Is Your Restaurants Website Helping or Hurting Your Business?

If you are asking yourself this, as you read this blog the answer is probably hurting.

It is not that you do not care, or you are unaware!

Things are changing so fast; technology and websites have become a vital lifeline for a business. But so is your staff, menu, front of the house, and back of the house redesigns, especially during this pandemic, and the list goes on.

As result being an owner can put you on overload and your priorities become a juggling act and some tasks will fall out of reach such as your website.

You Must Look at Your Website as a Second Storefront

A good website can be the most important tool for both marketing your business and establishing your brand.

First looks can create a first impression as we all know, and your website is included in that first impression.

I was reading a write-up about a restaurant in Bradenton Florida.

It’s owned and run by a husband and wife.  I’ve had the pleasure and experience of working with my spouse. We worked well together, so I know it can be done. If you have the same dreams and are on the same team. It can turn out to be the best adventure for your career and your relationship.

BUT that’s not to say it always turns out that way because we have all heard horror stories of families and friends never speaking to each other over business experiences.

I’ll stop there and get back to restaurant websites!

The SMOQE House

After reading the article about the SMOQ House I went to their website to check them out.

As their home page opened, I was struck by the very first 4 items and pictures.

I found it strange that I didn’t see an address or phone anywhere on the page as I scrolled down.

Here is what they prioritized for their customers to see first on their home page.

The first picture – Name of the Restaurant- The LOGO

The second– Was a palate and visual pleaser! What better way to show off your menu items?

Not surprising since food is the second most thing photographed besides pictures; we take of ourselves.

The third

Was a quote by a famous person which has become a very common sight on the home page of many people who blog and have their business on the web.

The fourth

I was surprised! But as I thought about it, it makes sense.

The restaurant industry has had to make so many changes and quickly in 2020.

Ordering online, delivery, pickup, and take-out have become more of a priority since COVID.

Yes, the industry has been moving in that direction, but the pandemic gave it an immediate thrust service.

It may have saved many restaurants. If they were able to fine-tune their to-go menu and develop an ordering system to keep the t0-go service consistent, they probably got through the year.

People will still need to eat!

How they eat and where they eat has changed for now.

I’m sure we will eventually go back to eating at restaurants more regularly as we continue to combat this virus and put it behind.

The silver lining is that this time has allowed us to experience doing more things from the comfort of our own homes such as eating.

Bringing in or picking up meals cooked, prepared, and ready to eat has skyrocketed.

This is a great time to tune up your website and make it as easy as possible for customer’s order online!

Make Sure it Works and It’s Easy to Navigate

How many times have you been on a site and it was slow to load?

Perhaps it took you somewhere you did not want to go. Or it was just confusing and hard to navigate around. Before you know it, you are out there!

Studies have shown people will leave pages that take longer than 2 seconds to load.

Users should know within seconds how to navigate your site, and they should get a feel for where to find what they are looking for.

Your site should be designed around your customer’s experience and an easy purchasing process.

You want to make every online order is as stress-less as possible and your website should reflect that. Don’t overcomplicate your website. People will prefer clarity instead of too many details.

The less reading the better. This furthers the idea that things should be simple, but it also helps with giving your customer a quicker experience especially in our fast-paced world.

Websites that offer a clear navigating path for their customers usually perform better in general.

Having a website is the most effective way to promote your restaurant.

If you are unsure about your web page performance, there are plenty of great resources for testing your website speed.

If you are not a restaurant owner yet and would like more information on starting one, please check my resource page for assistance.

My proactive resources and experience help entrepreneurs start, build, and create restaurants of their own.

I help them get organized during their startup so they can become more efficient in the way they run their business.

This ultimately leads to running a stable and profitable restaurant.