Website tips
Hospitality Website Essentials: Cafés, Salons, and Restaurants
Key takeaways
- Hours and location above the fold: Including bank holidays and how to find you on foot or by car.
- Menu or services readable on mobile: PDF-only menus frustrate phone users. HTML text or clear images work better.
- Booking link that works: OpenTable, Fresha, or your own tool. Test the flow on a phone.
- Keep seasons current: Out-of-date Christmas hours in March signal you are not paying attention.
Cafés, salons, barbers, and restaurants live on impulse and plans made on phones. Customers check hours, browse menus, book tables, and read reviews in one sitting. If your site makes any step awkward, they open the next tab.
You do not need a complex ecommerce site unless you sell nationwide. You need accurate information, appetising photos, and frictionless booking.
Hours and location
- Today's hours visible without digging. Link to a full week view.
- Bank holiday and seasonal hour changes updated the week they are known.
- Address with map, parking notes, and nearest landmark if helpful.
- Phone with click-to-call for same-day questions.
Menu or service list
Restaurants: dietary labels, lunch vs dinner menus, and prices where possible. Salons: services with duration and price bands. Avoid huge PDFs as the only option. They are hard on phones and invisible to search. HTML text or well-sized images work better.
Booking and ordering
- Prominent button to your booking platform.
- Test the booking flow on mobile. Account creation surprises lose bookings.
- If you take online orders, link clearly from the homepage.
- State cancellation policy in plain English where required.
Gallery and reviews
Show the atmosphere: food, interior, team, and finished hair or nails. Authentic phone photos often outperform stiff stock. Link Google reviews or embed widgets so visitors see recent feedback.
Seasonal updates
Set calendar reminders for menu changes, holiday closures, and summer terrace hours. A site that still advertises Christmas lunch in spring trains customers to doubt everything else.
Social media complements the site but does not replace findable hours and menus. See our comparison of shop websites and Facebook pages when you plan channels.
Opening or refreshing a hospitality site? Get in touch, explore websites for shops, or read shop website vs Facebook.