There are 1.13 billion websites, and this figure grows every day. If you want to build a restaurant website, you need to make it stand out. Your potential customers need to be able to look at your eatery’s menu and operating hours, and maybe have the option to order.
You can hire someone to design a custom site for you, or you can use a website builder for restaurants.
Which is better?
We’re going to outline the site builders that people are using every day to create their own site before discussing:
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Key benefits of using a site builder
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Why you may not want to use a site builder
3 Best Restaurant Website Builders
Note: We’re not affiliated with any of these restaurant website platform options.
WordPress, Wix and other common content management systems make it easy to create a site. You can easily use these platforms for your site, but they’re not specific to the restaurant industry.
Some of the options for creating a website for restaurant owners are:
1. Popmenu
Popmenu is one of the leading platforms that allows you to do a lot of things:
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Design your site
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Build interactive menus
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Offer online ordering
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Automate your marketing
You can build a mobile-friendly website quickly using Popmenu, and they even provide customization options. However, there is a steep monthly fee.
2. Upmenu
Upmenu is a free website builder optimized for restaurant owners. You can use the platform’s no-code approach to get your site up and running quickly. The drag-and-drop editor makes it simple to create a design that you absolutely love and there are no tech skills required.
And you’ll also have access to:
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100 pre-designed website templates
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30 website building blocks
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1000 ready-to-use photos
You can even add in an online ordering system with secure payments and easy mobile ordering.
3. BentoBox
BentoBox offers custom websites that offer stunning graphics, functionality and features. You'll appreciate the drag-and-drop design platform and the robust dashboard that includes information on:
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Real-time analytics
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Content guidance
Sites are built with responsive design concepts, ADA-compliance and interactive features that will help you get noticed online. With SEO features built in, you’ll make it simple for local customers to find your site and order food from you.
The Benefits of Using Website Builders
Every website builder has its pros and cons. You'll find that most owners choose builders because they offer:
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Affordable design options. You’ll find free and paid versions of website builders. Free versions offer the best price that you’ll ever pay – free – for your site. The downside? You get what you pay for. A free version will lack some of the advanced features that modern sites have already, or you may have to pay more for some of these options.
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Speed. If you’ve been eager to get your site up and running, you can do so in a weekend with a website builder. The site may use stock photos, so there’s a chance that there are other restaurants with a very similar-looking website to your own.
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Secure. Using many of the well-known platforms will provide peace of mind that your site is secure. No coding skills are necessary from you, and some of the platforms may even offer hosting.
Website builders put the entire website in your hands. You can easily build out your site, add online ordering and have customers on your site in less than a week. But you’re also in full control, so if something breaks or doesn’t work, you need to fix it or pay someone to fix it for you.
Why a Website Builder May Not be Right for Your Restaurant
Website builders are convenient and easy to use, but they do have some drawbacks. Here’s why a restaurant website maker may not be right for your establishment.
Your Site’s Design Won’t be As Unique as Your Restaurant
Restaurant website builders use templates to build sites. Templates make it quick and easy to get a site up and running, but they also churn out cookie-cutter sites that aren’t always easy to customize.
A platform like Squarespace has over 100 templates, but when millions of websites are using them, it’s hard to stand out in the crowd.
Be honest and ask yourself:
Do you want your restaurant’s website to look like thousands of others?
There’s no right or wrong answer, but it’s important to have realistic expectations if you’re considering using a website builder.
You Won’t Have Full Control – Or Ownership – Of the Design
Convenience comes at a price. When you use a website builder, you lose control or ownership of the design.
The content you upload is technically yours, but in many cases, the platform can use your content to promote their services.
Sites created with website builders are notoriously difficult to migrate, so you may have to start back at square one if you ever want to change hosts.
Website Builders Have Limited Features
When you build a custom website for a restaurant, the sky is the limit when it comes to customizations and features. The same can’t be said for site builders.
A free restaurant website builder will give you the most basic of features and functions. You may not have the option to take online orders or integrate solutions like OpenTable.
Website builders are designed to provide an off-the-shelf solution to help business owners publish their sites as quickly as possible. In many cases, these platforms have too many basic features that you don’t need and not enough of the more advanced features that you do need.
SEO and Mobile-Friendliness May Suffer
Site builders have come a long way in recent years, but they’re still limited in many ways. Templates may not be mobile-friendly, and the structure of your site may not be SEO-friendly.
You may not have the ability to change your site’s structure or other little things that impact your site’s optimization.
The majority of customers – 62% – use Google to find restaurants. If your site doesn’t show up in the search results because your template isn’t SEO-friendly, you’ll miss out on a large chunk of local customers.
Summary
Every restaurant should have a website that’s speedy, easy to navigate and mobile-friendly. While website builders make it easy to create and launch a site, they may not necessarily be the best choice for your restaurant. Weigh the pros and cons carefully to determine whether a site builder platform will be the right fit for your establishment.