People look online before they dine
There are few people in the world who keep a copy of the yellow pages handy to look up a business. In the past consumers might have been happy with simply a phone number and some directions, now they want to see menus, a Google Map, opening hours and any other relevant information on a website before they’ll decide to eat somewhere. Websites adds validity to businesses, they tell people that you exist. If you’re not online then these people won’t find you and eventually you’ll find that your customer base has dwindled to those people still clutching on to their telephone directories.
Allowing people to scope out your restaurant before they leave their home has a number of benefits.
Menus
Many people nowadays are on diets or have special dietary requirements. In having a free website with your menus on it you’re enabling these people to make a choice about what they eat before they even leave the house. You can also put on your website if you will do any special catering for people with specific dietary requirements. This type of information empowers your customers. Not only that but reading a menu can be a fantastic trigger to the imagination. Reading about all of the delicious food that you serve will get them salivating and on their way to your restaurant.
Photographs
Food photography can be a great complement to your menus. Looking at a web page with photos of your food will entice your customer. Make sure they’re good quality photos of some good looking food. Bad photography or messy plates can cause an equal amount of damage!
Take reservations
For a busy restaurant, taking reservations online can be a life saver. Think about all of those busy service hours. The phone is ringing and none of the staff have the time to answer it. That’s customers lost right there. Taking reservations via your business website means that you can take reservations all day, every day, even during those busy periods.
Provide Directions
In the past a map would have sufficed to get your customers to your restaurant. Now, in the age of smartphones, people want a postcode and, if possible, a map. It’s simple to embed a Google Map in your website and it’s a useful piece of information for all of your customers.
All of these things are great for saving you time. You won’t have to take phone calls any more about how to get to your restaurant, you won’t have to answer questions about what type of food you serve of what your opening hours are. All of this is contained in one place. You just have to point your customers in the right direction and they can browse through all of this information at their own leisure.
If you are still not convinced think of it as an extension of your advertising policy. With an advert you try to convey a message that will grasp people in a short space of time. You want to do this with your free website but expand on it. With photos, menus, good design and even testimonials, you’ll be providing a great resource for your customers and a great marketing tool for yourself. Find yourself a free business website, a free web page template, or create a web page for free and you’ll be on your way!
