Introduction
In today’s dining scene, your restaurant’s first impression often happens online—not at the door. Before customers book a table or order delivery, they check your restaurant website. If it’s clunky, outdated, or missing key features, chances are they’ll move on to a competitor that offers a smoother digital experience.
That’s where a restaurant webshop comes in. A webshop is more than just a digital menu—it’s your always-open storefront that lets people browse, order, and connect with your restaurant anytime. In many cases, your restaurant website is the deciding factor between someone dining with you or choosing another option.
In fact, according to Deliverect, the global online food delivery market is projected to hit $173.57 billion in 2025. Restaurants that don’t adapt risk being invisible in this competitive digital landscape.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through why every restaurant needs a strong, well-optimized website, the essential features it should have, a step-by-step process for building one, and best practices to keep customers engaged. We’ll also show how tools like klikit make the process easier, affordable, and scalable.
Why Every Restaurant Needs a Webshop
Ten years ago, a restaurant website was little more than a digital brochure with a few photos and a phone number. Today, it’s your primary growth channel. Here’s why a strong restaurant website matters:
1. Visibility on Search Engines
When people search for “pizza near me” or “best sushi in [city],” Google favors businesses with complete, optimized websites. Without a proper restaurant website, you miss out on massive organic traffic from hungry customers ready to order.
2. Control Over Branding
Aggregator apps like GrabFood or Foodpanda showcase your food, but they don’t let you tell your story. Your restaurant website is where you can highlight your brand’s personality, your chef’s journey, and what makes your food unique.
3. Lower Reliance on Aggregators
Delivery apps are convenient but expensive—commission fees can eat up 20–30% of your margins. With your own webshop, you encourage direct orders, saving costs while building stronger customer loyalty.
4. Upselling & Customer Data
A restaurant website isn’t just about transactions—it’s about insights. You can track customer behavior, run targeted promotions, and upsell sides, drinks, or desserts that aggregators often overlook.
Think of your restaurant webshop as a 24/7 digital storefront. It’s not just about being online—it’s about being accessible and profitable around the clock.
Essential Features of a Restaurant Webshop
Not all restaurant websites are created equal. To convert browsers into paying customers, your webshop should include these must-have features:
Mobile-Responsive Design
According to Visual Capitalist, over 60% of online traffic comes from mobile devices. If your restaurant website doesn’t adapt to small screens, you’re losing orders. Menus, photos, and checkout buttons must look flawless on phones and tablets.
Easy Navigation & Menu Display
Your menu should be simple to explore. Use:
- Clear categories (e.g., Appetizers, Mains, Drinks, Desserts)
- High-quality images that make dishes irresistible
- Concise descriptions highlighting ingredients or flavors
Hungry customers want speed and clarity, not confusion.
Online Ordering & Reservations
A modern restaurant website should let people order food directly or book a table without making a call. This convenience reduces friction and builds loyalty.
Secure Payments & Multiple Options
Offer choices: credit cards, e-wallets, bank transfers, and even cash on delivery. Customers feel more comfortable completing transactions when their preferred payment option is available.
SEO-Friendly Setup
Speed, structure, and searchability matter. Make sure your site loads fast, uses clean URLs, has well-written meta descriptions, and includes schema markup for restaurants. Local SEO is key—your site should show up when people search for “Filipino restaurant near me” or similar terms.
Step-by-Step Guide to Building Your Restaurant Website
Step 1 – Choose the Right Platform
You have three main options:
- Custom-Built Sites: Maximum control but costly.
- WordPress with Plugins: Flexible, but requires technical knowledge.
- SaaS Webshop Platforms: User-friendly, affordable, and built for restaurants.
For most restaurant owners, SaaS platforms strike the best balance.
Step 2 – Design for Experience, Not Just Looks
A restaurant website isn’t just about pretty visuals—it should prioritize functionality. Keep the flow simple: homepage → menu → checkout. Every click should bring customers closer to ordering.
Step 3 – Add Core Features
Your restaurant webshop should always include:
- Full menu with photos and prices
- Ordering system with delivery/pickup options
- Reservation form
- Contact details and Google Maps integration
- Customer logins for repeat orders
Step 4 – Optimize for SEO & Local Discovery
SEO drives visibility. To make your restaurant website discoverable:
- Use keywords naturally in page titles and content
- Add alt text to images
- Maintain a Google Business Profile
- Encourage reviews (which also help rankings)
Step 5 – Test & Launch
Before going live, place test orders on multiple devices. Check payment gateways, confirmation emails, and reservation notifications. A glitch-free launch leaves customers with confidence in your brand.
How klikit Helps Restaurants Build Smarter Webshops
Building a restaurant website doesn’t have to feel overwhelming—or expensive. That’s where klikit comes in.
klikit is an omnicommerce platform designed specifically for restaurants. Whether you run a neighborhood café or a growing cloud kitchen, klikit helps you:
- Launch a restaurant website quickly without heavy IT costs
- Integrate online ordering, delivery, and reservations seamlessly
- Scale as your brand expands (perfect for multi-location businesses)
- Reduce reliance on costly aggregator apps
Instead of juggling multiple platforms, klikit unifies everything in one dashboard. This lets you spend less time managing tech and more time doing what you love: serving great food.
Interested? Check out klikit Webshop.
Best Practices to Keep Customers Engaged
Launching your restaurant website is only step one. To keep diners coming back, try these strategies:
- Loyalty Programs: Reward repeat orders with discounts or freebies.
- Highlight Promotions: Feature seasonal specials or bundle deals with banners.
- Showcase Reviews: Positive testimonials build trust.
- Use Analytics: Track best-selling dishes, peak order times, and customer behavior to refine your menu and marketing.
Pro tip: Keep your content fresh. Update your menu, photos, and blog regularly—Google rewards activity, and customers love novelty.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Even the best restaurants slip up online. Here are pitfalls to avoid when creating a restaurant website:
- Overcomplicated Design: Fancy animations may look cool but frustrate users.
- Poor Mobile Experience: If customers can’t order smoothly on their phone, they’ll bounce.
- Slow Site Speed: A delay of even 2 seconds can cause users to abandon their cart.
- Outdated Menus: Nothing annoys customers more than ordering something unavailable.
FAQs About Restaurant Websites
1. Why can’t I just rely on GrabFood or foodpanda instead of a restaurant website?
While aggregator apps bring visibility, they take high commissions and limit your brand storytelling. A restaurant website gives you control, data, and better profit margins.
2. How much does it cost to build a restaurant website?
It depends on the approach. A custom build can cost thousands of dollars, while SaaS solutions like klikit start at a fraction of that cost with built-in tools.
3. How do I drive traffic to my restaurant website?
Invest in SEO, run social media ads linking to your webshop, and encourage in-store customers to order online next time using QR codes or discount codes.
4. What makes a good restaurant website design?
A clean layout, mobile responsiveness, easy ordering flow, and high-quality food photos. Customers should be able to place an order in under 3 clicks.
5. Can a restaurant website increase repeat customers?
Yes. By collecting customer data, you can retarget diners with promotions, introduce loyalty programs, and build stronger relationships than you can on third-party apps.
Conclusion
Your restaurant website isn’t just a digital brochure—it’s a growth engine. With the right features, design, and optimization, it can attract new diners, encourage repeat orders, and reduce dependency on expensive delivery apps.
Getting started doesn’t have to be complicated. Platforms like klikit make it easy for restaurants of all sizes to launch professional, conversion-driven websites—without breaking the bank.
So, if you’re ready to take your restaurant digital, the best time to start is now. The sooner you launch your restaurant website, the sooner you’ll see real results.
