Restaurant Website Design Agency

Website design for restaurants

Restaurant website design is one of the most essential elements to the conversion of traffic.
Everyone will have heard the metaphor that a website is the online face of a restaurant: used 24/7 to showcase the restaurant's menu, location, atmosphere, and any relevant booking information. For unsure guests, your website is their first entry point into experiencing dining with you and your first chance to encourage them to make a direct booking with you.

In this blog, we’re going to explore what website design is, why a restaurant needs it, the benefits of website design, how restaurants can use website design and the benefits of using Umbraco website builder.

Our restaurant website builder

Umbraco is the number one CMS (content management system) used by medium to large membership organisations.

Umbraco is an impressive website builder that can help restaurants create truly remarkable websites with ease and is the website builder we use at Cab Hospitality. The best restaurant website development tool; Umbraco is an open-source content management system that provides a flexible and customisable platform for building, editing, and publishing websites. With Umbraco, restaurants can create responsive websites that work seamlessly on all devices, including desktops, tablets, and most importantly smartphones.

Umbraco is renowned for its user-friendly interface, easy navigation and customisable options available with the drag and drop editor. This means that restaurant owners can focus on creating a website that perfectly reflects their brand and vision, without worrying about technical details. The platform also provides a range of plugins and integrations that can enhance a restaurant's website functionality.

For example, e-commerce plugins can allow customers to place orders online and booking plugins can simplify the reservation process for an easy to use website that books guests in moments.

Moreover, Umbraco provides the tools to create a highly performative website that can attract new customers and foster loyalty among existing ones. By relying on Umbraco as a website builder, restaurants can create websites that not only look great but also provide a seamless user experience to help drive sales and build a strong online presence.

What is website design?

Restaurant web design is a crucial aspect of creating a successful online presence with Sweor reporting that it takes just 0.05 seconds for users to form an impression of your website and decide whether or not to stay or leave.

Design refers to the layout, content, functionality, colours, images, and how user-friendly your website is. A more engaging, visually appealing and user-friendly website gives you the best chance at converting visitors to your website.

Layout

38% of people will stop engaging with a website if the layout or content is unattractive. The layout of a website is a critical component of its design. The layout should be visually appealing and incredibly easy to navigate, pointing seamlessly to necessary action buttons and pages. A good layout will help visitors find what they are looking for quickly and efficiently, with lots of calls to action promoting a booking or contact page.

Colours

Colours evoke emotions and feelings in website visitors, which makes them an essential element of website design. For example, a restaurant website may use warm colours such as red and orange to create a cosy and inviting atmosphere, while a technology website may use cool colours such as blue and green to convey a sense of professionalism and innovation. Ultimately, the colour palette you use needs to merge well and assist in the vibe and journey you want to convey to website visitors.

Typography

Typography is also an important aspect of website design. The font used on a website should be legible and easy to read. It should also be consistent throughout the website to ensure a cohesive design format. The use of different font sizes, styles, and colours can also be used to create a hierarchy and draw attention to important information, helping with user navigation and search engine crawling and ranking.

Images

Images and other media can also be used to enhance the design of a website. High-quality images that are relevant to the content can help to engage visitors and make the website more visually appealing. Videos, animations, and other interactive elements can also help to keep visitors on the website for longer periods.

Mobile optimisation

52% of users said they’re less likely to engage with a company that doesn’t use responsive mobile design, and other studies show that over half of the overall web traffic comes from mobile phones.

Having a functional site is one thing, however, you always need a restaurant website design to be compatible and optimised for mobile use. Many consumers will use their mobile to look up menus, opening times, learn more about your website and potentially make a booking, making mobile optimisation absolutely essential for the longevity of your business’s online presence.

Interactivity

Finally, interactivity is a crucial component of website design and refers to the user experience. Websites should be designed to be interactive and engaging, with features such as contact forms, social media integration, and live chat easily found on the pages. These features can help to build a relationship with visitors and encourage them to take action, such as making a reservation or placing an order, or getting in touch with you directly should they need anything.

