[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":630},["ShallowReactive",2],{"help-\u002Fhelp\u002Fdeli-website":3,"help-related-\u002Fhelp\u002Fdeli-website":611},{"id":4,"title":5,"body":6,"category":600,"description":601,"extension":602,"meta":603,"navigation":604,"order":605,"path":606,"seo":607,"stem":608,"updated":609,"__hash__":610},"help\u002Fhelp\u002Fdeli-website.md","Deli website: what gets the order",{"type":7,"value":8,"toc":583},"minimark",[9,13,16,21,24,27,57,65,68,91,94,98,101,139,146,150,153,209,216,220,223,290,293,297,300,330,336,340,350,353,357,360,374,378,381,411,414,418,421,424,428,431,451,461,465,471,497,515,519,553,556,560],[10,11,12],"p",{},"People who open a deli's website on their phone want three things fast: the menu with prices, whether you're open right now, and the quickest way to order. A second visitor matters just as much: the person ordering lunch for an office or a party, who needs to know what you make for groups, how many it feeds, what it costs and how much notice you need.",[10,14,15],{},"In October 2026 we opened 18 independent deli websites in ten towns, on a phone and on a computer, and looked at what people search for. Most delis had an \"Order online\" button. Few had a menu people could read on a phone, today's hours up top, a phone number that could be tapped, or catering details an office could act on. This guide goes through them in order of how much they matter, with the steps to set each one up.",[17,18,20],"h2",{"id":19},"put-your-menu-on-the-site-with-prices","Put your menu on the site, with prices",[10,22,23],{},"Only 3 of the 18 delis had their whole menu on the site as text with prices. The rest used a PDF, a photo of the menu, a menu with the prices left off, or no menu at all. PDFs and photos are hard to read on a phone, and Google can't read them.",[10,25,26],{},"You don't have to type it in:",[28,29,30,43,54],"ol",{},[31,32,33,34,38,39,42],"li",{},"Open the page with your ",[35,36,37],"strong",{},"Price list \u002F menu"," section (or add one with ",[35,40,41],{},"Add a section",").",[31,44,45,46,49,50,53],{},"Click ",[35,47,48],{},"Fill in from a photo or PDF",", choose your menu file and click ",[35,51,52],{},"Read this file",".",[31,55,56],{},"Check every group and price before you publish.",[10,58,59,60,53],{},"See ",[61,62,64],"a",{"href":63},"\u002Fhelp\u002Fimport-a-menu","Fill in a menu from a photo or PDF",[10,66,67],{},"Then make it easy to choose:",[69,70,71,74,77],"ul",{},[31,72,73],{},"Give each sandwich its fillings and bread in the description, and both sizes in the price, like \"Half $9 · Whole $14\".",[31,75,76],{},"Mark your best sellers as popular.",[31,78,79,80,83,84,87,88,53],{},"Add tags like ",[35,81,82],{},"V"," and ",[35,85,86],{},"GF",", and fill in ",[35,89,90],{},"What the tags mean",[10,92,93],{},"If delivery apps charge more than your counter, say so under your menu, like \"Prices on delivery apps may be higher. Order from us for the lowest price.\"",[17,95,97],{"id":96},"show-your-hours-and-how-early-you-open","Show your hours, and how early you open",[10,99,100],{},"Delis often open early and close mid-afternoon, and people search for delis \"open now\", \"open early\" and \"open Sunday\". Only 2 of the 18 sites showed hours on a phone's first screen, and 5 never said their hours at all.",[69,102,103,114,121,132],{},[31,104,105,106,109,110,113],{},"In ",[35,107,108],{},"Business info",", set your ",[35,111,112],{},"Regular hours",", and fill in Saturday and Sunday even if you're closed.",[31,115,116,117,120],{},"If the grill or breakfast stops before you close, say so in ",[35,118,119],{},"Note under hours",", like \"Breakfast until 11, grill until 2:30\".",[31,122,123,124,127,128,131],{},"Add ",[35,125,126],{},"Holidays and special hours"," ahead of time, and use ",[35,129,130],{},"We’re closed today"," for a snow day.",[31,133,134,135,138],{},"Put an ",[35,136,137],{},"Open today"," strip near the top of your home page.",[10,140,141,142,53],{},"One deli's header said \"Open 20 hours a day\" while its posted hours were 6:30 am to 10 pm. Read your home page once a season for claims like that. See ",[61,143,145],{"href":144},"\u002Fhelp\u002Fbusiness-info-and-hours","Business info and hours",[17,147,149],{"id":148},"make-ordering-one-tap","Make