Food and hospitality websites.
Custom-coded websites for places that feed people: a menu readable on a phone at the bus stop, hours that agree with Google, allergen details where they belong, and a quick way to book a table or ask about a party. Your homepage preview is free.
What this kind of site has to do.
Answer "are they open?" in one glance
Most visits to a cafe or pub site are hungry people checking whether the door will be unlocked when they arrive. Today's hours, the address and a tappable number sit at the top, matching your Google Business Profile.
A menu that reads like a menu
Diners decide on the dishes. A menu written as real text loads instantly, zooms cleanly and can be read by search engines, so "vegan brunch" has something to match. A scanned PDF does none of that.
Turn browsers into covers and orders
A table for Friday, a grazing box for Saturday, a quote for a wedding of eighty. The site leads each visitor to the right one, asking for date, numbers and dietary needs up front.
How people choose where to eat, and where they get stuck
Someone sees your name on a map or hears it from a friend, opens your site, and checks four things: what you serve, roughly what it costs, whether you are open, and how to get a table or place an order. If any of those takes more than a couple of taps, they go back to the map and pick the next place with photos and a readable menu.
Caterers face a slower version of the same test. A customer planning a birthday or a work lunch compares two or three suppliers, wants to see what a platter actually looks like, and needs a clear idea of price per head and minimum numbers before they enquire. Publishing those figures filters out enquiries that were never going to book.
Then there is the dull work that matters. Opening hours change with the seasons, bank holidays and private hire. When your website says one thing and Google says another, the customer believes whichever is wrong. I keep both in step as part of the monthly, so a Christmas closure is a message to me, not a job you forget.
Allergens, maps and cookies: the legal edges
If customers can order food from you remotely, by phone or online, the Food Standards Agency guidance is clear: the mandatory allergen information has to be available free of charge before the purchase is completed, and again when the food is delivered. For a caterer taking orders through a website, that means allergen details on the product or order page, or a clear link to them before payment, not an afterthought in the footer. Your kitchen supplies the facts; I give them a proper, findable place on the site.
Maps and reservation widgets carry a quieter issue. Embedded maps and third-party booking tools usually set cookies the moment they load, which under UK rules needs the visitor's consent first. On my builds they are click-to-load: a placeholder shows where the map or booking panel will appear, and it only loads when the visitor chooses to open it. Every site also comes with a privacy page.
What I build for you.
- Menu pages as real text, split by service, with prices and dietary markers.
- An allergen section structured around the fourteen allergens, linked from every menu and order page, filled with information your kitchen provides.
- Opening hours and find us at the top of the homepage, with a click-to-load map and the same hours on your Google Business Profile.
- A gallery of your food and rooms, compressed so it still loads quickly on mobile data.
- An enquiry form for events and catering that asks for date, guest numbers and dietary needs, plus WhatsApp chat.
- Your existing reservations or ordering service linked or embedded as a click-to-load widget, if you already use one.
- Local search basics: restaurant or caterer schema, your area named properly, and Google reviews shown on the page.
Where this stops. I do not build a till, an EPOS link or a takeaway ordering system with a basket and card payments as standard; online ordering with payment is a Custom build from £1,500. Table management with deposits, reminders and staff diaries runs on Booksmith, the booking system I build and run, or a reservations service you already pay for. I cannot write your allergen information for you.
Food and hospitality sites already live.
Two client sites and one concept build, so you can see the range before your own preview.
Which plan fits a food business.
A cafe, pub or small restaurant usually needs Get Customers (£250 + £40/mo): up to five pages for menu, gallery, find us and contact, with reviews and local SEO. Caterers and venues that sell events and private hire tend to choose Own Your Area (£500 + £60/mo): up to fifteen pages, copywriting, a booking or enquiry form and the 90-day page-one promise. Both can start at £0 upfront instead, on a 12-month minimum.
Every plan includes a custom-coded build, a free homepage preview within 48 hours, hosting, SSL, domain, updates and a monthly price locked for life. Live within about a week of preview approval. See full tier comparison →
Straight answers for food businesses.
How much does a website for a cafe, pub or restaurant cost?
Get Customers is £250 plus £40 a month for up to five pages, which suits most cafes and pubs: menu, about, gallery, find us and contact. Own Your Area is £500 plus £60 a month for up to fifteen pages with a booking or enquiry form, which suits caterers and venues selling events. Hosting, domain, SSL and updates sit inside the monthly, and your homepage preview is free before you pay anything.
Can I just upload my menu as a PDF?
You can, but it works against you. A PDF menu is slow to open on a phone, awkward to zoom, and much harder for search engines to read, so a search for a dish you serve may never reach you. I build the menu as a proper web page, and send me any change on WhatsApp and it is updated for you.
Do I have to show allergen information on my website?
If customers can order food from you by phone or online, the Food Standards Agency says the mandatory allergen information must be available free of charge before the purchase is completed and again when the food is delivered. If people only eat in, it can be given on the menu or by staff instead. Either way the site gives allergens a clear, findable place. You supply the information, because only your kitchen knows it.
Can customers book a table or order online through the site?
Own Your Area includes a booking or enquiry form, which covers table requests, event dates and catering quotes. If you already use a reservations service, its widget can sit on the site and loads only when a visitor clicks to use it. A full booking system with deposits and reminders is available through Booksmith, and online ordering with payment for collection or delivery is a Custom build.
What happens when my opening hours change?
Send me the new hours and I update the site and your Google Business Profile so they say the same thing. Seasonal hours, bank holidays and closures for a private event are all included in the monthly. Hours that disagree between Google and your own site are a common reason people turn up to a locked door.
See your menu online before you pay for it.
Send me your menu and a few food photos. I design your homepage free; if it is not right, you owe nothing.
Get my free preview Or WhatsApp James directly