Over 80% of diners check a restaurant’s website before deciding to visit. A website isn’t just a place for your menu—it’s your chance to showcase your restaurant, connect with potential customers, and boost your revenue.
I have helped hundreds of restaurants establish their online presence. In this guide, I will explain how you can effortlessly build your website using a dedicated restaurant website builder.
Key Takeaways
- Owning a Website is a Must: In an era dominated by platforms like UberEats and DoorDash, having your own website helps build your restaurant’s brand and reduces dependence on third-party services.
- Use a Restaurant Website Builder: The easiest way to create a restaurant website without technical skills is by using a website builder like UpMenu with drag&drop editor and restaurant CMS.
- No Need to Hire an Agency: Hiring an agency for custom restaurant website development starts at $1,000+.
- Reduce Website Cost: By using ready-made restaurant website templates and a builder like UpMenu, you can have a fully functional website for just $49/month.
- Enable Online Ordering & Reservations: Integrate a restaurant online ordering system to accept orders directly from your website, turning visitors into paying customers.
- Include Clear CTAs: Guide users with buttons like “Order Now” or “Order Online” to improve conversion rates.
- Use High-Quality Food Photos: Professional food photos showcase your dishes and create a strong first impression. High-quality food images can also increase sales.
Why Your Restaurant Needs a Website?
Your restaurant needs a website to build a strong online presence, attract more customers, and increase revenue through online ordering for delivery and pickup. It also allows for easy online reservations and provides a platform for showcasing your restaurant menu.
Website visitors can easily find important information such as opening hours, restaurant promotions, events, the restaurant’s history, and contact details.
A well-designed website improves customer engagement, boosts credibility, and drives repeat business by offering a convenient way to browse your menu and place orders.
- “69% of operators have a website for their restaurant” (2025 State of Restaurants Report)
- “77% of diners visit a restaurant’s website before they dine in or order out from the establishment.” (Restaurant Dive)
- “91% of guests prefer to visit a restaurant’s website before deciding to order takeout or delivery.” (Owner.com)
What Do You Need to Know to Build a Restaurant Website?
When building a new website for your restaurant, it’s crucial to focus on key elements that enhance user experience and drive conversions.
A high-performing website should reflect your brand and provide a seamless experience for customers looking to order, reserve, or learn more about your restaurant.
When building a great restaurant website, key features must be accessible and visually appealing to ensure a seamless customer experience. Here are the most important aspects:
- Highlight the “Order Online” Button: Make the “Order Online” button large, visually distinct, and easy to find in the navigation to ensure that customers can quickly locate it and place their orders without frustration.
- Optimize Your Menu: Use high-quality images, clear menu descriptions, and accurate pricing to make your menu engaging and easy for customers to browse, streamlining the ordering process.
- Integrate a Reservation System with Multiple Payment Options: Implement a user-friendly restaurant reservation system that allows customers to book a table easily. Offering multiple payment options will enhance customer convenience and satisfaction and make it easier for them to complete transactions.
- Showcase Customer Reviews: Prominently display customer reviews and ratings on your restaurant site to establish trust and encourage new diners to try your restaurant, knowing that others have had positive experiences.
Choose how to build your restaurant website
To begin with, you need to decide how you are going to build your website. There are a few options to choose from, including:
1. Building a website yourself
You can do everything yourself and build a website from scratch, but if you lack technical skills, it will likely take a lot of time to launch your website.
Another option is purchasing a template, e.g., on ThemeForest, and customizing it.
Thirdly, you can use a website builder like Wix or Squarespace, which simplifies the process and allows you to create a simple website with an integrated restaurant CMS (content management system).
However, if you need online ordering functionality, you will need to buy an additional plugin or hire a freelancer for help, which increases the cost.
Who is this solution for: Building a website yourself is ideal for restaurant owners who wish to create and manage their websites independently.
2. Using dedicated restaurant website builder
The UpMenu restaurant website builder allows you to easily create a restaurant website after purchasing a custom domain. No coding skills are required.
The platform also includes a restaurant CMS to quickly update and manage your website’s content.
The cost ranges from $49 to $169 per month, depending on the number of orders you fulfill. UpMenu has a built-in online ordering system.
If you don’t want to build the website yourself, UpMenu offers a free setup service.
Who is this solution for: A dedicated restaurant website builder is ideal for restaurants that require a website with integrated online ordering, as it offers a cost-effective solution.
3. Hiring an agency
This is the most expensive option, as hiring a graphic designer or web developer to create a custom website can cost over $5,000.
A professional agency will design a website tailored to your specific needs and provide a high level of customization, but the cost will be significantly higher than with other methods.
