
- Simple café or takeaway website (1–3 pages, menu, contact, map): From £19.99–£32.99/month with SinceCode
- Restaurant website with bookings and gallery (5 pages): From £44.99/month with SinceCode
- Full hospitality website with e-commerce/ordering: From £64.99/month with SinceCode
All SinceCode plans include zero upfront cost, UK hosting, SSL, ongoing maintenance, and UK-based support. We get you live within 7 days of starting. No long waits. No hidden extras.
Ready to Fill More Tables and Generate More Orders?
Whether you’re a café just starting out, an established restaurant looking for a website refresh, or a takeaway wanting to drive more direct orders, SinceCode can build you a website that delivers results. We understand the food and hospitality sector, and we build websites that reflect your unique brand while performing brilliantly in Google search results.
Get started today — fill in our quick form and we’ll have a custom design ready for your review within days.
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