A restaurant website often has a straightforward job: help someone decide whether to visit and make the next step easy. A large image should not force customers to hunt for the menu, opening hours or booking link.
Review the website as someone making a decision on a phone, perhaps while travelling or organising a group.
Checklist
| Check | Pass looks like | If it fails |
|---|---|---|
| Menu | The current menu opens on a phone in two taps or fewer from the home page | Move the menu link into the main navigation; replace outdated files |
| Hours | Venue and kitchen hours, and any holiday changes, are shown and match your public profiles | Update the page and the profiles together |
| Address and contact | Address, phone and map are visible without scrolling on a phone | Add them to the header or first screen |
| Booking | You can complete a test booking on a phone and receive a confirmation | Fix the provider journey; make the difference between a booking and an enquiry clear |
| Groups | The page says how to enquire about large groups and who responds | Add the steps and a contact |
| Access and dietary | Verified access information is published, and allergy questions route to the venue’s process | Remove unverified claims; add a contact route |
| Photos | Photos represent the venue and food as served | Replace misleading images |
| Owners | Someone is named for menus, hours, closures and booking links | Assign owners |
Put practical information first
Make the current menu, address, opening hours and contact details easy to find. Distinguish kitchen hours from venue hours where the difference matters.
Prefer readable menu content that works on a small screen. If a downloadable menu is provided, keep it current and make the file easy to open.
For a hypothetical neighbourhood restaurant, a customer might need to know whether lunch is available on a particular day before looking at photographs. Navigation should support that question quickly.
Explain booking choices
Show whether customers can book online, call, enquire about a group or walk in. Make the distinction between a confirmed booking and an enquiry clear.
Test the booking provider’s mobile journey, including the point where customers return to the restaurant website. Check that unavailable times and confirmation messages are understandable.
If large groups follow a different process, explain the information the team needs and who will respond.
Answer access and dietary questions accurately
Publish the access information the venue has verified, such as steps, accessible entry or relevant facilities. Provide a contact route for specific questions.
Describe dietary options carefully and direct customers with allergies or particular requirements to the venue’s approved process. A general menu label should not become an unsupported guarantee.
Keep photographs representative of the venue and food. Do not imply that an illustrative image shows a dish currently available unless that is true.
Maintain the whole journey
Assign owners for menus, holiday hours, special closures and booking links. Keep the website and public profiles consistent when information changes.
Use the common website visitor questions as a final check: who you are, what you offer, why someone should choose you and how to act.
Test from a phone without relying on knowledge of the venue. Ask a colleague unfamiliar with the site to find the menu and complete a booking test.
DonutLabs’ hospitality website service can help organise these essentials. Bring the approved venue information and the way bookings are handled by the team.
For the wider planning context, read What affects the cost of a small-business website redesign?.
