What do guests look for first?
We studied 71 restaurant websites, from family trattorias to fine dining and beach clubs, and recorded what each one shows. Some elements appear on almost every site. Others are rare, even though guests want them.
| What the site shows | Share of the 71 sites |
|---|---|
| About us or our story | 92% |
| Logo and navigation | 90% |
| Social media links | 86% |
| Address | 77% |
| Phone number you can tap | 77% |
| Online table booking | 70% |
| Large opening photo or video | 69% |
| Opening hours | 69% |
| Photo gallery | 56% |
| Allergen or dietary labels | 8% |
That last line matters. Allergens are one of the most common questions a guest has, yet only 8% of the sites we studied showed them on the menu.
The essentials
1. Your menu, as a web page
The menu is the first thing most guests want. Show it as a web page rather than a PDF: it loads faster on a phone, it's easier to read, and search engines can see what you serve. Include prices, and update it whenever it changes.
2. Opening hours that are right today
Wrong opening hours are one of the fastest ways to lose a guest's trust. Show your hours clearly, including lunch and dinner services, and add holidays and seasonal changes before they happen.
3. Where you are
Your full address, a map and a one-tap link for directions. If parking or access is tricky, say so.
4. How to book
A clear Book button near the top of the page, and again on phones where a thumb can reach it. Use your booking system, a simple request form, or at the very least a phone number guests can tap.
What helps guests choose you
5. Photos that make people hungry
A strong opening photo and a small gallery of your food, your room and your people. Ten great photos beat fifty average ones.
6. Your story
Who you are and why you cook what you cook. Keep it short and personal: a few lines and a photo of the team say more than a long history.
7. Proof that guests love it
A few short reviews, your overall rating and any awards or guide listings. Guests trust other guests.
8. What's on
Events, live music, set menus and offers give guests a reason to come back, and give you something new to share.
What makes it easy to find
9. Made for phones
Most guests find restaurants on their phones, often while out. Text must be readable without zooming, buttons big enough to tap, and pages quick to load on mobile data.
10. Built for Google and AI search
Use your restaurant's name, cuisine and area in your page titles. Search engines and AI assistants also read structured data: hidden information that describes your menu, hours and address in a form they understand.
11. Your own domain
www.yourrestaurant.com looks professional and is easy to remember. Keep the same address for years: it builds trust with search engines.
12. Privacy and legal pages
A privacy policy is needed if you collect booking details, and a cookie banner if you use tracking tools. In the EU, the EEA, the UK and Switzerland, the GDPR sets what these must say.
Mistakes to avoid
- A PDF menu. Hard to read on a phone and invisible to search engines.
- Last season still online. Last year's festive menu in the navigation, or a closure notice from two summers ago. We found both.
- An old copyright year. "© 2020" tells guests nobody looks after the site.
- Hiding the essentials. If the menu or hours take more than one tap to find, guests give up.
- Slow, heavy pages. Huge photos and sliders that take seconds to load on a phone.
The checklist
Print it or save it, and tick off your site.
About the study: In 2026, the Octablò team reviewed 71 restaurant websites across fine dining, casual restaurants, cafés, bars and beach clubs, recording 37 elements on each. The data was gathered by reading each site's pages, so treat the percentages as a guide rather than exact figures.