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Is WordPress Good for Restaurants

Is WordPress Good for Restaurants?

WordPress was once just a fringe blogging engine. But, today it is a full-featured content management system.

18.9% of the entire web is powered by WordPress

Due to its current popularity, it is just appropriate that restaurants around the world have chosen WordPress as their restaurant website builder.

Reasons for Restaurateurs to Choose WordPress:

Restaurateurs primarily choose WordPress because of its ease of use.

  • With a capable developer, WordPress can be used judiciously to create restaurant websites with any design and handle E-commerce transactions.
  • They not only look and work well on mobile devices but are also optimized for search engines and social media friendly.
  • No coding skills are required to make content changes on a site that is powered by WordPress. Adding a new menu item, making price changes, communicating about a tasting event or other news coverage is as easy as composing an email.
  • Content updation can be handled even by technically less-skilled people within minutes – right from the restaurant premises or even on the go.

WordPress offers several free themes and plugins for restaurant website development. This said, it takes the skills of an experienced WordPress developer to create the fundamental design and custom functionality. Only this will help achieve a bug-free restaurant website that enhances user experience. Once this initial setup is established, the restaurant owner can take complete control of the site and avoid spending on expensive updates. Other Reasons Include:

i) Ease of Use:

WordPress is very convenient for restaurant owners as it allows them to manage their constant pages like ‘About Us’, ‘Menu’, ‘Book A Table’, etc. and also their dynamically changing pages like ‘Latest Discounts & Offers’ and ‘Events’. So, if posting is easy, updating is easier. The straightforward interface permits users to simply click and type text in a simple editing window. Formatting this text (changing to Bold, alignment, spacing, etc.) is extremely simple too.

ii) Money Saving:

When a site is not powered by a CMS, updating content requires the intervention of a developer. Every time a change must be made, a developer must be contacted, requested to make necessary changes and wait until those changes are executed on the site. But, WordPress completely eliminates this waiting time.

iii) Maps & Directions:

People searching for restaurants (‘near me’ searches) are primarily looking for the virtual map and directions to the website. By using a WordPress platform encompassing many free and paid plugins, Google and other location-centric services can be easily integrated into the site.

iv) Social Media Integration:

WordPress has several free plugins using which restaurants can automatically include social media share buttons (and much more) to their website. With a single click, WordPress can post updates and announcements automatically on the restaurant’s official Facebook, Twitter or YouTube pages. So, WordPress results in swift social media integration that results in more traffic, more customers and greater profits.

v) Reservation System Integration:

Integrating the restaurant’s table reservation system into the website using OpenTable is pretty simple when it is built using WordPress. All one needs to do is to copy the code given and paste it on to the site built using WordPress. Voila! OpenTable is added to the website.

vi) Mobile Ready:

The first expectation from a good restaurant website is its ability to look good and work well on a mobile device. With this functionality becoming significant, using WordPress is advantageous as it helps create sites that are simple HTML. With free plugins, the site can be converted into a mobile-optimized one within minutes. Creating a ‘wow’ experience for mobile users is possible by building a WordPress powered restaurant website.

vii) Scalability:

While the basic functionality of WordPress itself is great, the constantly expanding library of its free and paid plugins enable a user to do literally anything that he wants to with the website. Uploading videos, providing ‘nearest restaurant’ finder, letting people know about the restaurant’s exhaustive event calendar and much more can be done on a WordPress site using the massive number of plugins available.

viii) Menu:

Research states that diners wish to have menus that are not only viewable, but also downloadable from the website. And WordPress has no limitations in this regard. Once the menu is typed in, it can be converted into a PDF format that users can download in an instant. Restaurant owners can change the menu according to the season or even weekly or daily. Even when the restaurant is running short of a dish due to a surge in demand, it can be removed from the online menu in minutes.

ix) Most Loved Across the Globe:

WordPress is supported worldwide – it is undisputedly the most widespread CMS of the world.

In 2020 alone, WordPress was downloaded 46 million times

There are several skilled developers waiting to get your restaurant website done using WordPress. With an ocean of plugins available in WordPress and community support (answers) available on websites, blogs, LinkedIn and Facebook groups regarding any WordPress query, it is definitely worth choosing WordPress for creating your restaurant website.

x) PHP Programming:

WordPress uses the universal programming language PHP. It has a wondrous documentation and support and is non-proprietary making it free and widely used. Even if a developer’s intervention is required to make modifications to fundamental website elements, it is easy and less expensive when compared to other platforms.

xi) Search Engine Optimization:

WordPress maximizes Search Engine Optimization (SEO) as it automatically formats page titles, links, page content and names, etc. The SEO capabilities of WordPress can be further enhanced using the available plugins. This makes WordPress the most popular choice of online marketers.

xii) Customizable:

Even if a restaurant owner wants to add pages to the site or delete old ones, a redesigning need not be done. Changes can be made without external assistance, thus, reducing the development time and expenses drastically. Using this CMS, one can also completely bring a new, refreshing look and feel to the site without having to start from scratch. This is possible by using WordPress Theme – while information like menus and locations will be stored in the system, they will be offered to visitors in a brand new look.