Who is this solution for: Hiring an agency is the optimal solution for restaurant chains and franchises.
How much does it cost to create a website for a restaurant?
Below, I have prepared a table showing the costs of creating a website.
| Building a website yourself | UpMenu restaurant website builder | Hiring an agency | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domain | $0-$20 | $0-$20 | $0-$20 |
| Hosting | $0-$250 | $0 | $0-$250 |
| Development/Design | $0 | $0 | $1,000-$5,000 |
| Maintenance | $100-$500 | $49-$169 | $100-$300 |
| Total costs | $100-$770 | $49-189 | $1,100-$5570 |
Sources: WebsiteBuilderExpert, Wix, GloriaFood
Choosing a restaurant website builder is the best solution considering the available options. The costs, including site maintenance, are lower than those of other solutions, and web hosting is included in the price.
Essentially, you only need to purchase a domain if you don’t have one yet.
How to Create a Restaurant Website with Website Builder
Below, I have outlined the entire process of starting to build a website for your restaurant using a website builder, as, in my experience, this is the most optimal solution for most restaurants.
Either way, you have to start from scratch, beginning with the very concept—and this leads us smoothly to step number 1.
Step 1: Look for inspiration by exploring other restaurant websites
Explore local competitors, browse ready-made restaurant website templates, and review the best restaurant websites.
You’ll likely notice common design elements—such as striking homepage images or videos showcasing dish preparation—that create an engaging experience.
This initial step helps define your site’s structure, design, and functionality.
Step 2: Get a domain
Before building your website, you need a domain name—the unique web address customers will use to find you.
Ideally, it should reflect your restaurant’s name and include a relevant keyword, like your cuisine type or location. For example, www.TownPizzaNY.com combines the restaurant’s name, location (New York), and cuisine (pizza).
To buy a domain for your restaurant, start by selecting a memorable and relevant domain name that reflects your business. Next, choose a domain provider.
These are three popular domain providers:
| Provider | Domain price | Learn more |
|---|---|---|
| GoDaddy | $0.99 for the first year $18.99 renewal for the next year | How to buy a domain in GoDaddy? |
| GoDaddy | $8.88 for the first year $12.98 renewal for the next year | How to buy a domain in NameCheap? |
| OVH | $7.99 for the first year $9.99 renewal for the next year | How to buy a domain in OVH? |
Once you’ve chosen a provider, check if your domain name is available. Then, pick the appropriate domain extension (e.g., .com) based on your preference.
Finally, proceed to purchase the domain through the provider’s platform to secure it for your restaurant’s website.
Once you’ve purchased the domain, you can use it to set up your website.
Step 3: Register your account on UpMenu
To create a restaurant website, start by registering for a free account at UpMenu in a few simple steps:
- Go to the registration page.
- Enter your email address and password and click the ‘Create an account’ button.
- Enter your business details and tap ‘Finish’.
- Go to your email inbox, confirm your registration, and log in to your dashboard.
Step 4: Choose your website template
Go to the Template section in Shop Settings. Choose from 40+ restaurant website templates, and then select one that perfectly suits your brand or type of cuisine.
Looking to build a site from scratch? Simply delete all of the elements from the chosen theme and start building a new website using the UpMenu web builder.
Step 5: Customize the template to fit your brand
Start in the Appearance section and adjust the website colors. You can set seven main colors for elements like headers, text, backgrounds, frames, buttons, and links or pick a ready-made color palette for your entire site.
The font settings are right below the color settings. Select your font that best suits your current branding. You can set various fonts for headers and text or choose a pre-made combination of fonts.
To upload and edit your restaurant’s logo, favicon, and footer logo, simply drag and drop your logo image or upload it as pictured in the steps below.
To customize your navigation and footer sections, go to Advanced and change them to match your preferences. This is also where you can edit the design of your buttons, upload your background image, and implement on-page animations.
Step 6: Setup navigation
Every website has navigation. Below, I’ve prepared a list of recommended pages for a restaurant website, but of course, you can modify it to fit your needs.
Place the “Order Online” button prominently on your website. Integrating your menu with online ordering on a single page is best practice rather than creating a separate subpage. This approach streamlines the user experience and increases conversion rates.
- Homepage: This is the first page customers see, so it should showcase your restaurant’s unique style, highlight key features, and provide easy access to other pages.
- Menu & Ordering Page: A clear, detailed menu with high-quality images, item descriptions, prices, and the possibility to place takeout or delivery orders.
- Reservations: An easy-to-use reservation page allowing customers to book a table online quickly and conveniently.
