How to Easily Create a Restaurant Website in WordPress?

Are you planning to create a restaurant website with WordPress? Then, we will show you in detail how to create a restaurant website with WordPress.

Why Create a Restaurant Website?

In today’s digital era, it’s really important for every business, even restaurants, to have a website. Having a restaurant website helps in many ways, like making more people aware of your restaurant, getting customers more involved, and increasing how much money your restaurant makes.

One of the primary merits of owning a restaurant website is the substantial increase in visibility it offers. As more people look for places to eat online, having a website means more customers can find you, which can boost your foot traffic and customer base.

Which Is the Best Website Builder for Your Restaurant?

When it comes to choosing the best way to make a website for your restaurant, there are many website builder options. But one that many restaurant owners really like is WordPress.

WordPress is renowned for its user-friendly approach. Even if you’re not a tech guru, its intuitive design makes building a website straightforward. With tons of templates and themes available, you can easily design a site that captures the essence and vibe of your restaurant.

One of the best things about WordPress is its adaptability. Want to let customers book a table online? Or perhaps you’re thinking of starting a restaurant blog or selling merchandise? Whatever your goal, WordPress provides the tools to make it happen seamlessly.

Budget is often a concern, especially for new restaurateurs. WordPress offers a balance of free and premium themes and plugins, allowing you to craft a professional-looking website without burning a hole in your pocket.

Wrapping it up, if you’re looking for a platform that’s easy to use, customizable, SEO-optimized, and budget-friendly, WordPress is a top contender.

However, you must know that there are two distinct ways of using WordPress: WordPress.org and WordPress.com.

WordPress.org is a free and open-source software also called a self-hosted platform. This means you choose a hosting service, install WordPress, and build your Restaurant website under your hosting account. This way gives you advanced customization, monetization options and full control over your website including its design, features, and content.

On the other hand, WordPress.com is a hosted WordPress solution, meaning that WordPress handles all the technical aspects for you, such as web hosting and security. Although you can create a free website using WordPress.com, it comes with limited features and functionality, and for advanced features, you must use a paid plan.

In the long run, WordPress.org can be cheaper. With WordPress.com, you have to pay every month for hosting and managing your domain. With WordPress.org, you pay annually for web hosting and getting your domain name.

So, for a restaurant website, we recommend using WordPress.org because it gives you complete ownership of your site and controls to install third-party plugins, themes & more that are designed specifically for restaurant owners.

Step 1: Setting Up Your Restaurant Website

In order to create a new website for your restaurant using WordPress, you will require a web hosting package and domain name.

We recommend you purchase both web hosting & domain from – Bluehost – A reliable WordPress hosting provider and a top pick for hosting WordPress websites because it’s known for being dependable and has lots of features.

While there are many other great options like Hostinger and Liquidweb, let’s take a closer look at why Bluehost is a great choice for your restaurant’s site:

In the world of websites, reliability is king. When potential customers search for your restaurant online, they expect to find your website up and running, not encountering errors or downtime. Bluehost is renowned for its consistent and dependable service. It ensures that your restaurant’s website remains accessible around the clock.

WordPress is the most popular platform for building websites and for a good reason. It’s user-friendly and versatile, and it offers a wide range of customizable templates and plugins. Bluehost has streamlined the integration of WordPress into its hosting service. This means you can set up your restaurant’s website quickly and easily.

Managing your restaurant’s budget is essential, and Bluehost understands that. They offer various hosting plans to accommodate different financial considerations. This flexibility ensures that you can find a hosting plan that aligns with your restaurant’s budget without compromising on quality.

In summary, Bluehost stands out as an excellent choice for hosting your restaurant’s website because it brings reliability, user-friendly WordPress integration, and budget-friendly options to the table. This combination ensures a seamless online experience for your restaurant and its valued customers, helping you grow your business in the digital age.