ordering one tap",[10,151,152],{},"Twelve of the 18 delis took orders online, and six relied on the phone. Either way, the button has to be there on the first screen.",[28,154,155,170,200],{},[31,156,157,158,161,162,165,166,53],{},"Add an ",[35,159,160],{},"Order online"," section near the top of your home page. Under ",[35,163,164],{},"Ordering links",", put your own ordering system first (Toast, Square, Clover, ChowNow and others), then any delivery apps. See ",[61,167,169],{"href":168},"\u002Fhelp\u002Fonline-ordering","Add online ordering buttons",[31,171,45,172,175,176,179,180,183,184,187,188,191,192,195,196,53],{},[35,173,174],{},"Menu"," in the left menu. Under ",[35,177,178],{},"Header button",", type \"Order online\" in ",[35,181,182],{},"Button text"," and point ",[35,185,186],{},"Goes to"," at your ordering page. Then turn on ",[35,189,190],{},"Call bar on phones",", so the ",[35,193,194],{},"Call"," button is always one tap away. See ",[61,197,199],{"href":198},"\u002Fhelp\u002Fmenu#add-a-call-bar-on-phones","Add a call bar on phones",[31,201,105,202,204,205,208],{},[35,203,108],{},", check your ",[35,206,207],{},"Phone"," is your main number. Four of the delis we looked at had no number anyone could tap, and two had links that dialed a made-up number.",[10,210,211,212,215],{},"If you take phone orders, say how long they usually take and where to pick them up, in a ",[35,213,214],{},"How it works"," section or your FAQ.",[17,217,219],{"id":218},"give-catering-its-own-page-with-the-details","Give catering its own page, with the details",[10,221,222],{},"Sixteen of the 18 delis cater, but only 3 gave a price, 2 a minimum, 5 the notice they need and 4 how many people an order feeds. People search for \"deli catering near me with prices\", \"party subs\" and \"3 foot sub feeds how many\". Answer those questions and you get the order.",[28,224,225,247,253,268,271],{},[31,226,45,227,230,231,234,235,238,239,83,243,53],{},[35,228,229],{},"Pages",", then ",[35,232,233],{},"New page",", and start from the ",[35,236,237],{},"Pricing or menu"," template. Call it \"Catering\" and give it a search title like \"Deli catering and platters in Lancaster, PA\". See ",[61,240,242],{"href":241},"\u002Fhelp\u002Fadd-a-page","Add a page",[61,244,246],{"href":245},"\u002Fhelp\u002Fsearch-and-sharing","Search and sharing",[31,248,249,250,252],{},"List what you make for groups in a ",[35,251,37],{}," section: trays, party subs, boxed lunches, salads, cookies. In each description, say how many it feeds, like \"Serves 10 to 12\".",[31,254,255,256,259,260,263,264,267],{},"If you sell boxed lunches or set packages per person, a ",[35,257,258],{},"Packages"," section shows them side by side. Use the ",[35,261,262],{},"Price note"," for \"per person\" and ",[35,265,266],{},"Fine print"," for your minimum.",[31,269,270],{},"Say how much notice you need and whether you deliver, at the top of the page.",[31,272,273,274,277,278,281,282,285,286,53],{},"Add a ",[35,275,276],{},"Form"," with ",[35,279,280],{},"Ask for phone number"," on, and use ",[35,283,284],{},"More questions"," for the event date, the number of people, and pickup or delivery. See ",[61,287,289],{"href":288},"\u002Fhelp\u002Fforms-and-inbox","Forms and your inbox",[10,291,292],{},"Add the page to your menu, and link to it from your home page.",[17,294,296],{"id":295},"show-your-reviews","Show your reviews",[10,298,299],{},"Almost everyone reads reviews before choosing a local business, and most want reviews from the last few months. None of the 18 delis showed a rating or review count.",[28,301,302,309,314,320],{},[31,303,304,305,308],{},"Add your best recent Google reviews to your ",[35,306,307],{},"Reviews"," list, with the date and where they came from.",[31,310,273,311,313],{},[35,312,307],{}," section to your home page.",[31,315,273,316,319],{},[35,317,318],{},"Highlights"," section with your rating and review count, like \"4.7★ · 640 Google reviews\". Update it now and then.",[31,321,322,323,326,327,53],{},"Paste your Google review link into ",[35,324,325],{},"Leave-a-review link"," in Business info, and turn on ",[35,328,329],{},"Show a \"Leave us a review\" button",[10,331,332,333,53],{},"If you've won an award, name it and the year. \"Award-winning\" on