What a restaurant's website needs so people book a table

Someone choosing where to eat is standing on a sidewalk or sitting on a couch, with a phone. They ask four things, in this order.

1. Is it open, and where is it?
2. What's on the menu, and what does it cost?
3. Can I get a table?
4. Can my group eat there? One of us has an allergy.

I read the sites of four independent restaurants in downtown Vernon. All four give a phone number and an address. After that, they split.

1. Is it open, and where is it?

Three of the four show their hours by day. Put yours at the top of the home page, in words, with the happy hour if you have one. One of the four shows its happy hour next to its days. Hours are the first thing a diner needs.

Parking, a patio and wheelchair access are on none of the four. They're real questions on a downtown street. Two lines answer them, for example: "Parking in the lot behind. Step-free entrance."

2. What's on the menu, and what does it cost?

Two of the four have the full menu as text on the page, with prices. On the other two, I found no menu text I could read.

A menu that's a photo or a PDF has to be zoomed, and the diner won't read it. Type it out as text, with headings for each section, and the price next to each dish. A page like that works on a phone and Google can read it.

Google also has its own menu for your listing. Go to business.google.com, select "Edit menu", and add each section and dish. You can also use "Photos of menu" to upload photos or a PDF. Google says changes take 24 to 48 hours to show. A diner who finds you on Google Maps then sees your menu without opening your site.

3. Can I get a table?

Three of the four answer it: two have a reservations page, one says "No reservations required". Say which you are. A diner who doesn't know won't turn up.

Say what you do for takeout too, and for groups. All four mention private events, groups or catering, and two offer takeout. If you do, put a line near the top.

4. Can my group eat there?

Two of the four mark dishes as gluten free or vegetarian on the menu. The other two don't. This is the question that decides where a group goes: one person with an allergy chooses the restaurant for everyone.

Mark the dishes plainly (GF, V, VG) and add a line: "Ask us about allergens." Don't promise more than that on the page.

Three things few show

1. Gift cards. One of four. It's a common gift.
2. Where the food comes from. Three of the four say it: "made in house and from scratch", "fresh local ingredients". Say which, by name, if you can.
3. Who runs the place. Three tell you how long they've been going or who's behind it. "Since 1977" is a better sentence than "passionate about food".

You can see how a made-up café lays this out in my restaurant example.

If you'd like your menu on a page that works on a phone, text me a photo of it. I'll type it up.

Written by Mackenzie Bowes in Vernon, BC. October 26, 2026.