Your customers are hungry, impatient, and scrolling on their phones. They don't want to download a PDF menu. They don't want to call to book a table. They want to tap, order, pay, done. If your restaurant website can't do that in 2026, you're not just behind — you're actively sending customers to the place down the road whose site can.
The challenge is that most website builders were designed for generic businesses. They handle text and images well enough, but restaurant-specific features — structured menus with dietary labels, online ordering with kitchen integration, reservation management — require either the right platform or the right plugins.
This guide compares the best options for restaurant owners who want a website that actually works for their specific needs.
What Every Restaurant Website Must Have
Before comparing platforms, here are the non-negotiable features for a restaurant website in 2026:
I've consulted with restaurant owners who spent £5,000 on custom websites that couldn't process a takeaway order. And I've seen others throw up a Wix site in a weekend that now drives 40% of their revenue through online ordering. The platform matters less than what it can do. Here's what yours needs to do.
- Mobile-first design. Over 70% of restaurant website visits come from mobile devices. Your site must look and function perfectly on a phone — not just be technically responsive, but genuinely easy to navigate with a thumb.
- Structured menu display. A PDF menu is not acceptable. Customers need a browsable, searchable menu with categories, descriptions, prices, and dietary/allergen labels. Google also reads structured menu data for search results.
- Online ordering. Post-pandemic ordering habits have stuck. Restaurants offering online ordering through their own website (rather than just third-party apps) keep more margin and control the customer relationship.
- Reservation system. Whether built-in or via integration with OpenTable, Resy, or similar, online booking is expected. Phone-only reservations lose you the customers who browse at midnight.
- Google Maps integration. An embedded map and consistent NAP (name, address, phone) data across your site help local SEO and make it effortless for customers to find you.
- Fast loading speed. A hungry customer will not wait three seconds for your homepage to load. They will tap the back button and visit your competitor.
Wix Restaurants: The Purpose-Built Option
Wix Restaurants added kitchen ticket printing and real-time order tracking in late 2025, closing the gap with dedicated platforms like Toast. Wix has invested heavily in restaurant-specific tools, and it shows. The Wix Restaurants module includes a structured menu builder, online ordering system, and table reservation manager — all built directly into the platform rather than bolted on as third-party plugins.
Menu Builder. You create your menu within the Wix editor with categories (starters, mains, desserts), individual items with descriptions and photos, prices, and labels for dietary requirements (vegan, gluten-free, halal). The menu renders beautifully on mobile and updates in real time — change a price in the editor and it is live immediately.
Online Ordering. Wix's built-in ordering system supports collection and delivery, scheduled orders, and custom modifiers (choose your sauce, add extra toppings). Orders come through to a dashboard or directly to a kitchen printer if you set up the integration. The commission is zero — you only pay standard Wix subscription and payment processing fees.
Reservations. The built-in reservation system handles table management, party sizes, and automated confirmation emails. It is simpler than dedicated tools like OpenTable but perfectly adequate for independent restaurants that do not need complex floor-plan management.
Pricing. You need the Wix Business plan at £13 per month minimum for ecommerce (which includes ordering). The Restaurant plan at £21 per month adds advanced ordering features and a dedicated orders dashboard.
Verdict: The best all-in-one option for independent restaurants. Everything works together natively, setup takes a day rather than a week, and the total cost is significantly less than using separate tools for each function.
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Build My Launch Plan →Squarespace: The Design-First Approach
Squarespace produces the best-looking restaurant websites of any builder. The templates are visually stunning, with full-bleed food photography, elegant typography, and layouts that feel more like a high-end magazine than a small business website.
Menu Display. Squarespace does not have a dedicated restaurant menu feature, but its layout blocks create attractive menus. You use text blocks with product items styled through the template. The result looks polished but requires more manual formatting than Wix's structured approach. Allergen and dietary tagging is not built in — you add these as text.
Online Ordering. Squarespace does not have native ordering. You integrate with a third-party service like Square Online, ChowNow, or Toast. These integrations work but add complexity and cost. Square Online is the most seamless option, embedding directly into your Squarespace site.
Reservations. No built-in reservation system. You embed a widget from OpenTable, Resy, or Yelp Reservations. This works fine technically but means managing another subscription and another dashboard.
