Source: https://www.duda.co/
Alt txt: Website Design for Restaurant
Why Restaurant Website Design Matters More Than Ever
In today’s digital age, a restaurant’s website is as crucial as its menu or service. With over 90% of diners researching a restaurant online before visiting, your website acts as the first course in the customer experience. A poorly designed site can cost you bookings, reviews, and loyal customers.
Whether you’re a fine-dining venue in Sydney, a family bistro in Melbourne, or a takeaway joint in Brisbane, investing in professional website design can help:
- Showcase your brand identity
- Drive online reservations or orders.
- Improve visibility in Google search.
- Establish trust with potential customers
Source: https://blog.hubspot.com/
Key Features of a High-Performing Restaurant Website
Creating a powerful restaurant website goes far beyond aesthetics—it’s about functionality, user experience, and reflecting your brand’s personality. Here’s a deeper dive into what makes a restaurant website truly high-performing:
1. Mobile-Optimised Design
Today’s diners are constantly on the move. Mobile usability is crucial, whether users are Googling “best tacos near me” or booking a table on the way home from work.
To optimise for mobile:
- Use touch-friendly navigation and buttons
- Keep content concise with scannable layouts
- Ensure that the menus and booking tools load quickly
- Avoid pop-ups that disrupt mobile UX
Tech Tip: Use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test to audit your site.
Example:
A Greek restaurant in Adelaide upgraded to a mobile-first design, utilizing responsive frameworks, and saw a 37% increase in mobile bookings. Additionally, it has received more than 5-star Google reviews, highlighting its ease of use.
2. Easy-to-Find, Interactive Menus
Your menu is what your customers are truly after. If it’s hard to find, slow to load, or poorly formatted, you risk losing them.
Best practices:
- Ensure it’s accessible from the homepage in one click or less
- Present items with photos, ingredients, and dietary icons
- Offer both on-page and downloadable PDF options
- Make updates regularly to reflect specials or pricing
Bonus: Use schema markup for your menu to appear in Google’s rich results.
Example:
A café in Fitzroy utilizes a tabbed digital menu with filters such as “Gluten-Free,” “Vegan,” and “Kid-Friendly.” This not only improves accessibility but also boosts time spent on-site.
Source: https://dribbble.com/
3. Integrated Online Reservation & Ordering Systems
Modern restaurant-goers expect seamless booking and ordering options without needing to make a phone call.
Key integrations:
- OpenTable, ResDiary, or NowBookIt for reservations
- GloriaFood, Square Online, or WooCommerce for takeaway/delivery
- Uber Eats/Menulog integrations for third-party fulfilment
- QR Code menu generators for in-house contactless dining
Pro Tip: Select a system that enables custom branding to maintain a cohesive online presence.
Example:
A Thai takeaway in Brisbane implemented WooCommerce with Stripe payments, resulting in a 60% reduction in phone orders. This freed up staff, leading to a 25% sales boost in just three months.
4. Visually Appealing Food & Venue Photography
People eat with their eyes first. The better your food looks online, the more likely visitors are to convert into customers.
Key photography tips:
- Hire a professional photographer with restaurant experience
- Use natural lighting for authenticity
- Feature both individual dishes and full-table spreads
- Include ambience shots: interior, exterior, bar, staff in action
Pro Tip: Incorporate a slideshow or gallery page and optimise images for fast loading.
Example:
A seafood bistro in Fremantle used professional photos on its homepage and saw its Instagram followers double within two months of embedding the feed on the site.
5. Clear Contact, Location & Operational Info
Don’t make users work to find your location or opening hours—this information should be visible on every page, preferably in the header or footer.
Must-have details:
- Clickable phone numbers for quick calls
- Google Maps integration with “Get Directions”
- Current hours of operation (especially if seasonal)
- Info on parking, accessibility, or public transport
- Direct links to Uber Eats, DoorDash, or in-house delivery
Local Insight: Ensure your Google Business Profile is up-to-date, with the same hours and contact details as those reflected on your website.
Example:
A Lebanese restaurant in Parramatta added a “Find Us” sticky bar and saw a 15% uptick in walk-in traffic, especially on weekends.
Source: https://pos.toasttab.com/blog/
- Strong Branding and Storytelling
Your restaurant website should reflect your brand like your signage, uniforms, and interior design.
Ways to establish strong branding:
- Use consistent fonts, colour palettes, and voice
- Tell your story: How did your restaurant begin? Who are your chefs? What inspires your dishes?
- Add customer reviews or chef’s notes to bring personality
- Incorporate videos or behind-the-scenes reels
Engagement Tip: Consider a 60-second “Welcome” video that introduces your team or kitchen process—it helps humanise your brand.
Example:
A fine dining venue in Hobart features a beautifully written “Our Story” page that showcases the chef’s European roots, wine partnerships, and culinary philosophy. This helped attract media coverage and private event bookings.
Real Restaurant Website Examples from Australia
Example 1: Lucio Pizzeria, Sydney
Source: https://luciopizzeria.com.au/
Lucio’s website features a clean, modern design with gorgeous imagery, an interactive online menu, and integrated booking through NowBookIt. The site perfectly reflects the elegance and authenticity of their Italian cuisine.
