Getting the Best Results from Your Restaurant Website

If you manage a restaurant, you probably already have your own website. However, have you ever considered whether you are you taking advantage of it to its full potential? Consider some of these ideas, if you don’t already have them in place.

Make certain that your advertising works together: The online world is rather inexpensive once you have your site planned, built and published. Consequently, it is cost effective to use your other, more expensive, forms of business promotion in a way that complements your restaurant’s website. Feature your web address in all of your radio, television and print ads. Make sure that the URL is also added to your business cards. Think how much your website can say in great detail about your dining establishment when you compare it to a thirty second TV ad, a quarter page in the newspaper or even an entire billboard.

Menu display: Some restaurants choose to display a sampling of their menu selections. Of course, there is no real problem with that. However web space is practically free, so why not include your entire menu. You do not want to omit someone’s favorite entree that could have brought them to your tables. Be certain that the menu pages are designed in a way that allows you to update them any time you actually change your menu. Whether you choose to include the prices will be somewhat determined by the types of diners you are hoping to attract as well as the stability of your prices. If a lot of your selections are impacted by “market prices,” then it might be better to leave all prices off.

Use professional images: Pictures of the food are fine for cookbooks and boxed macaroni and cheese on the supermarket shelves, but you want your food to speak for itself as your guests dine. To attract the eyes of your website visitors, you need to show real people enjoying their meals and the dining experience. Be certain that the images show all of the kinds of people you want as customers, representing the full diversity of your community.~Consider a reservation form: You might want to add a form for requesting reservations rather than simply providing you website visitors with a phone number. Such a form allows them to act immediately as they are thinking about it. Collect the phone number, and give them a reminder telephone call the day before they are scheduled to visit.}

Build an email address database: Request the email addresses of people visiting your web pages and allow your customers in your restaurant to add their addresses to their checks. Have a member of your staff enter these new email addresses on a frequent basis. Use regular email marketing to announce new menu items, offer special coupons or other enticements. You might email a secret word of the week. If they whisper that word to their waitress they receive a free dessert with their dinner or a courtesy visit from the chef.

By all means include testimonials: While an enthusiastic restaurant review from the local newspaper{ or local magazine} is unbeatable publicity, most people also trust what other regular diners like themselves have to say. You may choose to put these on their own page, but additionally intersperse a few of the more interesting remarks on each page of your site.

All service providers need repeat business. To get them to come back, you want them to feel a connection with you. Knowing how to use your service business Internet presence can take you a long way in developing that relationship with your diners.