Does Your Restaurant Website Seem Dated?
Your restaurant has a certain ambiance and vibe. From your theme to the layout of your tables, the design of your restaurant, and your lighting, your brick-and-mortar restaurant tells your customers what they can expect when they dine with you.
The sights and smells of your food entice them and provide your diners with a feeling they can only get when they eat in your restaurant.
Bottom line, your restaurant screams with your branding, and it’s what attracts people through your doors.
Yet, many of your diners will decide if they’re going to eat with you just from viewing your website. How can you provide that “feeling” to them – the one that entices them to either place an order or visit your restaurant?
It starts with your website. In this article, we pose the question, “Does your restaurant need a boost?” Then, we look at seven design ideas to refresh your website and draw your customers in.
#1: Statement Making Hero Image
Your hero image (the big image generally seen at the top of your website) is the first image your website visitors see. Because of this, it needs to really make an impact.
You want to make a strong statement about your restaurant, your menu, and your ambiance. To do this, combine a beautiful, professional looking photo, striking topography, and a robust call to action.
With this one, large image, you can immediately let your website visitors know what they can expect inside your restaurant and upon tasting your food.
This section is where your message and imagery really need to carry your restaurant. It should attract your customers and lead them straight to your online menu, into your restaurant, or onto your reservation list.
#2: A One Page Website
A one-page website redesign can be effective for the right restaurant. While it isn’t the answer for all, a simple, straightforward website can work for many food service businesses.
For example, if you own a small café, food truck, or ghost kitchen, a one-page website may be just what you need.
The one-page website works best for simpler restaurants. If you have a small menu, this can really work for you. There’s no reason to have multiple pages for a small amount of content.
You want to package your restaurant website in the best way possible, and for restaurants with smaller offerings, the one-page website is perfect. It’s easy and intuitive for customers to follow, and it allows them to see content quickly.
#3: Dedication to Storytelling
Compelling websites convert well. If your website needs a design boost, consider looking at your content. Is it compelling? Does it inspire customers to act?
Give your website visitors a strong sense of place. This means highlighting your story and providing people with an inside look at your restaurant and your menu.
Create a connection for your website visitors the minute they land on your site. Make them feel welcome. Invite them “in” to your website with your content and visuals. Again, tell a story that resonates with your restaurant theme and ambiance.
Let your image shine through so customers are immediately invested in your restaurant. Your enticing content and mouth-watering imagery should leave them salivating for more.
Your restaurant and your website should convey they same feeling and ambiance.
#4: Page Speed
While page speed isn’t technically a design idea, your design and development affect page speed.
The speed of your website should be top of your concerns when refreshing your website.
It’s a consideration that is so important. Why? Google’s algorithm makes it vital to consider page speed over almost all else.
In fact, it’s so important to Google, that your site speed may be a ranking factor.
Your website visitors expect your site to load quickly. When it doesn’t, they’re likely to leave and go somewhere else. After all, they’re hungry, and time is important.
Expectations for site speed are higher than ever before. What’s more, site speed affects conversions and your bottom line.
#5: Design Trends
As you give your restaurant website a boost, it’s always good to look at the newest trends.
You can gain design ideas from the trends and incorporate them, so they work with your branding and overall theme.
Here are a few of the newest trends to get your creative juices flowing:
Typography – experiment with large fonts, both serif and sans serif.
Retro or modern typography
Animated typography
Lighter colors
Textured illustrations
Outlines and shapes
Creative photos – no stock photos
Collages
Hover gallery menus
Image heavy design
Text heavy design
Monochromatic palettes
#6: Bold Typography
We just mentioned several design trends for typography, and this is one area where you can really refresh your website.
Play around with typography to really make your website pop. Bigger and bolder type can stick with your audience. When mixed with the right imagery, you can set a tone for your website that matches that of your restaurant.
When choosing fonts and type size, consider your restaurant and what works seamlessly with it.
#7: Layered Effects
Another design idea is the layered effect.
This is where elements on your website page stack and overlap one another. Doing this establishes connections to different web elements. This in turn can lead website visitors from one spot to another.
Layered effects can be very impactful for your restaurant website. Experiment with this effect and test it on a few people before going live with it.
Final Thoughts
Now that you have some design ideas that interest your customers, you’re ready to get started.
When boosting your design, don’t forget to get creative with your footer, too. This is real estate that many restaurants don’t pay enough attention to.
Finally, your restaurant menu needs to shine. Concentrate heavily on these pages so they are user friendly, enticing, and help website visitors explore the “tastes” of your restaurant before ever walking in the door.
Take one of these ideas or several to give your restaurant website design a boost and take your business to the next level.