- About Us: Share your restaurant’s story, values, and what sets you apart, helping to connect with customers on a personal level.
- Contact Us: Provide essential contact information, including phone number, email, address, a contact form for customer inquiries, and opening hours. In addition to creating a contact page, include your most important contact information in the footer of your website.
- Gallery: Showcase photos of your restaurant, dishes, and events to give customers a taste of what to expect when they visit.
- Testimonials/Reviews: Display customer reviews and ratings to build credibility and encourage new visitors to try your restaurant.
The templates in UpMenu’s restaurant website builder provide default page navigation; however, you can add as many pages as you need in the Pages tab.
Remember to keep your restaurant website SEO-optimized.
Step 7: Add content (text & images)
This is the most creative part of designing your new website. Using the Edit website option, you can replace the text and images from the template or create a restaurant website.
Use pre-made content or a blank page canvas to make eye-catching visuals that’ll help attract new customers.
When creating a website for your restaurant business, avoid spelling mistakes. This will make your site look unprofessional and give potential and new customers a bad first impression.
A good practice when writing content is to focus on what makes your business stand out. It might be a giant 100cm pizza that most restaurants don’t offer.
Also, remember to include contact information and social media links so that your customers can reach you quickly and easily.
Step 8: Setup online ordering
Before your site goes live, set up online ordering for your clients. Although it may sound complicated, UpMenu makes it easy.
From your dashboard, go to the Menu section. Add your dishes with beautiful photos of each on this separate page and their prices.
You can also learn how to make a restaurant menu here.
After creating your page, make sure to save your changes and check your page on a mobile device to make sure your website and screen sizes look good on every device.
If you offer delivery, remember to set your restaurant’s delivery zones. For each zone, you can set a delivery fee. This will let clients know if you can deliver to their location and what the associated delivery cost will be.
And now you’re ready to manage reservations and start selling food online.
Read full guide: How to set up online ordering system
Step 9: Connect your domain and publish your website
You’re now ready to make your website go live and to start receiving online orders.
Go to the Shop settings section and select the Domain tab. Insert your domain address, and the system will generate DNS records that will connect your domain with UpMenu servers.
To provide these DNS records, you have to go back to your domain provider. If you don’t know how to do so, you can ask for free setup service.
In the last years of working with countless restaurant owners, we’ve found that restaurants using UpMenu websites experience an average 31% better conversion rate than those who only use online menu integration on their external websites.
Once you connect your domain, you’re set! Your website now offers online ordering. To reach potential clients, you can promote your website at your restaurant, on your Facebook page, or on any other social media accounts.
Step 10: Promote your website
Getting the word out about your website is a marketing strategy to get new customers to visit your page and to place online orders.
People search for restaurants using the internet, so make sure they find your page. Here are a few tips to help you get seen:
- Optimize for Search Engines: Use relevant keywords in your content, make the site mobile-friendly, and ensure it’s listed on Google.
- Use Social Media: Share the homepage across platforms using restaurant social media marketing to engage customers, highlight dishes, and offer promotions. Remember also to add links to your social media accounts to your website.
- Use Email Marketing: Collect customers’ email addresses and regularly send a restaurant newsletter with updates about your restaurant, special offers, and new menu items.
- Run Online Ads: Run targeted ads to reach customers searching for local dining options.
Whether you have a new restaurant or have been in the game for years, promoting your website online is the best way to get seen by your clients.
At this stage, it’s also essential to consider search engine optimization (SEO), as it enhances your website’s visibility on search engines and drives more traffic and potential customers to your site.
Implementing effective SEO strategies for each web page makes it easier for diners to find your restaurant when searching for dining options in Google and Google Maps.
Here you can learn more about restaurant SEO.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How long does it take to make a website for a restaurant?
- DIY Approach: Building the website yourself using platforms like WordPress or Wix can take anywhere from a few days to several weeks, depending on your familiarity with the tools and the complexity of the site.
- Using a Restaurant Website Builder: Specialized platforms designed for restaurants can expedite the process. UpMenu, for instance, allows you to create a personalized website in approximately one to a few days, plus domain connection time, which typically takes up to 24 hours.
- Hiring a Web Development Agency: Collaborating with professionals can extend the timeline, especially for more complex projects with additional features. Building a website in that case can take anywhere from a few weeks to several months, influenced by complexity and team size.
Do you need technical skills to create a restaurant website?
No, you don’t need any technical knowledge. You can use dedicated restaurant website builders like UpMenu, which are specifically designed for restaurant owners who want to create restaurant websites, but don’t have coding skills.
