5 Easy Steps to Launching a Restaurant Website
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Increased Value of Online Restaurant Guides
author/source: Dale Guiducci on RunningRestaurants.com
publication date: Jun 30, 2010
publication date: Jun 30, 2010
In discussions with restaurant owners we quite often get asked why they should list their restaurants on online restaurant guides (ORGs). The easy and obvious answer is that online restaurant guides such as Zagat.com, RestaurantRow.com, Urbanspoon.com, Chow.com, Metromix.com, CitySearch.com, etc., increase the online exposure of those restaurants listed in the guide. In looking a bit closer and asking users how they search for restaurants, the value becomes more evident. If one searched on Google for "Anthony's Fish Grotto San Diego" the web site comes up at the top of the page. However, when doing a general search for "fish restaurants san diego" many restaurants that serve fish in San Diego come up. The point here is that if someone knows the restaurant and wants to find out the hours it is open they will find the website with ease. However, if someone is searching for a particular cuisine the results they will get are many. They will have to click on each web site and figure out how to navigate each site to find what they are looking for.
The time and effort to accomplish this is precisely why many people choose to use an online guide for their searching needs. Once someone gets comfortable with how to navigate an online guide they can search far more quickly and find the information they need. In addition, online guides are attracting people by giving them the ability to write reviews and easily see reviews written by other people as well as other features individual restaurants cannot offer through their own web site.
To clarify this point, our company, VR National, conducted a survey in October of 2009 and discovered that of the people that search for restaurants online regularly, approximately 80% said they use online guides. Now that everything is going mobile, online guides have a chance of gaining even more traction with people searching for restaurants. With new 3G and even 4G data transfer capabilities, mobile phones are beginning to dominate the technology landscape. People are using their mobile phones for email, texting, navigation, and searching the web. So it makes sense that they want to also use their mobile phone to search for restaurants.
Further, online guides such as Zagat, Urbanspoon, Where The Locals Eat, and others are developing mobile phone apps with built in GPS which comes in handy for those that travel. Other phone application developers, such as FlynnCity.com, are developing independent applications specifically for restaurants. Someone on business in Chicago that is not that familiar with the city can open up FlynnCity and instantly discover restaurants within blocks of his/her current location. And, a user can choose restaurants on her mobile app and be alerted of drink specials or other items of interest at her favorite restaurants and clubs.
There is one additional bit of information we found in conducting our survey that is key to capturing business from online restaurant searchers. The overwhelming majority of people that either use a general search engine or online guide to search for restaurants stated that they want to see images of the inside of the restaurant. Specifically, half said they wanted to see virtual tours that allow them to see the ambience and atmosphere of the entire restaurant online within a few seconds. Some even told us that if they couldn't see images showing the inside of the restaurant they would continue to keep looking.
So what should restaurant owners do to capture as much of this business as they can?
1) Pick the top online guides and make sure your restaurant information is complete and accurate including images/virtual tours, menus, pricing, etc.
2) Display the logos for those guides in your restaurant and on your website with links to your restaurant's page on the guide.
3) Search out mobile phone application developers that are targeting restaurants. A restaurant can usually sign up to be placed on these apps for free. Some of these apps are more than just restaurant listing guides. Some give the restaurateur the capability of communicating with past and prospective customers through alerts to their mobile phone.
4) Get virtual tours of your restaurant filmed along with some high quality photos of entrees and unique characteristics of the inside of the restaurant.
The trend is clear. The smart restaurant owner will embrace the change and develop excellent relationships with every major national and regional ORG and make sure they are featured on that guide if possible, have menus, photos, virtual tours and every other tool available from that guide including a link to make a reservation online.
Dale Guiducci is the Director of Business Development at VR National. VR National is the top restaurant virtual tour company in the country and is partnered with Zagat, Google, Urbanspoon, RestaurantRow and FlynnCity. Dale can be reached at 888-807-9962 x802.
Top 10 Mistakes on Restaurant Websites
Source: Jaime Oikle Click here for Source Site
Many independent restaurants miss out on the great opportunity that the Internet provides for their business by making costly blunders with their web sites. Let's take a look at ten common mistakes frequently encountered at restaurant web sites.
Hide and Seek
For some unknown reason, there are restaurant sites that hide their contact information. This really is lesson number one when building your website. Have your contact information in very easy places to find. Your full address and phone number should be on the top or bottom of every page. You should also have a special "Contact Us" page with more details including maps, directions, hours and other pertinent information. Hide and seek is a fun game when you are a kid, but not on a website.
