Website for Restaurants and Hospitality: More Guests Through Online Presence
"Restaurant near me" is one of the most searched terms on Google. In Austria, it is entered over 100,000 times per month. If your establishment does not appear in this search, it does not exist for hungry guests. Many restaurateurs rely on Instagram and Google Maps. That is better than nothing.
But your own website gives you something that social media cannot: control. Over your menu, your opening hours, your reservations, and your image.
Why Restaurateurs Need Their Own Website
Yes, Google Business Profile and Instagram are important. But they are not enough. What your own website can do that social media cannot: Menu always up to date — not as a PDF that nobody opens, but as a responsive web page that works perfectly on mobile. Online reservations — guests book a table at 11 PM when nobody answers the phone. Events and specials — Mother's Day menu, wine tasting, corporate events — all communicated in one place. Google rankings — a website with local keywords ranks better than just a Google profile. Independence — Instagram can change the algorithm.
Your website belongs to you. A scenario: A tourist at Faaker See searches "good restaurant Faaker See." Google shows 3 results with a map. One of them has a website with a menu, terrace photos, and online reservations. The other two only have a Google profile with 3 photos. Where does the tourist make a reservation?
What a Good Restaurant Website Must Include
Menu — mobile optimised The menu is the most visited section of a hospitality website. No PDF. PDFs are unreadable on mobile and Google cannot index them well. Instead: a web page with categories (starters, main courses, desserts), prices, and optionally photos.
Opening hours — large and visible On the homepage. Not hidden under "About us." Including days off and seasonal changes. 60% of hospitality website visitors come only for the opening hours. 3. Online reservations A simple form: date, time, number of guests, name, phone number.
Or a connection to systems like Quandoo or OpenTable. Important: Confirmation by email or SMS. 4. Photos that whet the appetite Professional food photos and ambience images. Show the terrace, the dining room, signature dishes. No stock images of pasta from the internet. 5. Location and directions Google Maps, parking options, public transport access.
Especially important for tourists in Carinthia. 6. Allergen information Legally required in Austria. The 14 main allergens must be labelled. On a website, you can solve this elegantly — with symbols or a filter. 7. Events and news Lunch menu of the week, live music on Saturday, corporate event offers.
A section for news keeps your website alive and gives guests a reason to return.
What a Restaurant Website Costs
One-pager: from 89 EUR/month or 900 EUR one-time. Menu, opening hours, contact, photos, Google Maps. Sufficient for cafes, takeaways, and small inns. Business website: from 149 EUR/month or 1,900 EUR one-time.
Separate pages for menu, events, gallery. Online reservations, newsletter, SEO-optimised. The standard for restaurants. Premium website: from 199 EUR/month or 2,700 EUR one-time. For upscale restaurants and hotels. Individual design, table booking system, multilingual (German/English/Italian for Carinthian tourism), event calendar.
ROI: A restaurant in Velden invests 149 EUR/month. Through online reservations and Google visibility, 20 additional guests come per month. At an average spend of 35 EUR per guest, that is 700 EUR in additional revenue. The website pays for itself in the first 2 weeks.
SEO for Hospitality: Being Found Locally
The most important keywords for restaurateurs: "Restaurant [city]" / "Restaurant near me" "Lunch menu [city]" "Brunch [city]" "Restaurant with terrace [city/region]" "Wedding venue Carinthia" "Corporate event location [city]" 3 quick SEO wins: 1.
Maintain your Google Business Profile Upload photos (weekly), respond to reviews, keep opening hours current, post updates (daily menu, events). This is the most important SEO lever for restaurants. 2. Menu as its own page Not as a PDF, but as an HTML page that Google can read.
Describe dishes with regional terms: "Carinthian Kasnudeln" instead of just "Kasnudeln." 3. Collect reviews 10 Google reviews with 4.5+ stars deliver more than any SEO measure. Place review cards on the tables or print a QR code on the bill.
Digital Menu: Connecting QR Code and Website
What started as an emergency solution during COVID has become standard: the digital menu.
Around 40 percent of guests now prefer a digital menu — because it is current, hygienic, and convenient. The biggest advantage for you: no more printing costs with every price change or seasonal adjustment. A printed menu costs between 3 and 8 EUR per copy depending on scope. With 30 copies and four changes per year, that is 360 to 960 EUR — just for printing.
A digital menu on your website can be updated in 5 minutes, free of charge. How it works: You maintain the menu as a separate subpage on your website. You generate a QR code for free — it links directly to this page. Print the QR code on table stands or laminated cards.
Managing Reservations Through the Website
Phone reservations cost time and are error-prone — especially during the lunch rush, when the kitchen is running at full speed and the phone is ringing simultaneously. An online reservation system on your website provides relief. Systems like resmio, Quandoo, or OpenTable can be integrated directly into your website.
Guests select date, time, and number of guests — even at midnight. Many restaurants report 25 to 40 percent of their reservations outside opening hours. The biggest lever: reducing no-shows. In hospitality, the no-show rate averages 10 to 20 percent. Automatic reminders by SMS or email significantly reduce this rate.
At an average spend of 35 EUR per guest and an 8-person reservation that does not show up, you lose 280 EUR in a single evening.
Promoting Events and Seasonal Offers Through the Website
Christmas menu, summer party on the terrace, catering offers, Sunday brunch — many hospitality businesses have a changing offer that guests never learn about because it only appears on a notice board in the restaurant. Your website is the ideal place to make seasonal offers visible.
You can put a Christmas menu online as early as October — anyone searching "Christmas menu Vienna" will then find you instead of your competition. Combine the events page with an enquiry function: "Reserve a table for the Christmas menu" or "Send a catering enquiry." This turns information directly into an order.
Frequently Asked Questions About Restaurant Websites
Is an Instagram page not enough?
Instagram is good for inspiration. But when someone searches "restaurant Villach lunch menu," they will not find Instagram. Additionally, you cannot offer online reservations on Instagram or present a menu in a structured way.
How do I keep the menu up to date?
In the subscription model, we do it for you — you send the changes, we update. With one-time payment, we train you so you can maintain the menu yourself.
Do I need professional food photos?
Yes, for the website. Smartphone photos in good lighting also work — but no blurry images in artificial light.
Invest once 300–500 EUR in a food photographer. It pays off for years.
What about delivery service and takeaway?
Can easily be integrated into the website. Order form, delivery area, minimum order value. Or connection to Lieferando/Mjam if desired.