Step 2: Create a New WordPress Website

1. Log in to Your Bluehost Account: To begin, Log into your Bluehost account. This is where you manage all things related to your website.

2. Access “My Sites”: Inside your Bluehost account, look for the “My Sites” tab.

3. Create a New Site: Now, click on the “Create Site” button.”

3. Enter Domain Details:

• Site Name – This will be the name displayed on your site. This is not the URL but simply the name used on your site.
• Site Tagline – This should reflect a brief description of your website.

5. Create Your Site: After you’ve entered these details, click the “Create Site” button. It’s like giving the green light to start building your restaurant’s website.
6. WordPress Installation: Now, Bluehost takes care of the technical stuff and installs WordPress for you. You don’t need to do anything here; just let it work its magic.
7. Login Email: Once WordPress is installed, you’ll get an email with your login details.
8. Access WordPress Dashboard: Use the login details from the email to access your WordPress dashboard.

By following these steps, you’ll be on your way to building a fantastic restaurant website for your customers to enjoy.

Step 3: Choosing a Restaurant Theme:

A WordPress theme is like the style or design of your website. It decides how your site will look, including things like where the text goes, what colors are used, and what fonts are used.

If you’re new to building websites, it’s easier to use a pre-made theme instead of starting from scratch. One good theme for restaurant websites on WordPress is called KadenceWP. It’s popular because it’s fast, easy to use, and can do a lot of different things.

To get this theme, you can go to your WordPress dashboard and click on “Appearance” and then “Themes.” You can search for “KadenceWP” and find it there.

KadenceWP also has some templates that can help you get started with your restaurant website. One of them is called “Resto.” It has sections for things like menu items, reviews, and daily specials.

To install the Resto template on your WordPress website at no cost, follow these simple steps:

1. Adding the KadenceWP Starter Template:

First, log in to your WordPress dashboard. Then, go to the “Plugins” section.
Look for “Kadence” and search for “Starter templates by Kadence WP.” Install it and turn it on, just like you’d turn on a new tool.

2. Choosing the Right Look:

Still, in your WordPress dashboard, go to “Appearance.” This is where you can change how your website looks.
Click on “Starter templates.” Think of this like trying on different outfits for your restaurant.
Make sure you’re only looking at the free choices from KadenceWP.
Find the one called “Resto.” This one is like an outfit made just for restaurants.

3. Making It Yours:

Now, you can pick the colors you like for your website. It’s like choosing the colors for your restaurant’s walls and tables.
Click “Import and Start importing” to make it official. To see how your website will look, click “view site.”

4. Customizing the Details:

If you want to change more things, you can. Think of this like adding your own decorations to your restaurant.
You’ll find all the settings in something called the Kadence theme Customizer. Go to Appearance > Customize.
Here, you can change specific parts of your website’s look, like putting up pictures, changing words, and even adding cool things like customer reviews and contact forms.

By following these steps, you can easily put together and make your Resto theme fit your restaurant’s style, and you don’t have to pay anything extra for it. It’s like setting up the perfect look for your restaurant, but you’re doing it on the internet!

Step 5: Create an Online Restaurant Menu

If you’re looking to effortlessly bring your restaurant’s menu online on your WordPress website, the Orderable plugin is your go-to solution.

OVERALL VERDICT

4

Ease of Use

4

PERFORMANCE

4

Support

4

Value

Orderable WP Plugin is a versatile WordPress plugin designed to empower your restaurant or retail business with a tailored online ordering system.

With Orderable, you gain the ability to effortlessly incorporate products into your menu, complete with images, detailed descriptions, and pricing information.

Pros

• Ideal for businesses with multiple locations
• Orderable WP supports the creation of intricate multi-location ordering systems.
• It boasts an intuitive interface
• making it easy for users to set up and operate
• even without technical expertise
• It prioritizes security by integrating trusted payment gateways like Stripe and PayPal.
• You can enhance your offerings by incorporating product add-ons to your menu.
• You won't incur any additional charges
• as Orderable WP does not impose transaction fees.