A well-designed website can have a significant impact on a business's success and help to establish a strong online presence. For example, when you think of the Apple website, you know it is going to represent the innovative, seamless design favoured by Apple. However, if you were to see their layout was disjointed or colour scheme slightly off, you’d likely lose faith in this brand.

Furthermore, for a restaurant, the website serves as a virtual storefront, providing customers with a glimpse into the establishment's atmosphere, ambiance, and decor. This can be especially important for customers who are looking for a particular dining experience or who are unfamiliar with the restaurant's location. By showcasing photos of the restaurant's interior and exterior, as well as its menu items, a website can help customers make informed decisions about where they want to dine.

Couple this with a compelling layout, strong messaging and strong links to action buttons such as “Book now”, “Contact us” and “Menu” to help your site visitors navigate with ease.

What are the benefits of restaurant website design?

94% of negative user experience is about design, which indicates design is a huge influencer on consumers' thoughts and experience with a brand.

Website design is an essential aspect of any business, and restaurants are no exception. A well-designed website can provide users with a hassle free way of getting in touch with a restaurant, finding out relevant information and forming an opinion that ultimately could lead to a booking.

A good website can assist with:

Improved user experience

A well-designed restaurant website can provide a seamless user experience for customers. The website should be easy to navigate and the information should be easy to find. A study found that the most significant reasons for people to leave a website include:

• Slow loading (88.5%)
• Non-responsive site (73.1%)
• Bad navigation (61.5%)

An improved user experience can help customers quickly find what they are looking for, such as the menu, hours of operation, and location, leading to a more positive experience with your brand. A positive user experience can lead to increased customer satisfaction and loyalty, and overall result in return custom and a higher LT (lifetime value) of a customer.

Enhanced credibility

A well-designed website can enhance a restaurant's credibility, create a positive first impression of the restaurant and make customers more likely to visit. Additionally, highlighting any awards, reviews, and other accomplishments, further enhances credibility.

Customer data collection

Collecting customer data, such as email addresses and demographics is essential to continuing a relationship with a consumer. This data can be used for marketing purposes, such as email campaigns and targeted advertising where you can send out tailored ads and marketing with deals and news individuals may like.

Increased visibility

A well-designed and functional website can also increase a restaurant's visibility on search engines. This can make it easier for potential customers to find the restaurant when searching for local dining options. Additionally, a website can also be optimised for local search, which can help the restaurant appear in local search results, meaning you can capture local traffic of people searching for things you provide nearby.

How can website design be used by a restaurant?

Website design is a crucial element for any restaurant that wants to establish a strong online presence. With the increased popularity of online ordering and food delivery services such as Uber Eats and Deliveroo, it is more important than ever for restaurants to have an attractive and user-friendly website that builds a relationship with consumers and entices them to make a booking.

Showcasing the menu

One of the most important aspects of a restaurant's website is the menu. A well-designed menu can entice customers to try new dishes and can help them make informed decisions about what to order. A restaurant's website should feature high-quality photos of the dishes, along with detailed descriptions and prices.

Location and contact information

It is important for a restaurant's website to provide clear and accurate information about its location, hours of operation, and contact information. This can include a map with directions, phone numbers, email addresses, and social media links so that confused visitors have all the relevant information at their fingertips to avoid frustration and confusion.

Online ordering and reservations

Many customers prefer to order food online or make reservations through a restaurant's website. This can be a convenient and efficient way to manage orders and reservations, especially during busy times. A restaurant's website should include an online ordering system and reservation system that is easy to use and secure.

Blogging and Content Marketing

Content is incredibly valuable on a website and can include anything from high quality images and videos to blog articles about food, cooking, and nutrition. This helps to establish the restaurant as an authority in the industry and can attract and retain customers' interest, as well as assist with SEO if using the right keywords and phrases. Using correct and valuable search terms and keywords helps people find your website and leads to more organic traffic.