What Guests Google Before Reserving a Table

The Saturday evening table is no longer booked by phone first. It starts with Google. What your potential guests search for there determines whether they end up at your restaurant or the one two streets away. Most restaurant owners underestimate how many decisions have already been made before a guest dials your number.

The menu has been studied, reviews have been read, the parking situation has been checked. If you do not provide this information, you lose the guest — not to a better restaurant, but to one with a better website.

The First Search: Where Can You Eat Well Around Here?

The most common search queries around restaurants are surprisingly simple: Where can you eat well in Klagenfurt?

Restaurant with terrace nearby Good restaurant Villach city centre Cosy restaurant Linz old town These search queries show: The guest does not yet have a specific restaurant in mind. They are open. They let themselves be guided — by Google, by reviews, by what appears in the search results. For your restaurant, this means: If your website does not appear for these general search queries, you simply do not exist for a large portion of potential guests.

A well-maintained Google Business Profile with current photos, correct opening hours, and a clear description is the absolute minimum.

The Menu: The Most Searched Element

No other content on a restaurant website is searched for more often than the menu. "[Restaurant name] menu" is among the most frequent restaurant-related search queries.

The problem with PDF menus: Many restaurants upload their menu as a PDF. Google can only read the content to a limited extent. On smartphones, PDFs are cumbersome to use — zooming, scrolling, rotating. The better solution: The menu as its own subpage directly on the website. Cleanly formatted, mobile-friendly, quickly updatable.

Each dish with a clear description and price. Allergens and dietary information included directly. If your menu changes frequently, that is not an argument against it — it actually speaks even more for a digital solution. No printing costs, instant updates, and the QR code on the table always links to the current version.

Special Dietary Requirements: The Underestimated Search Category

A growing target audience specifically searches for restaurants that cater to particular dietary needs: Gluten-free dining in Salzburg Vegan restaurant Vienna Lactose-free options Graz Child-friendly restaurant with playground These searches have a great advantage: The guest asking them has a very specific intention. They do not just want to eat somewhere — they want to eat at your place, if you meet their needs. For your website, this means: If you offer gluten-free, vegan, or child-friendly options, this should not be buried in a footnote.

It deserves its own mention — ideally on the homepage and in the meta tags. Google can only show what is on your website.

Reservations, Opening Hours, Parking: The Hygiene Factors

There is information that no guest gets excited about — but whose absence immediately deters: Opening hours (current!

Not from two years ago) Reservation options (phone, online, or both) Parking or public transport access Dogs allowed yes or no Accessibility Sounds trivial? In practice, at least one of these points is missing on half of all restaurant websites. The result: The guest calls to ask — or goes to the restaurant that has the information online.

Tip: Update your opening hours for public holidays, business holidays, or seasonal changes on both the website and the Google Business Profile. Nothing frustrates a guest more than standing in front of a closed door because the website said "Open daily."

Reviews: The Most Powerful Currency in Gastronomy

Before a guest even visits your website, they have probably read your Google reviews.

Over 90 percent of guests read reviews before visiting a restaurant. This means: Your reviews are your most important marketing tool. What you can do on your website: Embed the best Google reviews (as quotes) Respond to reviews (including negative ones — objectively and friendly) Actively ask guests for reviews (QR code on the bill) A restaurant with 50+ reviews and an average rating above 4.3 gets significantly more clicks than one with 5 reviews — even if the food is better.

Events and Seasonal Offers: Your Secret SEO Weapon

Christmas menu, Mother's Day brunch, summer festival, catering for company events — these search terms share one characteristic: They are entered by people with high purchase intent. Whoever Googles "Christmas menu Klagenfurt" wants to book. Not someday, but now.

If your website has a page about the Christmas menu from October onwards — with menu, prices, and reservation options — you capture exactly these searches. The same applies to: Sunday brunch [city] Catering for company event [region] Restaurant for birthday party [city] Wedding venue with catering Each of these search queries deserves its own subpage or at least a blog post. Google rewards pages that fully answer a specific question — and the guest rewards them with a reservation.

Frequently Asked Questions About Restaurant Websites

Does my restaurant really need its own website?

Yes — even if you are present on platforms like TripAdvisor or Google Maps. These platforms do not belong to you. They can change their rules at any time, limit your visibility, or display competitors next to your listing.

Your own website is the only place you fully control.

Is an Instagram profile enough instead of a website?

Instagram is an excellent complementary tool, but not a replacement. Instagram posts disappear in the feed, are not searchable via Google, and offer no way to make reservations or display menus.

And: Not every potential guest has Instagram.

How important are professional photos for a restaurant website?

Very important. Food is visual — more so than in almost any other industry. Professional food photos cost between 300 and 600 EUR for half a day and provide material for the website, social media, and Google profile.

Avoid phone photos with poor lighting — they do more harm than good.

What does a restaurant website cost?

A professional restaurant website with menu, reservation function, and mobile design is available in the subscription model from 89 EUR per month including maintenance and updates. More important than the price is the question: How many guests do you lose per month because your online presence is not convincing?

How do I keep the website up to date with minimal time investment?

The biggest time drain is the menu — and that is exactly what can be updated in 5 minutes with the right system. All other content (team, opening hours, events) rarely changes. In the subscription model, your web design partner handles the technical maintenance.

Your restaurant website should answer the questions your future guests are asking — before they even call. WelleWest builds websites for the gastronomy sector that get found, whet appetites, and bring reservations — from 89 EUR per month.