its own tells people nothing. See ",[61,334,307],{"href":335},"\u002Fhelp\u002Freviews",[17,337,339],{"id":338},"say-what-makes-your-sandwiches-yours","Say what makes your sandwiches yours",[10,341,342,343,346,347,349],{},"The bread and the meats are what set a deli apart from a chain, and only a handful of the sites said anything about them. A sentence does it: \"Rolls from a Philadelphia bakery every morning\", \"We roast our own turkey\", \"We slice Dietz & Watson\". Put it in a ",[35,344,345],{},"Photo + text"," section or a ",[35,348,318],{}," row, with the year you opened.",[10,351,352],{},"Name a meat or cheese brand only while you really serve it, in plain words, and don't use its logo. Update your menu when you switch.",[17,354,356],{"id":355},"mark-dietary-choices-and-say-how-you-handle-allergies","Mark dietary choices, and say how you handle allergies",[10,358,359],{},"People search for gluten-free and halal sandwiches near them. None of the 18 delis had a single line about allergies, and only 2 mentioned gluten-free.",[69,361,362,365,368,371],{},[31,363,364],{},"Tag dishes on your menu and explain the tags (see above).",[31,366,367],{},"Add one honest sentence about allergies, like \"We share slicers and prep areas. Tell us about any allergy when you order.\" In Massachusetts and Rhode Island, menus must ask customers to tell you about food allergies, so put that line on your online menu too.",[31,369,370],{},"Say plainly what you don't have. One deli's FAQ says \"We do not offer gluten-free bread, but any of our sandwiches can be made as a salad.\" That saves a wasted trip.",[31,372,373],{},"Only say \"kosher\" or \"halal\" for food that's certified, and name the certifying agency. New York, New Jersey and several other states have rules for these claims. Food that's Jewish-deli style but not certified is \"kosher-style\", not kosher.",[17,375,377],{"id":376},"keep-specials-honest","Keep specials honest",[10,379,380],{},"Specials and soups change faster than most people update a website. One deli's \"weekly specials\" listed the same sandwich for every day of the week, and none of the 18 said what today's soup was.",[69,382,383,386,401],{},[31,384,385],{},"If your specials follow a weekly pattern, put them in your menu with the days, like \"Meatball sub (Tuesdays and Fridays)\".",[31,387,388,389,392,393,396,397,53],{},"For a one-time special, write a ",[35,390,391],{},"News"," post with ",[35,394,395],{},"Category"," \"Specials\", so it's dated. See ",[61,398,400],{"href":399},"\u002Fhelp\u002Fnews-posts","News posts",[31,402,403,404,407,408,53],{},"For a closure or a sellout, use the ",[35,405,406],{},"Announcement bar"," with an end date. See ",[61,409,406],{"href":410},"\u002Fhelp\u002Fbusiness-info-and-hours#announcement-bar",[10,412,413],{},"Leave out anything labeled \"today\" that you won't change every day.",[17,415,417],{"id":416},"keep-the-first-screen-clear","Keep the first screen clear",[10,419,420],{},"Four of the delis covered their phone's first screen with a pop-up (a sign-up offer, a Halloween party, \"Did you know we do catering?\"), and two more with a large cookie banner. Customers who wanted the menu had to close it first.",[10,422,423],{},"Your first phone screen should hold the order button, today's hours, your town and one reason to choose you. Everything else can come after.",[17,425,427],{"id":426},"photos-that-sell-sandwiches","Photos that sell sandwiches",[10,429,430],{},"Real photos of your food do more than stock photos. With your phone, by a window in daylight, take:",[28,432,433,436,439,442,445,448],{},[31,434,435],{},"Your best-selling sandwich cut in half, the inside facing the camera",[31,437,438],{},"A catering platter or a row of boxed lunches, from above",[31,440,441],{},"Hands at the slicer or building a sandwich",[31,443,444],{},"The deli case, full and lit",[31,446,447],{},"The front of the shop with the sign, from across the street",[31,449,450],{},"Your team behind the counter",[10,452,453,454,457,458,53],{},"Until you have your own, ",[35,455,456],{},"Free photos"," has good ones for searches like \"deli sandwich sub\", \"sandwich platter catering\" and \"pastrami sandwich rye\". Skip any that show another business's name. See ",[61,459,456],{"href":460},"\u002Fhelp\u002Fedit-text-and-photos#free-photos",[17,462,464],{"id":463},"answer-the-questions-customers-ask","Answer the questions customers ask",[10,466,157,467,470],{},[35,468,469],{},"FAQ"," section. Questions deli customers ask most:",[69,472,473,476,479,482,485,488,491,494],{},[31,474,475],{},"Can I order ahead for pickup?",[31,477,478],{},"Do you cater, and how much notice do you need?",[31,480,481],{},"How many people does a platter feed?",[31,483,484],{},"Do you have gluten-free bread or vegetarian sandwiches?",[31,486,487],{},"Is your food kosher or halal?",[31,489,490],{},"Can I buy meats and cheeses by the pound?",[31,492,493],{},"Is there seating?",[31,495,496],{},"Are your prices the same on delivery apps?",[10,498,105,499,502,503,506,507,510,511,53],{},[35,500,501],{},"Lists"," › ",[35,504,505],{},"FAQs",", ",[35,508,509],{},"Suggest questions"," drafts more from your own site. See ",[61,512,514],{"href":513},"\u002Fhelp\u002Ffaq-list#use-suggested-questions","Use suggested questions",[17,516,518],{"id":517},"rules-worth-knowing","Rules worth knowing",[69,520,521,527,541,547],{},[31,522,523,526],{},[35,524,525],{},"Calories"," only have to be posted by chains with 20 or more locations. If you post them anyway, they must be accurate.",[31,528,529,532,533,536,537,53],{},[35,530,531],{},"Gift cards"," can't expire sooner than five years after they're sold. Sell them with ",[35,534,535],{},"Buy & pay"," and a payment link from Stripe or Square. See ",[61,538,540],{"href":539},"\u002Fhelp\u002Ftake-payments","Take payments",[31,542,543,546],{},[35,544,545],{},"EBT:"," if you're an authorized SNAP retailer, you can say you take EBT for groceries and cold items. Hot food can't be bought with SNAP.",[31,548,549,552],{},[35,550,551],{},"Beer, wine and tobacco:"," you can say you sell them, but don't sell them through the online store.",[10,554,555],{},"This isn't legal advice, just what we found while looking at deli sites. Check with your local health department.",[17,557,559],{"id":558},"tips","Tips",[69,561,562,569,580],{},[31,563,564,565,53],{},"Sell sauces, oils or gift boxes? The online store can take orders for pickup or shipping. See ",[61,566,568],{"href":567},"\u002Fhelp\u002Fonline-store","Sell products with the online store",[31,570,571,572,575,576,53],{},"Run tastings or classes? Add them as ",[35,573,574],{},"Events",", and take sign-ups with the Bookings & RSVPs add-on. See ",[61,577,579],{"href":578},"\u002Fhelp\u002Fbookings","Take bookings on your site",[31,581,582],{},"Read your site once a season for anything out of date: old menus, past specials, hours that changed, staff who've left.",{"title":584,"searchDepth":585,"depth":585,"links":586},"",2,[587,588,589,590,591,592,593,594,595,596,597,598,599],{"id":19,"depth":585,"text":20},{"id":96,"depth":585,"text":97},{"id":148,"depth":585,"text":149},{"id":218,"depth":585,"text":219},{"id":295,"depth":585,"text":296},{"id":338,"depth":585,"text":339},{"id":355,"depth":585,"text":356},{"id":376,"depth":585,"text":377},{"id":416,"depth":585,"text":417},{"id":426,"depth":585,"text":427},{"id":463,"depth":585,"text":464},{"id":517,"depth":585,"text":518},{"id":558,"depth":585,"text":559},"Guides by business","We looked at 18 independent deli websites: what customers check before they order, what most delis leave out, and how to add each one.","md",{},true,330,"\u002Fhelp\u002Fdeli-website",{"title":5,"description":601},"help\u002Fdeli-website","2026-10-26","yKvRALl0u4K84-T4-cUMfKaj5zqku7gSIpy7kKSwdf4",[612,615,618,621,624,627],{"path":613,"title":614},"\u002Fhelp\u002Fauto-repair-shop-website","Auto repair shop website: what earns the call",{"path":616,"title":617},"\u002Fhelp\u002Fcar-wash-website","Car wash website: what brings drivers in and keeps members happy",{"path":619,"title":620},"\u002Fhelp\u002Fsmoke-shop-website","Smoke and vape shop website: useful and on the right side of the rules",{"path":622,"title":623},"\u002Fhelp\u002Fstaffing-agency-website","Staffing agency website: what brings in applicants and orders",{"path":625,"title":626},"\u002Fhelp\u002Flive-theater-website","Live theater website: what sells the tickets",{"path":628,"title":629},"\u002Fhelp\u002Fcinema-website","Independent cinema website: what fills the seats",1793139570710]