Restaurant website: what gets the table filled

Guests on a phone want to know fast what's on the menu and what it costs, whether you're open and the kitchen is still going, whether they can get a table or walk in, whether they can order to go, and where to park. Groups planning a birthday for twelve want to know whether you have a room, how many it holds and who to ask.

In October 2026 we opened 27 independent restaurant websites in 19 towns, on a phone, and looked at what guests search for. Most had good photos. Fewer had the menu as text with prices, a clear answer about reservations, the kitchen's closing time, or a room size for groups. This guide goes through them in order of importance, with the steps for each.

Only 12 of the 27 restaurants had their menu as text with prices. Four used PDFs, three showed a photo of the menu, and a few had no prices. PDFs and photos are hard to read on a phone, and Google can't read a picture.

You don't have to type it in:

Open the page with your Price list / menu section (or add one with Add a section).
Click Fill in from a photo or PDF, choose your menu file and click Read this file.
Check every group and price before you publish.

See Fill in a menu from a photo or PDF. Then make it easy to choose:

Make a group for each menu people look for: Dinner, Brunch, Drinks, Kids, Dessert. A section holds up to 12 groups. Use Group note for when it's served, like "Brunch Saturday and Sunday, 9 to 2".
Add tags like V, GF and N, fill in What the tags mean, and mark best sellers as popular.
Set Prices last updated; it shows under the list. If your menu changes by season, say so in Fine print.

Print a QR code for your tables that always opens the current menu. See Share your menu and print its QR code.

Show your hours, the kitchen's close and your holidays

People search for "open now", "open late" and "open Sunday". About two thirds of the sites showed hours on their home page, one showed whether it was open right now, and none said when the kitchen stops serving.

Click Business info in the left menu and set your Regular hours, with Sunday and Monday filled in even if you're closed.
Use Note under hours for the part guests ask about, like "Kitchen closes at 9, bar open until 11".
Add Seasonal hours (summer patio, winter schedule) once, and they switch over by themselves.
Add Holidays and special hours ahead of time; "open on Thanksgiving" is a common search.
Add an Open today section near the top of your home page.

When you're closed for the day (a power cut, a private buyout), click We’re closed today in the Today panel, then Publish. See Business info and hours and Close for today.

Say how to get a table

Ten of the 27 restaurants never said whether they take reservations, and both "take reservations" and "take walk-ins" are common searches. Pick the one that's true for you:

You take reservations on your own site. The Reservations add-on ($10 a month) lets guests pick a party size, day and time, with no fee per guest, a day-before reminder and optional deposits for big parties. See Take restaurant reservations on your site. It doesn't have a floor plan, a waitlist or text messages yet.
You're on OpenTable, Resy, Tock or Toast. Keep it, and link to it. Click Menu in the left menu, and under Header button type "Reserve a table" in Button text and point Goes to at your reservation page under Another website….
You take reservations by phone. Say so next to your number, with the hours you answer.
You seat walk-ins and don't take reservations. Say that too, like "No reservations. We seat walk-ins in order; parties of 6 or more, call ahead."

Add the page to your Google Business Profile so people who find you on Google can reserve. See Link your Google Business Profile.

Make a phone call one tap

Nine of the 27 sites had no tap-to-call link anywhere, and only 7 showed a number you could tap on the first phone screen.

In Business info, check that your Phone is your main number.
Click Menu in the left menu and turn on Call bar on phones, so the Call button is always one tap away. See Add a call bar on phones.

Make ordering to go one tap

Fifteen of the 27 sites had an order button. Put yours on the first screen.

Add an Order online section near the top of your home page. Under Ordering links, put your own ordering system first (Toast, Square Online, SpotOn, ChowNow and others), then any delivery apps. See Add online ordering buttons.
If delivery apps charge more than your counter, or you don't take phone orders at busy times, say so.

Give private events and big parties a page

People search for "restaurants with private dining rooms", "for large groups" and "for 10 people". Nine of the 27 sites mentioned events, but only two said how many a room holds.

Click Pages, then New page, and start from the Basic page template. Call it "Private events", with a search title like "Private dining and large parties in Ithaca, NY". See Add a page.
Describe each room in a Photo + text section: what it's like, how many it seats, and whether it has its own bar or restroom.
If you offer set menus, a Packages section shows them side by side. Use the Price note for "per person" and Fine print for your minimum, service charge and deposit.
Add a Form, and under Start from pick Catering or event inquiry. Use More questions for the date, the number of guests and any dietary needs. See Forms and your inbox.
Add the page to your menu and link to it from your home page.

If you take reservations for big parties on your site, set Bigger parties to Send a request so you confirm them yourself. See Bigger parties.

Show your happy hour and specials, with dates

Six of the 27 sites posted a happy hour, and one posted it only as a picture, which Google can't read.

For a standing happy hour, make it a group in your menu with a Group note like "Tuesday to Friday, 3 to 5 in the bar".
For a one-time special, a holiday menu or a live-music night, add it to Lists › Events so it's dated and drops off by itself. See Events.
For a closure or a sellout, use the Announcement bar with a Last day shown. See Announcement bar.

