I build websites for restaurants in Louisville, and the same question comes up almost every time: "What do I actually need on my restaurant's website?" The answer is simpler than most people think. You don't need animations or a homepage video that takes 10 seconds to load. You need the basics done right.
Most restaurant websites I come across have one of two problems. Either they don't exist at all (the owner relies on Facebook and DoorDash), or they exist but they're slow, outdated, and missing the information customers are looking for. Both cost you money. If you're looking for restaurant website design, these are the 7 features I focus on and why each one matters.
Why Your Restaurant Website Matters More Than You Think
More than three out of four potential customers are going to your website before they walk through your door. If what they find is a broken page or a PDF menu they can't read on their phone, they're going to pick someone else.
Here are the 7 things that separate a restaurant website that works from one that just takes up space on the internet.
The 7 Features That Actually Matter
A Mobile-First Menu (Not a PDF)
Over 70% of restaurant searches happen on a phone. If your menu is a PDF, people have to download it, pinch to zoom, and squint at tiny text on a 6-inch screen. Most won't bother. They'll just go somewhere else.
Your menu should be actual text on the page. It loads instantly, it's readable at any screen size, and Google can index it. When someone in the Highlands searches "best tacos near me," Google can pull from your menu and show your site. A PDF is invisible to search engines.
Real example: I built the Derby City Diner site with the full menu as text on the page. No downloads, no zooming. Just open the site and start reading. That's how it should work.
Accurate Hours and Location with Google Maps
This sounds obvious, but you'd be surprised. I've lost count of how many restaurant websites I've visited where the hours are wrong, the address is buried in the footer in 10px font, or there's no map at all.
Your hours and address should be on the homepage, visible without scrolling on mobile. And embed a Google Map so people can tap it and get directions. No one is going to copy your address, open Google Maps separately, and paste it in. Make it one tap.
Real example: Think about a place on Bardstown Road. A customer is walking around on a Saturday night, pulls out their phone, and Googles the restaurant. If the hours say "Closes at 10" but you actually close at 9 now and never updated the site, that person shows up to a locked door. And they don't come back.
Online Ordering Links (Direct, Not Just DoorDash)
If the only way to order from you online is through DoorDash or Uber Eats, you're giving up 15-30% of every order in commission fees. On a $50 order, that's $7.50 to $15 gone. Multiply that across a week, a month, a year. It adds up fast.
Your website should have a clear "Order Online" button that links to your own ordering system. Platforms like Toast, Square Online, and ChowNow let you take orders directly without the massive commission. Your website becomes the place that routes people to you, not to a middleman.
Real example: A BBQ spot in St. Matthews was doing about $3,000 a month through DoorDash. That's roughly $600-900 in fees every month. By adding a direct ordering link to their website and promoting it, they shifted about half of those orders to their own system. That's $300-450 back in their pocket every month, just from a button on a website.
Quick math on ordering fees: If you do $5,000/month through third-party apps at a 25% commission, that's $1,250/month in fees. That's $15,000 a year. A website that routes even half of those orders directly to you pays for itself many times over.
Real Photos of Your Food and Space
Stock photos of generic pasta don't fool anyone. People can tell when the photos aren't yours, and it hurts trust. You don't need a professional photographer. A well-lit photo taken on a decent phone, near a window, with the food on a clean plate, works fine.
Take photos of your best dishes, your dining room, your patio, your bar. Show people what they're actually going to get.
Real example: Check out the Smokey's BBQ demo. Real food photos make you hungry. Stock photos of a random burger make you suspicious. Your customer can tell the difference.
Need a Restaurant Website That Works?
I build restaurant websites for Louisville businesses. Custom design, mobile-friendly, with all 7 features on this list. Starting at $150/month.
See Restaurant Web DesignGoogle Business Profile Connection
Your website and your Google Business Profile should work together. When someone searches "restaurants in NuLu" or "brunch near me Louisville," Google pulls from your Business Profile to show you in the map results. Your website backs that up.