Pricing. The Business plan at £16 per month covers everything you need template-wise. Add the cost of third-party ordering (Square Online starts free but charges per transaction) and reservations (OpenTable charges per cover).
Verdict: Choose Squarespace if your restaurant's brand identity is a core part of the experience — fine dining, boutique cafes, design-forward concepts. The visual quality is unmatched, but you will spend more time and money assembling the functional pieces.
WordPress + Plugins: The Flexible Powerhouse
WordPress with the right plugins can do everything a restaurant website needs, and more. The trade-off is setup complexity — you are assembling a solution from components rather than using a pre-built system.
Recommended Plugin Stack:
- Menu: Five Star Restaurant Menu (free) or Restaurant Menu by flavor (premium, £39/year). Both create structured, filterable menus with dietary labels, photos, and descriptions.
- Online Ordering: WooCommerce (free) with the Restaurant Ordering plugin, or GloriaFood (free for basic ordering, premium for advanced features). GloriaFood is particularly good because it handles ordering without WooCommerce complexity.
- Reservations: Five Star Restaurant Reservations (free) or the Simply Schedule Appointments plugin. For OpenTable integration, their official widget embeds easily.
- SEO: Yoast SEO or Rank Math (both have free versions). Essential for local search visibility.
Pricing. Hosting from Hostinger at £1.79–£3.99 per month, plus optional premium plugins at £30-100 per year. Total cost can be under £5 per month if you stick with free plugins, or £10-15 per month with premium tools.
Verdict: Best for restaurants with specific requirements that off-the-shelf builders cannot meet — multi-location menus, complex loyalty programmes, or integration with existing POS systems. Not recommended unless you have someone technical available for setup and maintenance.
Comparison Table
| Feature | Wix Restaurants | Squarespace | WordPress + Plugins |
|---|---|---|---|
| Structured menu | Built-in | Manual layout | Plugin (free) |
| Online ordering | Built-in (0% commission) | Third-party required | Plugin (free/premium) |
| Reservations | Built-in | Third-party required | Plugin (free/premium) |
| Google Maps | Native widget | Embed block | Plugin or embed |
| Design quality | Good | Excellent | Varies by theme |
| Ease of setup | Easy (1 day) | Easy (1-2 days) | Moderate (3-5 days) |
| Monthly cost | £13–21 | £16 + third-party fees | £2–15 |
Local SEO Tips for Restaurant Websites
Whichever platform you choose, these local SEO practices will help customers find you:
- Claim and optimise your Google Business Profile. This matters more than your website for local search. Ensure your hours, menu link, photos, and address are current.
- Use schema markup for restaurants. This structured data tells Google your cuisine type, price range, hours, and menu items. Wix adds some of this automatically. WordPress users should install a schema plugin.
- Include your city and neighbourhood in page titles and headings. "Best Italian Restaurant in Shoreditch" is more findable than "Our Restaurant."
- Collect and respond to Google reviews. Review quantity and quality directly influence your local search ranking. Respond to every review, positive or negative.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I use Deliveroo and Just Eat or my own ordering system?
Use both. Third-party platforms bring discovery — customers who did not know your restaurant existed will find you there. Your own website ordering should be promoted to existing customers because you keep the full margin (no 15-35% commission). Many restaurants offer a small discount for ordering directly through their site to incentivise the switch.
How much does a restaurant website cost to build professionally?
Using a builder like Wix, you can build a fully functional restaurant website yourself in a weekend for £13-21 per month. Hiring a freelancer to build it on Wix or WordPress typically costs £500-1,500 for initial setup. A custom-designed restaurant website from an agency runs £3,000-10,000. For most independent restaurants, the DIY route with Wix Restaurants offers the best balance of cost and functionality.
Do I really need online ordering on my own website?
Yes, if you offer any form of takeaway or delivery. Restaurants that added direct online ordering report an average 20-30% increase in takeaway revenue compared to relying solely on third-party platforms. The zero-commission model means higher margins on every order, and you collect customer email addresses for marketing — something Deliveroo and Just Eat never share with you.
Your restaurant website brings customers through the door. To fill even more seats, see how MiraReach can help you reach local customers and corporate clients with personalised outreach that drives bookings.