Guides

What should a restaurant website have in 2026?

Most people visit a restaurant website with one of three questions. What's on the menu? Are you open? Can I book? If your site answers those quickly on a phone, it is doing its job. If it makes people pinch and zoom through a PDF, many will go back to Google and pick somewhere else.

This is a checklist for independent restaurants, cafés and pubs in the UK, covering the things guests actually look for.

1. Your menu, as text on a web page

Put your menu on the page as normal text, not as a PDF download or a photo of the printed menu.

The usability firm Nielsen Norman Group has argued for years that PDFs are poor for reading on screen. Its researchers say PDF layouts are made for printed paper, so on a phone people end up pinching, zooming and scrolling around tiny text (Nielsen Norman Group).

Text has other advantages:

• It loads faster than a big PDF or image.
• Google can read it. Google says it may transcribe menu data from your website so it shows on your Business Profile (Google Business Profile Help).
• It is easier to keep up to date. Change a price or swap a dish without redesigning a file.

Include prices, and give each menu (lunch, dinner, Sunday, children's) a clear heading.

2. Allergen information

Every restaurant must give allergen information for any dish containing one of the 14 main allergens (Food Standards Agency). You can do that in different ways, including asking guests to speak to staff.

If you take orders online or by phone for takeaway or delivery, the rules are stricter. The FSA says allergen information must be given before the purchase is completed and again when the food is delivered. It also says you should have a statement on your website telling customers where to find allergen information before they order (Food Standards Agency).

Even for dine-in only, a line near the menu such as "Please tell us about any allergies when you book or order" helps. Keep any allergen details online accurate when dishes change.

Larger businesses have extra rules. In England, food businesses with 250 or more employees must show calories on menus, including online menus (GOV.UK). Most independents are below that size.

3. A clear way to book

If you take bookings, make it obvious. A "Book a table" button should be near the top of every page, easy to tap with a thumb.

There are a few ways to do it:

• An online booking system, so guests pick a date, time and party size and get a confirmation.
• A booking form that you check and confirm yourself.
• A phone number that dials when tapped, with the times someone answers.

Whatever you choose, tell people what happens next, and whether you keep tables for walk-ins.

Put the same booking link on your Google Business Profile. Google lets restaurants add reservation and food ordering links that show on Search and Maps (Google Business Profile Help).

4. Opening hours that are right

Wrong opening hours lose you customers. Show your hours as text on the website, ideally on every page in the footer, and include kitchen times if they differ from the bar.

Keep them identical to your Google Business Profile. Google lets you set special hours for bank holidays, events and short closures of up to six days, and suggests confirming holiday hours even when they are the same as usual (Google Business Profile Help). When you close for a week in January, update both places.

5. Your Google Business Profile, linked and matching

Many guests will see your Google Business Profile before your website. Treat the two as a pair:

• Add your website link to the profile.
• Use Google's menu editor, or add a link to your menu page (Google Business Profile Help).
• Add your booking link and, if you do them, ordering links.
• Make sure the name, address, phone number and hours match your website exactly.
• Add your own photos of the dining room and dishes, and reply to reviews.

6. Speed on a phone

Most of the questions above are asked on a phone, often on mobile data. Google's guidance on what it calls Core Web Vitals says the main content of a page should load within 2.5 seconds for a good experience (web.dev).

The usual causes of a slow restaurant site are huge photos, autoplaying video and PDF menus. You can test any page with Google's free PageSpeed Insights tool, or try your site on your phone, on mobile data, and time how long it takes to find tonight's menu.

7. The basics guests look for

• Address and a map, plus parking or nearest station if it helps.
• A tappable phone number and an email address.
• Real photos of your food and dining room. Good phone photos beat stock images.
• Dietary notes: vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options, marked on the menu.
• Accessibility: step-free access, accessible toilet, high chairs.
• Private dining, events and gift vouchers, if you offer them.
• A short "about" section: who you are and what kind of food you cook.

What you can skip

You don't need a long history page, a blog you won't update, or a slideshow that hides the menu.

How Support Labs can help

We build websites for UK restaurants, cafés and other local businesses, built for phones. You can see a concept restaurant site in the examples on our homepage. If you choose an animated site, phones that struggle and anyone who turns motion off get a still version instead.

A website starts from £395 setup, then £29 a month, with no VAT to add. Restaurant table booking costs more, and we tell you the fixed price before you agree. We also set up what Google reads, including a link to your Google Business Profile. Prices are on our pricing section, or get in touch and we will reply by email within 1 working day.

FAQ

Is a PDF menu OK on a restaurant website? It works, but PDFs are slow and awkward on phones. If you keep a PDF for printing, put the menu as text on the page too.

Do I need online booking? Not always. A tappable phone number can be enough for a small place. If you get a lot of booking calls during service, online booking can save time. Add the same booking link to your Google Business Profile.

Do I have to put allergens on my website? If you take orders online or by phone, the FSA says allergen information must be available before the order is completed, and your website should tell customers where to find it. For dine-in only, you must still provide allergen information, but it can be given in other ways, such as by staff.

How do I keep opening hours right on Google? Update your Google Business Profile at the same time as your website, and use special hours for bank holidays and short closures.