What's on the Menu
Your menu is the number one thing that customers look for at a restaurant web site. Are you taking full advantage of posting your menu online? Is it the full menu with appetizers through desserts? Do you include your wine list? What about beer and specialty drinks, and even the kids menu? Prices should be included and there should be a printable version of the menu available as well, perhaps in a PDF format. Exceed your web site customer's expectations by posting the most effective menu presentation possible.
Lack of Photography
Nothing else can convey the brand image of your restaurant better on your site than quality photography. There is no reason for your web site not to have a variety of beautiful four-color photographs especially since there are no real size constraints with a website like there are in traditional advertising. Photos of your food, your interior and exterior, as well as your people can make a major impact.
Who Works in Your Restaurant?
Time and again, I encounter restaurant sites with no evidence that any real people work there. This is amazing to me because your people are your restaurant. Show them off - especially for independents because this is an opportunity to differentiate yourself from the chains and highlight the brilliant and passionate people that make your restaurant special. Who's in the kitchen, the front of house, and who are the owners. Include pictures and bios of as many people as possible. This makes a difference.
Hello?
You've got to think of your website much like the telephone at your host stand. Your goal may be to answer every call within two rings. Likewise, your goal should be to answer every email inquiry that comes into your restaurant within 24 hours (or sooner). Emails, like phone calls are business leads, and customers taking the time to email are serious about contacting your restaurant. Respect this and take advantage of prompt follow-up to win business. Is someone dedicated to responding to incoming email messages? If not, go disconnect your phone as well -it's really the same thing.
No Email Communication
If your restaurant is not using email to communicate with customers, then you are missing out on a big opportunity to promote your business and build a loyal customer base. At minimum, you should have a form on your site for customers to sign up for a newsletter or event information. Follow up with regular, timely emails to your list. This is perhaps where many restaurants stumble, yet this is precisely where the most opportunity exists. Contacting your customers on a regular basis with information that they have requested is one of the smartest marketing moves that you can make.
Happy Valentine's Day
This may be a big event for your restaurant with a special menu, music and maybe even flowers. I don't want to read about it in April though! Your Events or What's New page needs to be fresh and relevant. This area of your site should be a tool to actively promote your restaurant and drive business in, and having old information here is a web site sin. This is one of the easiest mistakes to avoid, so don't let it happen to you.
Design and Brand Disconnect
Upscale food, but low scale graphics and site design. It happens all the time on the web. Your cousin's friend could build your web site 10 years ago, but not today. Your web site is an extension of your brand, and if your brand concept is an upscale French bistro, then it is important that your site accurately captures that feeling. Likewise, if you have an irreverent and fun BBQ joint, then that personality needs to come through in your restaurant's site as well. In simple terms, make sure that your web site creates the correct expectation of the dining experience.
Not For Sale
Your restaurant's web site should sell for you 24/7 with no breaks. Many restaurant sites make the mistake of solely being a content site - i.e. name, menu, phone number. The best restaurant web sites look at their Internet program as an integrated marketing and sales tool. They do things like take reservations, sell merchandise, help book private parties and catering, and promote gift cards. Is your site selling for you? If not, then you've got some work to do.
Now Hiring
Throwing a big bright orange "Now Hiring" sign in your front window can be a bit tacky for sure. Having an Employment Opportunities section on your website is not tacky in the least. Take advantage of your website to spread the word about what a terrific place your restaurant is to work by posting open positions with detailed job descriptions. Build an online job application form, and include information of how prospective employees can best submit their information. While there are many recruiting tools and strategies available, ignoring your own restaurant web site as a source of leads is a foolish mistake.
An effective Internet program should be a key element of a restaurant's marketing budget and strategy. A strong Internet program can boost sales while helping to lower promotional costs. It should also help increase customer loyalty and retention as well as be a tool to drive first time trial.
If you are looking for strategies to incrementally increase your business, then take a good look at your web site to ensure that you are not committing any of these web site sins. These ten mistakes are all easily avoidable and must be reconciled in order for a restaurant to successfully capture business from its Internet efforts.
Many independent restaurants miss out on the great opportunity that the Internet provides for their business by making costly blunders with their web sites. Let's take a look at ten common mistakes frequently encountered at restaurant web sites.
For some unknown reason, there are restaurant sites that hide their contact information. This really is lesson number one when building your website. Have your contact information in very easy places to find. Your full address and phone number should be on the top or bottom of every page. You should also have a special "Contact Us" page with more details including maps, directions, hours and other pertinent information. Hide and seek is a fun game when you are a kid, but not on a website.
Your menu is the number one thing that customers look for at a restaurant web site. Are you taking full advantage of posting your menu online? Is it the full menu with appetizers through desserts? Do you include your wine list? What about beer and specialty drinks, and even the kids menu? Prices should be included and there should be a printable version of the menu available as well, perhaps in a PDF format. Exceed your web site customer's expectations by posting the most effective menu presentation possible.