Cons

• Certain advanced features are exclusively available in the premium version of the plugin.
• Setting up Orderable WP may prove challenging for those new to the platform.

1. Rating:

   4.8/5

Price: $149/yr

GET STARTED

1. Rating:

   4.8/5

Price: $149/yr

Get Started

Orderable is a WooCommerce plugin built to support your online restaurant needs efficiently. With Orderable, you can set up an online ordering system and create and display menus, allowing customers to select between deliveries and local pickup. It makes these processes extremely simple for you.

This free plugin isn’t just about showcasing dishes; it’s a comprehensive tool that turns your site into an interactive dining experience. Let’s dive into what “Orderable” brings to the table:

Crafting Your Menu: With “Orderable,” setting up your digital menu is a breeze. You can categorize your offerings, list out individual dishes, set their prices, and even sprinkle in some appetizing descriptions to entice your customers.

Let Customers Order Online: Beyond just looking, let your customers take action. “Orderable” lets your patrons easily place their orders online, choosing between takeaway or home delivery.

Safe and Easy Payments: Safety first! When it comes to online transactions, you want a trustworthy system. With “Orderable,” you’re equipped with reliable payment gateways like Stripe and PayPal. This ensures that every transaction is smooth and secure.

Stay On Top of Orders: Keeping track of who ordered what shouldn’t be a challenge. “Orderable” offers a streamlined interface, making order management straightforward. See new orders, update their status, and ensure every dish reaches the right table or doorstep.

And, you can smoothly add an online restaurant menu to your WordPress website. This gives your customers the convenience of browsing your menu and ordering their favorite dishes right from their computer or phone. Learn more about Orderable here.

Create an Online Restaurant Menu with Orderable

Creating an online restaurant menu with the help of Orderable is a simple process that not only makes your menu look good but also adds a convenient online ordering system. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

Step 1: Install the Orderable Plugin

First, make sure you have the WooCommerce plugin installed on your WordPress site. Orderable works better with WooCommerce. You can install it from the WordPress plugin repository.

Then purchase the Orderable PRO plan using this link and follow these steps to install it:

Go to Plugins > Add New on your WordPress dashboard and click the Upload Plugin button at the top of the page.
Choose the .zip file you were sent containing Orderable files from your computer and then click Install Now.
Finally, click the Activate button on the next page to use the plugin.

After installing Orderable, you’ll be taken to the plugin’s settings page to configure your restaurant. The first thing to do is set your restaurant’s operating hours in WooCommerce.

Here’s how:

1. Go to Orderable > Settings to access your store settings.
2. Click on the “Store Settings” tab and choose the hours when your restaurant will be open. You can also set options like delivery/pickup times, lead time, service hours, and holiday schedules here.
3. You’ll also find additional settings for tipping, checkout, and notifications in this section, which you can adjust later.
4. Once you’re done, simply click the “Save Changes” button.

Step 2: Add Food Products in WooCommerce

Now that you have both WooCommerce and Orderable ready, you can start adding your food items as products. Here’s how:

• Go to ‘Products’ > ‘Add New’ on your WordPress dashboard.
• Provide a title for your dish, write a detailed description, assign it to the right category (like ‘Appetizers’ or ‘Main Course’), add images, and set a price.
• Click ‘Publish’ to make the product live on your site.

Step 3: Create Your Menu & Display with Orderable

Now that you’ve created your dishes, let’s assign them to a menu and display it on your website:

1. Go to “Orderable,” then “Layout Builder,” and click “Add New.”
2. Give your layout a title, choose the display type (Grid or List), decide if you want to show images, and make the menu clickable. Then, click “Publish.”

