Serving Up Success: A Three-Course Menu for Effective Restaurant Websites

In this economy, running any type of business is tough – but restaurants often have it extra hard. Large amounts of overhead plus small amounts of cash flow can be a recipe for disaster – plus, there’s often insane competition between eateries struggling to make ends meet.

These days, it’s not just about food any more: the struggle for restaurant success has shifted to cyberspace. In the restaurant business, a dynamic web presence can mean the difference between success and bankruptcy. Here are three ways you can “beef up” your online presence to create a fresh, hot wave of success for your restaurant business.

Heat up Your Website.

Many restaurants shrug off the need for a cutting-edge website because they don’t see the value, or don’t feel like making an investment. This is a bad, bad, bad mistake. Customers invariably visit restaurant websites first to see if they like the menu, the pricing, the location and other details. If they don’t like what they see on your site, they’ll quickly dump you for your competitors.

You definitely don’t want that happening.

An elegant, up-to-date site that showcases your restaurant’s unique features and atmosphere – including current menu, coupons, events and promotions – is one of the most important investments you’ll ever make for your business. Keeping your website fresh with frequently-updated content and enticing graphics is vital. Don’t be fooled into thinking you don’t need a website. You do.

Dish out Some Social Media.

Staying engaged with social media is an incredible way to build a wide base of fans for your restaurant. When you keep customers updated on specials, promotions and “fun” stuff, you simultaneously build loyalty and broaden your fan base – plus position your website higher in search engine rankings. What’s not to love about that?

Admittedly, social media takes some work. Once you start a social media initiative, you have to maintain it with posts, status updates, comments and continuous fresh content. But committing to a strategy – and providing new, fresh, unique content your fans won’t get anywhere else – creates a system of organic trust and loyalty you can’t find any other way.

Restaurants go social, and word gets around. Take advantage of the web to share some of your deliciousness.

Cater to The Mobile Crowd.

Your current customer base is always on the go. And they take their Internet with them. According to a recent study, 95 million Americans get online every day using their smartphones – so why shouldn’t you take your restaurant mobile?

Mobile websites (designed and configured to fit small mobile screens) are exploding in popularity – and they don’t have to be expensive. Visit eMobileMenus.com to browse an entire range of smart, mobile restaurant websites priced at just $25 a month. A mobile site allows you to reach your customer base even when they’re a “moving target” – if potential customers can access your website while they’re on the road or at a basketball game, they’ll be much more likely to stop in for a quick bite on their way home.

Mobile is big. Make sure your restaurant cashes in.

Visit FarinInnovations.com if you have any questions about creating the best website possible for your restaurant. With extensive web design services, development companies and online marketing experience, we can serve up an incredible website for you – and keep your customers coming back for second helpings.