Key Takeaways:
Investing in high-quality photos can increase restaurant order volume by 15%.
81% of consumers regard trust as the deciding purchase factor.
Outdated or fake reviews can backfire, eroding trust rather than building it.
Did you know 77% of guests visit a restaurant’s website before deciding to dine in?
For restaurant owners, that means your website template can either invite diners in or push them out. You can’t afford that risk, right?
In this guide, you’ll learn how to tailor your restaurant’s website template to reflect your brand identity, improve usability, and increase conversion.
The chosen restaurant’s website template should feel like an extension of your dining room, not a detached digital add-on.
The design needs to reflect the same atmosphere guests encounter on-site, ensuring consistency across both physical and digital touchpoints.
That’s what every memorable brand does, as said by Kevin McTigue, a Clinical Professor of Marketing at Northwestern University.
Illustration: Tablein / Quote: Brandfolder
That familiarity is powerful.
Why?
Because first impressions make all the difference. And today, they typically occur online.
According to a Fresh KDS survey, 77% of guests visit a restaurant’s website before deciding to dine in.
Illustration: Tablein / Data: Fresh KDS
Clearly, restaurant websites have a huge impact on diners’ decision-making.
So, if the design, colors, tone, and imagery match your restaurant’s actual vibe, guests immediately know what to expect, which makes them more likely to visit.
In other words, design isn’t just window dressing, but it directly affects trust and sales.
You can see this principle in action.
Canlis, a fine-dining restaurant, mirrors its sophisticated experience online.
Its website uses full-screen visuals, refined serif typography, and a monochrome color palette to highlight exclusivity.
Source: Canlis
On the other end of the spectrum, Sunday in Brooklyn embraces a cozy, rustic identity.
Its site features warm textures, natural tones, and an intuitive menu design page that matches the physical space, making both in-person and online diners feel at home.
Source: Sunday in Brooklyn
These real-world examples show how thoughtful customization of layout, imagery, and navigation builds a seamless user experience that reflects brand personality.
When your website template echoes the same vibe as your restaurant’s dining room, you’re reinforcing your brand identity.
In other words, consistency across channels turns your site into a reliable brand ambassador.
A picture is worth a thousand words, but in the restaurant world, it’s worth trust, appetite appeal, and mood-setting.
High-quality photos in a restaurant website template make visitors hungry before they walk through your door.
This is seconded by New York Public Library’s senior designer, Marcus Washington Jr., as well.
He says photographs highlight the aesthetics of the restaurant.
Illustration: Tablein / Quote: Bentobox
He’s right. Generic stock images might save time, but they water down your brand identity.
Diners want to see your food and space, not a one-size-fits-all burger shots they’ve spotted on ten other sites.
Give them what they want, and you just might boost your revenue.
According to a DoorDash survey, investing in high-quality photos can increase your order volume by 15%.
Illustration: Tablein / Source: DoorDash
Real-life examples prove this point.
Eleven Madison Park’s website greets visitors with a hero section showcasing chefs at work, artfully-plated dishes, and shots of their farm and staff.
These visuals instantly communicate sophistication and align perfectly with its fine-dining reputation.
Source: Eleven Madison Park
On the other end of the spectrum, The Grounds of Alexandria in Sydney uses sweeping interior shots and garden imagery to immerse visitors in its rustic, community-driven atmosphere.
Source: The Grounds of Alexandria
Both examples prove how strategic use of visuals creates an immersive user experience.
The takeaway?
Guests can’t get enough of good and authentic photos, so make sure you’re uploading a full gallery of them, as shown below.
Source: Tablein
Just make sure they are optimized to avoid slowing your website down.
All in all, when high-quality photos are used strategically, they transform your template from a blank canvas into a digital extension of your restaurant’s unique atmosphere.
A restaurant description is your elevator pitch in digital form.
When customizing your website template, the right words can set the tone, share your story, and convince visitors they’ve found the perfect spot.
And here’s why it matters.
According to the survey by JCDecaux, 81% of consumers regard trust as the deciding purchase factor.
Illustration: Tablein / Source: JCDecaux
Well, how do you build trust?
By expressing the essence of your restaurant instead of hiding behind bland statements like “serving great food since 1995.”
With U.S. restaurant reservations growing by 21% year-over-year, today’s diners need more.
Illustration: Tablein / Source: SevenRooms
They want to know whether you’re sourcing ingredients from local farms, creating a fine-dining experience, or offering gluten-free and vegan dishes.
Real-life restaurants are already addressing this shift.
Farmhouse Inn’s website description immediately highlights its use of local wines & juices, seasonal produce, and rustic luxury, setting the expectation for farm-to-table dining.
Source: Farmhouse Inn
Meanwhile, Shake Shack keeps its descriptions playful and approachable, using upbeat language that reflects its fast-casual vibe and crowd-pleasing menu.
Source: Shake Shack
These examples show how tone matters just as much as content: refined and elegant for upscale concepts, warm and casual for family-friendly spots.
If you want help with your descriptions, Tablein’s website builder can come in handy.
It provides you with 3 options through which you can express the spirit of your restaurant.
|
Cuisine type & style |
Do you provide fast food, offer vegan dishes, or a plant-based menu, etc.? |
|
Menu highlights |
Do you source directly from farms or have a unique blending process, etc.? |
|
Table options |
Whether you have high chairs, an outdoor area, or a pool lounge, etc.? |
So, in addition to writing your description, you can choose key features or “tags” that best describe your restaurant.