Lack of Photography
Time and again, I encounter restaurant sites with no evidence that any real people work there. This is amazing to me because your people are your restaurant. Show them off - especially for independents because this is an opportunity to differentiate yourself from the chains and highlight the brilliant and passionate people that make your restaurant special. Who's in the kitchen, the front of house, and who are the owners. Include pictures and bios of as many people as possible. This makes a difference.
You've got to think of your website much like the telephone at your host stand. Your goal may be to answer every call within two rings. Likewise, your goal should be to answer every email inquiry that comes into your restaurant within 24 hours (or sooner). Emails, like phone calls are business leads, and customers taking the time to email are serious about contacting your restaurant. Respect this and take advantage of prompt follow-up to win business. Is someone dedicated to responding to incoming email messages? If not, go disconnect your phone as well -it's really the same thing.
If your restaurant is not using email to communicate with customers, then you are missing out on a big opportunity to promote your business and build a loyal customer base. At minimum, you should have a form on your site for customers to sign up for a newsletter or event information. Follow up with regular, timely emails to your list. This is perhaps where many restaurants stumble, yet this is precisely where the most opportunity exists. Contacting your customers on a regular basis with information that they have requested is one of the smartest marketing moves that you can make.
This may be a big event for your restaurant with a special menu, music and maybe even flowers. I don't want to read about it in April though! Your Events or What's New page needs to be fresh and relevant. This area of your site should be a tool to actively promote your restaurant and drive business in, and having old information here is a web site sin. This is one of the easiest mistakes to avoid, so don't let it happen to you.
Design and Brand Disconnect
Upscale food, but low scale graphics and site design. It happens all the time on the web. Your cousin's friend could build your web site 10 years ago, but not today. Your web site is an extension of your brand, and if your brand concept is an upscale French bistro, then it is important that your site accurately captures that feeling. Likewise, if you have an irreverent and fun BBQ joint, then that personality needs to come through in your restaurant's site as well. In simple terms, make sure that your web site creates the correct expectation of the dining experience.
Your restaurant's web site should sell for you 24/7 with no breaks. Many restaurant sites make the mistake of solely being a content site - i.e. name, menu, phone number. The best restaurant web sites look at their Internet program as an integrated marketing and sales tool. They do things like take reservations, sell merchandise, help book private parties and catering, and promote gift cards. Is your site selling for you? If not, then you've got some work to do.
Now Hiring
Throwing a big bright orange "Now Hiring" sign in your front window can be a bit tacky for sure. Having an Employment Opportunities section on your website is not tacky in the least. Take advantage of your website to spread the word about what a terrific place your restaurant is to work by posting open positions with detailed job descriptions. Build an online job application form, and include information of how prospective employees can best submit their information. While there are many recruiting tools and strategies available, ignoring your own restaurant web site as a source of leads is a foolish mistake.
If you are looking for strategies to incrementally increase your business, then take a good look at your web site to ensure that you are not committing any of these web site sins. These ten mistakes are all easily avoidable and must be reconciled in order for a restaurant to successfully capture business from its Internet efforts.
Why does your Restaurant Need a Website?
Your Restaurant ONLINE NOW!
Restaurants are one of those industries that REALLY NEED a Website!
Why Does A Restaurant Need A Website?
by David Norris (Click here for source)
I was looking over a discussion forum when I came across the following question...
"My good friends David and Terra own an amazing restaurant and bar in Colorado. They have owned the restaurant for a couple of years and do a steady business of mostly repeat customers. That's good. They don't have a web-site yet - that's not so good. I constantly obsess about all of the opportunities that they are missing because of it."
It's a simple question really. Why do I need a website?
Here's my reply to the question...
Not having a website is like having a road with no signposts to get to it.
The majority of potential diners are looking online when deciding ahead when to dine. If they don't find your website, they'll find someone else's. You need to interact with your customers in the channels which they inhabit.
Your marketing relies not only on your physical presence (your location) but also on your virtual presence. I'm sure there's a sign on the front of the restaurant and a menu in the window. Having a website takes that same principle and gets your storefront into the virtual world.
Of course I imagine what your friend is thinking is not "do I need a website" but rather "what is the return on investment" that I get for spending those hours and dollars on a pretty set of webpages.
It's simple; your website needs to work for you and pay it's way. It needs to take reservations, it needs to provide directions, menus and it needs to persuade people that your restaurant is where they want to dine.
At Livebookings we've found that you can convert 1 website visit in every 10 to become a reservation. And when you take those reservations, they give you email data that you can store to start building a guest database. After that you can do email campaigns to build a stronger relationship with your customers and encourage repeat diners.
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