At this point, you’ve created the menu layout. Now let’s add it to a new page to display your menu:

1. Create a new page in your WordPress dashboard by going to “Pages” and “Add New.”
2. Name this page ‘Menu’ and add a new block by clicking the plus(+) sign.
3. Search for the “Orderable: Product Layout” block and select it. This will add a generic product menu to the page.
4. Click on the generic menu, then choose the menu you’ve created from the Blocks tab on the right.

Your online restaurant is ready to go! You’ve set up an online ordering system with a menu for customers to order from. Next, let’s add a useful feature, QR code table ordering, to make things even more convenient for your staff and customers.

Step 6: Set Up Online Food Ordering

Ordering food online is quite popular, and using QR codes for table ordering can be helpful for restaurants. Orderable is a tool that helps manage orders using QR codes, making things easier for both the restaurant staff and customers. Setting up table ordering is easy. Follow these steps:

Go to Orderable > Table Ordering to create a table.
Enter the table number you want to make a QR code for. Orderable will make the QR code for that table.
Add a special web link that customers can only access by scanning the QR code on the table.
Click “Publish” when you finish, and repeat these steps for all your restaurant’s tables.

That’s it! Now, you can download the QR codes, print them, and put them on the tables. When customers scan them, they’ll see a menu to order from. Your staff will know which table the order is for and deliver it to the right place.

Step 7: Add a Restaurant Booking Form

Adding a booking form to your restaurant’s website is a smart idea. It makes it easy for customers to reserve tables or place orders. WPForms is a great tool for this, even if you’re new to creating forms. It has a simple drag-and-drop form builder, so you don’t need to know how to code.

You can pick from different templates and customize your forms to match your restaurant’s look and style.

It works well with other tools like email services and payment systems. This means you can automate tasks and make your work smoother.

Here’s how you can create a booking form with WPForms:

Get the Free WPForms plugin from the WordPress repository and add it to your WordPress website. Make your form look the way you want using the settings on the side. You can pick a template, add your logo, and set up messages. Put in the details you want from customers, like their name, email, phone number, and when they want to visit. Put your form on your website by adding it to a page or post. WPForms gives you a special code to do this.

Adding a booking form to your website makes things simple for customers. They can make reservations and orders online without any hassle. This helps your restaurant run better and makes your customers happy.

Step 8: Showcasing Your Restaurant:

If you want to show off your restaurant, pictures and videos are great. They help people get a feel for what your restaurant is like, including the atmosphere and the food.

Besides pictures and videos, you can also use customer reviews to show how good your restaurant is. Ask happy customers to leave reviews on websites like Yelp or Google. You can even put some of these reviews on your website and social media.

In the end, using pictures, videos, and customer reviews is a powerful way to show off your restaurant. It helps get new customers and makes your restaurant’s brand strong.

Monitoring and Maintenance:

Website maintenance is a crucial part of keeping your restaurant’s website working well. It involves making sure your site is secure, your data is safe, and everything runs smoothly for your customers.

One key thing to do is regular backups. This means creating copies of all your website’s data. These copies act as a safety net in case something goes wrong, so you don’t lose any important information.

Another important task is updating your website’s software. Just like your phone or computer, your website’s software needs updates to stay secure and run correctly. So, make sure to keep it up-to-date.

Monitoring your website’s performance is also vital. You should regularly check how it’s doing to make sure everything is working correctly. If you notice any issues, you can fix them promptly.

Additionally, conducting security audits is essential. This means checking your website for potential vulnerabilities that could be exploited by hackers. Identifying and addressing these issues is crucial to keeping your site safe.

In addition to these best practices, it’s crucial to have a reliable web hosting provider Like Bluehost, Hostinger, and LiquidWeb. They can provide the technical support and resources you need to keep your website running smoothly. Here you can Look for a hosting provider that promises fast page load times, reliable uptime, and 24/7 support in case you encounter any technical problems.

Overall, by following best practices for website maintenance and working with a dependable web hosting provider, you can ensure that your restaurant’s website remains secure, backed up, and operational for your customers.