This helps guests better understand what exactly you offer.
Source: Tablein
In short, don’t treat your description like an afterthought.
It’s not just about facts but flavor. By weaving in your brand’s story, vibe, and specialities, you change your restaurant into a narrative that resonates.
Practical information can make or break a diner’s decision.
Missing or outdated info often sends customers searching for alternatives.
Of course, hours of operation, location, and contact infor are non-negotiable, but savvy restaurateurs go further.
Guests want to know:
Is a parking and live music facility available?
Do you accept group reservations?
Do you have multiple locations?
Is there wheelchair access?
In addition, if they can find out information about dress code, amenities, and specials, it will make their experience more enjoyable.
Illustration: Tablein / Source: SevenRooms
Including these specifics up front not only improves user experience but also builds trust.
According to BrighLocal, 62% of consumers wouldn’t use a business if they found incorrect information about it online.
Illustration: Tablein / Source: Bright Local
That shows just how critical accurate, comprehensive details are for driving foot traffic.
The Smith does a good job at this. It explicitly shows information about its private dining in the navigation bar.
Source: The Smith
The Love in Philadelphia goes even further with a dedicated group dining page.
It includes information like the specific number of guests for events and which kinds of events best fit their venue and group dining options.
Source: The Love
They also have a PDF at the footer of their website, which includes all sorts of additional info, like bar menu, live music availability, brunch minimum cost, floral deliveries, etc.
At the end of the day, adding relevant details is about showing you understand diner needs.
By going beyond basics, your website becomes a reliable front-of-house assistant.
The menu is among the most essential elements of your restaurant website.
In fact, according to SevenRooms, 54% of people wish to have information about the menu before they make a visit.
Illustration: Tablein / Source: SevenRooms
If it’s clunky or hard to read, visitors bounce faster than you can say “86 that order.”
What options do you have?
The first one is uploading a static PDF.
It may seem easy, but it’s not user-friendly. On mobile, PDFs force guests to pinch, zoom, and scroll endlessly, killing chances of booking.
A better approach is customizing your template with interactive, web-optimized menus that are responsive, organized, and fast-loading.
Take Sweetgreen’s menu as an example.
It has several categories like bowls, protein plates, and salads, each with a description and the dietary labels to improve customer understanding.
Source: Sweetgreen
But it doesn’t have price tags on them, which can be a problem for the diners.
One restaurant that does a brilliant job at this is Cracker Barrel. With clear prices and calorie counts, it shows exactly what to expect.
Source: Cracker Barrel
Your menu is the heart of your website, so treat it that way.
By swapping static PDFs for interactive and readable menu cards, you turn browsing into decision-making.
Your reservation widget should never feel like a clunky bolt-on.
It needs to blend seamlessly into your website, reflecting the same colors, fonts, and overall style diners encounter on your site.
Think of it as part of your digital front-of-house.
And if it looks mismatched or generic, guests may feel like they’re being passed off to a third party.
That’s a missed chance to reinforce trust and brand identity, and ultimately, to boost your profitability.
In fact, a report by Lucidpress found that brand consistency can significantly increase revenue.
Illustration: Tablein / Source: Lucidpress
If we talk about the restaurants that have taken this seriously, we would have to mention Girl & The Goat.
Their brand colors are green and brown, which are translated into their booking widget as well. Talk about a smooth transition!
Source: Girl & The Goat
Tools like Tablein’s customizable widgets come in quite handy in this regard.
It allows you to choose your brand’s colors and apply them to the font, buttons, and overall layout.
Source: Tablein
You can even integrate your restaurant photos into the background so every click feels like part of the same restaurant experience.
Source: Tablein
Small as it seems, a branded reservation widget is mighty.
Done right, it doesn’t just capture bookings but reinforces personality, builds guest confidence, and ensures consistency across digital channels.
In short, it’s the recipe for turning clicks into confirmed bookings.
Customer feedback is the restaurant industry’s version of word-of-mouth marketing.
On a website, these testimonials build the trust that nudges undecided guests to click “Reserve Now.”
In other words, reviews are like menu specials that make or break conversions.
But authenticity matters.
As Lori Randall, Business Development Consultant at the consultancy Lori Randall Stradtman, LLC, warns:
Illustration: Tablein / Quote: National Restaurant Association
Outdated, fake, or overly polished blurbs can backfire, eroding trust rather than building it.
Instead, focus on showcasing recent, unfiltered guest experiences.
Features like rotating review carousels or a dedicated “Guest Stories” section can highlight these voices in natural, engaging ways.
Doc Ford’s Rum Bar & Grill has done exactly that.
They have a section “What Our Customers Say” featuring short, recent reviews with names and star ratings from people who’ve dined there.
Source: Doc Ford’s
The customer reviews greet potential diners, reassure them of quality, and set expectations.
After all, as the old saying goes, the proof of the pudding is in the eating, and nothing proves your worth more convincingly than happy customers sharing their experiences, right?
A restaurant website template is your digital dining room.
Every choice you make, from responsive menu design and high-quality photos to branded reservation widgets, shapes how diners perceive your restaurant before they visit it physically.
The real takeaway?
Details matter. When your online presence mirrors the atmosphere of your front-of-house, you garner trust, spark appetite appeal, and remove friction from the booking process.
So start customizing today and turn your site into the revenue magnet your restaurant deserves.