Leave out anything labeled "today" that you won't change every day. For drink specials, see "Rules worth knowing" below.

Mark dietary choices, and say how you handle allergies

People search for gluten-free and vegan restaurants near them. Five of the 27 sites had a line about allergies, and 13 mentioned gluten-free.

Tag dishes on your menu and explain the tags (see above).
Add one honest sentence about allergies, like "Tell your server about any allergy. Our kitchen uses nuts, and we share fryers." Say plainly what you can't do.
If you serve raw or undercooked eggs, meat, fish or shellfish, put your state's consumer advisory on the menu, like "Consuming raw or undercooked meats, poultry, seafood, shellfish or eggs may increase your risk of foodborne illness." Five of the 27 sites did. Wording varies by state, so ask your health department, and add it to the online menu too.
Only say "kosher" or "halal" for food that's certified, and name the certifier.

Show your reviews

Guests want recent reviews. None of the 27 sites showed a rating with a review count.

Add your best recent Google reviews to your Reviews list, with the date and where they came from, and a Reviews section on your home page.
Add a Highlights section with your rating and review count, like "4.6★ · 1,200 Google reviews". Update it now and then.
Paste your Google review link into Leave-a-review link in Business info, and turn on Show a "Leave us a review" button.

If you've won an award, name it and the year. See Reviews.

Show where you are and where to park

Only 4 of the 27 sites said anything about parking.

Put your street address in Business info and add an Hours & location section with a map to your home or contact page.
Say where to park, whether it's free, and where the step-free entrance is, in a Photo + text section or your FAQ.
Add your accessibility details. Twelve of the 27 sites had a page, a button or a statement.

If you have more than one location, give each its own page (Pages, then New page, the Basic page template) with its address, hours and phone.

Sell gift cards

Eleven of the 27 sites mentioned gift cards. Pick one:

Sell them on your site and scan them at the table. The Gift cards and coupons add-on ($2 a month) adds a Gift cards section that sells cards online, paid into your own Stripe account, with no fee from us. See Sell gift cards on your site.
Use your point-of-sale system's gift cards. Link to its gift card page.

Federal rules say a gift card can't expire sooner than five years after it's sold, and some states ban expiry entirely. Say on your site that yours don't expire, or when they do.

Be upfront about service charges

Four of the 27 sites mentioned an automatic gratuity or service charge. If you add one, say so next to your prices, on your private events page and in Fine print under the menu, with the percentage, which parties it applies to and what it covers. California now requires mandatory charges to be shown clearly on menus, and other states are following.

Photos that fill tables

Real photos beat stock photos. With your phone, take the front with the sign (day and night), the dining room from the door with tables set, your signature dish by a window, a full table with hands reaching, the bar with a drink being poured, your people, a private room set for a group, and where to park and the way in.

Keep guests' faces out unless they agree. Until you have your own, Free photos has good ones; skip any showing another restaurant's name. See Free photos.

Answer the questions guests ask

Add an FAQ section. Questions guests ask most: Do you take reservations? Can I just walk in? What time does the kitchen close? Are you open on holidays? Can you seat a large party? Is there an automatic gratuity? Do you have a happy hour? Can you handle a gluten-free or nut-allergy meal? Is there parking, and is it accessible? Can I bring my dog? Do gift cards expire?

In Lists › FAQs, Suggest questions drafts more from your own site. See Use suggested questions.

Rules worth knowing

This isn't legal advice, just what we found while looking at restaurant sites. Rules differ by state and city. Check with your local health department and your state's alcohol agency.

Raw foods: most states ask for the consumer advisory on menus where raw or undercooked animal foods are sold.
Allergens: menus must carry an allergy notice in Massachusetts and Rhode Island (put it on your online menu too), and other states have training or notice rules. Never say "allergen-free" unless your kitchen can back it.
Calories only have to be posted by chains with 20 or more locations; if you post them anyway, they must be accurate.
Drink specials: some states ban or limit happy-hour pricing, and some ban advertising it. Massachusetts bans both.
Alcohol sales: you can say you serve beer, wine and cocktails, but don't sell alcohol through the online store. It has no age check, and selling it takes a state license.
Delivery apps: several states say an app can't list you without your agreement. Ask the app to take down a listing you didn't agree to.
Clubs that renew, like a wine club, fall under automatic-renewal rules: say how it renews and how to cancel.
Reviews: don't give a discount only for good reviews, and don't buy them.
Accessibility: keep your menu as text, give photos descriptions and keep link words meaningful. This helps screen readers and Google, though it isn't a guarantee of legal compliance.

Tips

Sell cookbooks, sauces or T-shirts? The online store can take orders for pickup or shipping, but not alcohol. See Sell products with the online store.
Ticketed wine dinner or cooking class? Take paid spots with the Bookings & RSVPs add-on. See Take bookings on your site.
Hiring? Say the minimum age in each opening, since teenagers search too. See Job openings.
Every site can have a Spanish version at no extra cost. See Show your site in Spanish.
Read your site once a season for anything out of date: old hours, an old menu, a special that ended.