Restaurant website design
Fill tables. Keep orders direct.
I build restaurant and cafe websites that make the menu easy to choose, take table reservations and give regular customers a direct way to order.
The short answer
Make choosing easy. Make the next action direct.
I design websites for independent restaurants, cafes and food businesses. A typical complete project is £1,400 - £2,200 and usually takes 2 to 4 weeks.
The site can present a mobile-friendly menu, take reservations, accept direct orders and connect to existing tools where supported. I check the booking, ordering, payment and POS route before promising an integration.
Start with the service problem
What needs to work before the next busy shift?
Choose the closest priority. The recommended route, checks and useful starting price change with it.
Use your own order figures
What does commission take from repeat orders?
Set the average order, weekly orders that could realistically move direct and the rate on your own platform statement.
Illustrated platform commission
Illustration, not a savings promise. It assumes the selected orders move direct and excludes card fees, delivery labour, packaging, promotions and other operating costs.
Work with what is already useful
Deliveroo can stay. Regulars get a direct route.
A delivery platform may still introduce new customers. The website gives people who already know you somewhere direct to return.
- Existing apps can remain available while the direct channel grows
- Menus, collection times and direct offers remain under your control
- POS, printer and kitchen-screen connections are checked before quoting
What the website must achieve
The menu is important. The whole decision matters.
A useful restaurant website helps someone choose, trust, find, book or order without fighting the page.
Make the menu easy to use
Real page content replaces a PDF that is awkward to zoom and difficult for search engines to understand.
Protect table enquiries
A clear restaurant reservation system £600 - £1,200 keeps requests out of scattered messages.
Own repeat takeaway orders
An online ordering system without commission £900 - £1,800 takes payment through your route.
Win the local decision
Cuisine, location, opening times, occasions and useful pages help customers and search engines understand the business.
Fill a quieter service
Tell previous customers about Tuesday, a seasonal menu or an event through a newsletter system for website £300 - £600.
Ask after a good experience
A measured follow-up can request feedback at the right moment. Review automation starts at £300 - £600.
- 01The roomlight, spacing and atmosphere
- 02The foodreal dishes served here
- 03The peoplewelcome, craft and service
- 04The detailsentrance, terrace and occasions
Real appetite needs real evidence
AI cannot photograph your restaurant.
Illustration can help plan a concept. It should not pretend to be your dining room, team or food. The finished site works best with honest photographs and short video from the real business.
- A practical shot list is agreed before content is produced
- Basic photography and video can be included where suitable
- A specialist can be arranged or recommended when the brief needs one
The customer route
From hungry search to confirmed action.
Transparent starting points
Price the service route, not the number of menu pages.
The typical range is one combined project price, not every standalone starting figure added together. A restaurant needing both complex ordering and table integrations may sit above it.
See the complete website pricing guideStrategy, design, editable menu, mobile build, local search foundations and launch.
Availability and confirmations after the provider is checked.
Menu, payment, timing and agreed fulfilment rules.
2 to 4 weeks. Menu size, content, photography, integrations, delivery rules and languages change the final quote.
Ask for a scoped priceFrom menu to live service
The systems are checked before the doors open.
Map the service
Menus, busiest decisions, current apps, table flow, orders and the action worth owning.
Check the tools
Booking provider, POS, printer, kitchen screen, payment and access.
Build the route
Design, menu content, real imagery, local search, actions and mobile testing.
Test a real shift
Complete test reservations and orders, confirm messages, train the owner and launch.
Different format, same customer decision
Built for more than formal restaurants.
Cafes, takeaways, bakeries, pubs, bars, caterers, private chefs, food trucks and delivery kitchens all need the right information and action at the right moment.
A food producer whose main job is selling packaged products follows the ecommerce route instead.Before the restaurant build
Restaurant website questions.
Can I update the menu myself from my phone?
Yes. The menu can be built as editable website content, so authorised staff can change dishes, descriptions, prices and availability without editing a PDF or waiting for me. The exact editing screen depends on the agreed platform.
Can customers order directly without Deliveroo?
Yes. A direct ordering route can let customers choose items and options, select collection or an agreed delivery service, pay securely and receive confirmation through your website. Delivery apps can remain available for discovery.
Does a restaurant website include a QR menu?
It can. The QR code should open the same live, mobile-friendly menu used on the website, so there is only one menu to update. Printed QR materials can be scoped with the project.
Can I keep my existing delivery apps?
Yes. The direct website does not need to replace a platform that still introduces new customers. It gives regulars, local search visitors and referrals a route that you control.
Will direct orders connect to my POS, printer or kitchen screen?
Only where the chosen systems provide a supported connection. I check the provider, API, hardware and account access before quoting, and I will not promise an automatic integration that has not been verified.
Can the website take table deposits and send reminders?
Yes, where the reservation setup supports deposits, confirmations and reminders. Party-size rules, cancellation wording and the payment route are agreed before the system is built.
Can the menu show allergens and dietary choices clearly?
Yes. Dishes can carry allergen notes, dietary labels and options in a consistent structure. The restaurant remains responsible for keeping food information accurate and handling cross-contamination advice properly.
Can staff mark an item as sold out during service?
Yes, when that control is included in the agreed menu or ordering setup. The editing route is designed to be quick, but the exact behaviour depends on whether availability lives on the website, in the POS or with another provider.
Can direct ordering handle collection times and delivery zones?
Yes. Collection slots, opening windows, minimum orders and agreed delivery areas can be configured around the chosen system. Complex courier logic or multiple branches is scoped separately.
Do I need professional food photography before we start?
Not before the planning starts, but the final website should use honest images of the real food, room and people. I can prepare the shot list, include suitable basic photography or arrange a specialist when the brief needs one.
How much does a restaurant or cafe website cost?
A typical complete restaurant project is £1,400 - £2,200. A website foundation starts from £900, table reservations are usually £600 - £1,200 and direct ordering is usually £900 - £1,800. Integrations, menu size, photography, delivery rules and languages affect the quote.
How long does a restaurant website take to build?
Most complete restaurant projects take 2 to 4 weeks once the menu, access and decisions are available. Complex POS or ordering integrations, new photography and multiple locations can extend the schedule.
Start with the current customer route
Show me how people choose, book or order today.
Send the website, menu or delivery listing. Mention the current booking or ordering tools and the result you want to own directly.
- I check existing systems before recommending replacements
- I reply within 24 hours - much faster on WhatsApp
- No obligation to remove delivery apps or working software
Sent
Got it. I reply within 24 hours - much faster on WhatsApp. Check spam if nothing arrives, then message me there.