Your Business Profile needs to link to your website, and your website needs to have matching information: same name, same address, same phone number, same hours. When Google sees consistent info across both, it trusts you more and ranks you higher.
If you haven't set up your Google Business Profile yet, I wrote a full guide on how to get your business on Google. It's free to set up and it's one of the most important things you can do for your restaurant's online presence.
Click-to-Call Phone Number on Every Page
When someone is on your site on their phone, they should be able to tap your number and call you instantly. Not find your contact page, not scroll to the footer. One tap.
Put your phone number in the header of every page, linked so it's tappable on mobile. People call restaurants for reservations, large party questions, dietary needs, holiday hours. Make it easy.
Real example: A restaurant owner on Frankfort Avenue told me she was getting more calls after I put the phone number in the top nav bar of her site. People weren't calling more because they had more questions. They were calling more because they could finally find the number without digging for it.
Fast Loading Speed
If your website takes more than 3 seconds to load, over half of mobile visitors will leave before they see anything. They're gone. They went to the next result on Google. For a restaurant, that's a lost customer who was literally ready to eat.
The biggest culprits for slow restaurant websites are oversized images (that 5MB photo of your dining room), too many scripts and plugins, and cheap hosting. A well-built restaurant site should load in under 2 seconds. That means optimized images, clean code, and solid hosting.
Real example: I tested a popular Louisville restaurant's website last month. It took 7.2 seconds to load on mobile. Seven seconds. In that time, a hungry customer has already tapped the back button and picked the place below them in the search results. Speed is not optional.
What You Don't Need
Just as important as what to include is what to skip:
- Autoplay background videos. They slow your site down and eat through mobile data. A good photo does the same job.
- Complex reservation systems. Unless you're fine dining, a phone number and maybe an OpenTable link is plenty.
- Embedded social media feeds. They slow the page and pull attention from your menu. Link to your accounts instead.
- Elaborate animations. Your brisket photo sliding in from the left doesn't make anyone hungrier. It just makes the page slower.
A Note About Facebook Pages vs. Websites
I talk to restaurant owners all the time who say, "I have a Facebook page, do I really need a website?" Short answer: yes. Facebook limits what you can control, changes its algorithm whenever it wants, and a lot of people don't even have Facebook accounts anymore. Your website is yours. You control it. I wrote more about this in my article on website vs. Facebook page if you want the full breakdown.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does my restaurant need online ordering on the website?
You don't need a full ordering system built into your site. But you should have a clear link to wherever customers can order directly from you, whether that's Toast, Square, ChowNow, or another platform. The goal is to keep orders off third-party apps where you lose 15-30% per order in commission fees. Even a simple "Order Online" button that links to your own ordering page makes a difference.
Should I put my full menu on my website?
Yes, and it should be actual text on the page, not a PDF. A text-based menu loads faster on phones, is readable without pinching and zooming, and Google can actually index it so you show up when someone searches for specific dishes. If your menu changes often, keep a simplified version on your site with your core items and update it when things change significantly.
How do I get my restaurant on Google Maps?
Create a free Google Business Profile at business.google.com. Enter your restaurant name, address, phone number, hours, and category. Google will verify your location, usually by sending a postcard with a code. Once verified, your restaurant appears on Google Maps and in local search results. I have a complete guide to Google Business Profile setup if you want the full walkthrough.
The Bottom Line
A good restaurant website doesn't need to be fancy. It needs to be fast, accurate, and easy to use on a phone. Get your menu on there as text. Show your real hours and location. Link to direct ordering so you're not losing 25% to delivery apps. Use your own photos. Connect your Google Business Profile. Make the phone number tappable. And make sure the whole thing loads in under 3 seconds.
That's it. Those 7 things cover what 90% of restaurant customers are looking for when they visit your site. Nail those and you're ahead of most restaurants in Louisville.
If you want help getting this done, I build restaurant websites for Louisville businesses. Custom design, not a template. Everything on this list, included. Setup starts at $950 with a $150/month fee that covers hosting, updates, and support. Your site can be live in 1-2 weeks.
Call or text me at (502) 305-4043 and let's talk about your restaurant.