Example 2: Attica, Melbourne
Source: https://www.attica.com.au/
As one of Australia’s top fine-dining destinations, Attica’s website features full-screen video banners, storytelling, a curated photo gallery, and a minimalist layout that lets the food and atmosphere shine.
Example 3: Ben’s Burgers, Brisbane
Source: https://www.bensburgers.com.au/
Ben’s Burgers ‘ website mirrors their brand personality with bold colors, retro fonts, and an edgy vibe. The menu is easy to find, online ordering is built-in, and their Instagram feed adds a social flavor to the homepage.
Tools & Platforms for Restaurant Website Design (Expanded)
Whether building your website or working with a developer, choosing the right platform is essential for long-term functionality, ease of updates, and marketing integration. Here’s a breakdown of popular platforms used by Australian restaurants and when to choose each:
1. WordPress (Highly Customisable & Scalable)
Best for: Restaurants that want complete control, custom features, or future expansion.
- Utilize restaurant-specific themes, such as Rosa2, Grand Restaurant, or Laurent, which come with pre-built reservations, menus, and gallery sections.
- Integrate with WooCommerce for online ordering or selling merchandise, such as sauces, wines, or meal kits.
- Plugins like Bookly, WPForms, and Yoast SEO help streamline booking, lead generation, and search engine optimisation.
Example:
A high-end winery restaurant in the Barossa Valley uses WordPress with WooCommerce to manage bookings, gift vouchers, and an online cellar door—all in one cohesive site.
Source: https://wordpress.org/
2. Shopify (E-commerce Focused)
Best for: Restaurants selling packaged goods, sauces, cookbooks, or meal kits.
- Shopify is known for seamless e-commerce capabilities. It’s perfect for venues diversifying their income through product sales.
- Use apps like Store Pickup + Delivery to manage local orders.
- Beautiful themes like Focal and Prestige can be adapted for hospitality brands with product-focused layouts.
Example:
A Melbourne-based BBQ restaurant sells its signature rubs and sauces online via Shopify. It’s also linked to its Instagram Shop, which turns social followers into customers.
Source: https://themes.shopify.com/
3. Squarespace & Wix (User-Friendly Builders)
Best for: Smaller restaurants, cafes, food trucks, or those launching a new concept.
- Squarespace offers polished templates, such as Paloma or Hester, tailored for menus, events, and gallery integration. Booking plug-ins, such as Tock or OpenTable, integrate easily.
- Wix is great for quick setups with built-in features like online ordering, events, and reservation widgets.
Both platforms are:
- Budget-friendly
- Easy to maintain without technical knowledge
- Include SSL, hosting, and basic SEO tools.
Example:
A beachfront café in Byron Bay launched on Wix, featuring a booking system, a blog for weekly specials, and a gallery. The owner manages updates in-house, saving agency costs.
Source: https://www.squarespace.com/
4. Custom Website via a Local Agency
Best for: Restaurants with complex needs or a strong brand identity.
- A web design agency can create a tailored experience by integrating branding, booking systems, and third-party services, such as CRM, delivery logistics, or loyalty programs.
- Most agencies in Australia offer ongoing support, which is crucial for restaurants that don’t have a tech-savvy team.
Tip: Choose agencies with experience in the hospitality industry—they’ll understand customer expectations, ADA compliance, and seasonal design changes.
Notable agencies in Australia:
- Webfirm (Melbourne)
- Studio1 Design (Brisbane)
- Thrive Digital (Sydney)
Final Tips for Restaurant Website Success (Expanded)
To maximise your online presence and conversions, go beyond the basic setup. Here are expanded tips that can make a significant difference:
Keep Content Fresh & Relevant
- Update your seasonal menus, opening hours, and promotions on a regular basis.
- Feature new dishes or limited-time offers with banners or pop-ups.
- Add a “Specials” section or a blog with updates like “Chef’s Picks for Winter” or “Behind the Scenes: Our Fresh Pasta Process”.
Showcase Social Proof
- Embed live Google or Facebook reviews.
- Add customer testimonials to your homepage or a dedicated review page.
- Display logos of media features like “As Seen in Good Food Guide” or “Voted Best Brunch in Brisbane”.
Nail Your Local SEO
- Optimise pages with keywords like “Italian restaurant Bondi”, “vegan café in Carlton”, or “best sushi near South Bank Brisbane”.
- Include location-based schema markup for hours, price range, and menu items.
- Set up and optimise your Google Business Profile—it’s crucial for map listings and mobile search.
Source: https://www.figma.com/
Use Schema Markup
Help Google better understand and display your content using structured data. Add:
- Menu schema
- Restaurant schema
- OpeningHours, PriceRange, AggregateRating schema
Tool Tip: Use Google’s Rich Results Test to verify your markup.
Engage Visitors with Rich Content
- To help with SEO and storytelling, add a blog or chef’s journal with stories, recipes, or events.
- Create video tours of the kitchen or time-lapse clips of events.
- Showcase staff profiles to add personality and build trust.
Ready to Create a Website That Serves Results?
Whether you run a cozy brunch spot in Melbourne or a fine dining destination in Perth, your website should work as hard as your front-of-house team. With the right design tools, content strategy, and SEO practices, you’ll be able to attract more diners, take more bookings, and turn visitors into loyal regulars.
