Top 10 Web Site Mistakes That Restaurants Make

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 Web sites that hide their contact information. This really is lesson number one when building your Web site. 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. Not so much on a Web site.

What's on the Menu

Menu viewing 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 – appetizers through desserts? Do you include your wine list? What about beer and specialty drinks? The kids menu? Prices should be included and there should be a printable version of the menu available as well, perhaps in 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 Web site than good 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 Web site like there are in traditional advertising where four-color photos can be expensive to produce and include in your materials. Photos of your food, your interior and exterior, as well as your staff are among the areas where photos can make an impact.

Who Works in Your Restaurant?

Time and again I encounter restaurant Web sites with no evidence that any real people work there. This is amazing to me. Your people are your restaurant. Show them off. Especially for independents, 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, 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 in to your restaurant within 24 hours, or sooner. Emails, like phone calls, are business leads. 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 yet 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 Web site for customers to sign up for a newsletter or event information from your restaurant. Of course, in doing so, you will need to 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 asked for and find useful is one of the smartest marketing moves that you can make. The added, cherry-on-top benefit for your restaurant is that the costs of email communications are extraordinarily low, especially when compared with traditional options.

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. Having old information here is a Web site sin. The good news is that 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, like everything you do, is an extension of your brand. If your brand concept is an upscale Asian bistro then it is important that your Web 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 Web 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 Web sites make the mistake of solely being a content Web 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 Web site, not tacky in the least. Take advantage of your Web site to spread the word about what a terrific place your restaurant is to work. Post open positions with detailed job descriptions. Build an online job application form. At minimum, 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.

Jaime Oikle is the Owner of Restaurant Report, LLC, an online and print resource for the independent restaurant community.

Source: http://www.restaurantreport.com/departments/net_ten_web_mistakes.html