Stunning Websites Powered by WordPress

Here are 3 examples of restaurant websites that have used WordPress to transcend their business to the next level.

Situated in California, Texas and Georgia, this restaurant serving sandwiches, salads and soups has used the Divi theme for its website development. By doing so, they have included both PDF and HTML menus to the site at the same time.

This restaurant in Colorado serves upscale New American cuisine and cocktails. It has made use of the Rosa theme for creating its stunning, black dominant restaurant website.

This restaurant in France uses a theme that has been customized to reflect their specific brand.

Good Things That a Website Does for a Restaurant

i) SEO:

Despite the presence of several food delivery apps and state-of-the-art technologies, a restaurant business will not succeed if it fails to be discovered online. This makes a restaurant website extremely significant for food entrepreneurs who want to beat the competition and stay ahead in garnering support and earning profits. A website will assist a restaurant owner in appearing on search engine results for the restaurant’s primary cuisine and everything associated with the brand.

ii) Local Search:

Local search results are highly beneficial for restaurants as people are making many ‘near me’ searches when they are on the go. Unless a restaurant appears on the top, the chances of it being chosen are reduced. A website helps secure the first few places in search engine results, thus increasing visibility and customers.

iii) Table Bookings:

A booking widget on the restaurant website increases convenience and profits. Restaurant owners and kitchen staff can plan the ordering mechanism, ensuring that every diner is guaranteed a table. Without a restaurant website, this method of garnering sales and traffic is not possible.

The Right Way to Choose a Free WordPress Restaurant Theme

A few factors that a restaurant owner must consider while choosing the best and zero-cost WordPress restaurant theme are:

i) Fully Responsive:

It is a known fact that the world’s population is using mobile devices in a frenzy. So, selecting and using a responsive theme is necessary to make the website work efficiently on any device.

ii) Feature-rich:

The WordPress theme must contain features that suit your restaurant and the kind of cuisine served. The nature of the food gallery, menu and reservations available inside the theme must align well with the brand identity.

iii) SEO & Loading Speed:

These two are the backbones for achieving high ranks in Google. So, the restaurant theme must necessarily aid in reducing loading speed and securing Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

iv) Updating the Theme:

Before selecting a specific theme, a restaurant owner must have a look at the ratings, read the reviews and also ensure that the theme is frequently updated. This ensures a bug-free and error-free theme that results in a good user experience, gaining good ratings and positive reviews.

6 Stunning Restaurant WordPress Themes

1. Caverta Theme:

Caverta restaurant WordPress theme is suitable for various kinds of eateries – fine dining, casual, pizzeria, cafe, bistro, bar, etc. This theme comes in handy to those who have just set foot into the restaurant industry as it can create an indomitable online presence within a short span.

Marked by beautiful typography and a live customizer to easily alter colors, logo, headers, layouts, etc. this theme is an ideal choice for restaurateurs. The theme looks great on all devices as it has a completely responsive design. Adding, removing or rearranging page elements is easy using the ‘Elementor Drag & Drop Visual Page Builder’.

2. Linguini Theme:

Linguni WordPress theme is ideal for any business based on and selling food, be it a cafe, bistro, farm or bar. This theme aims to achieve unparalleled performance, accessibility, on-page SEO and great ranks in search engines. The design is customizable and responsive. It is ready-to-use and requires no coding or design skills to handle it. All essential features that restaurant owners look for – online reservation, menu management, gallery updation, event marketing, blogging and contact form – are available in this theme.

3. White Rock Theme:

White Rock WordPress theme is suitable for restaurants and wineries that wish to possess an easily customizable theme with a Drag & Drop Page Builder. It comes with a premium plugin that allows restaurateurs to create enchanting sliders, maps, popups and more. The responsive layout comes in unlimited colors and font adjusting facilities. Drop down menus and mega menus can be created using built-in support. It is also translation ready and provides retina support.

4. NUVO THEME:

Nuvo restaurant WordPress theme is modern and sophisticated. It is highly suitable for restaurants, cafes, bistros and coffee shops. This theme offers various demos for different types of food outlets, increasing the number of choices for restaurateurs. The theme encompasses a menu builder, online table reservations, events management and also an online store. Nuvo WordPress theme allows the restaurant to get the website hosted within a few days. It is dominated by a smooth parallax image and video scrolling option that is sure to ‘WOW’ visitors.

5. Eatery Theme:

Eatery restaurant WordPress theme is a premium version created for restaurants and cafes. Its clean and responsive design is just perfect for those looking to create a professional image for the restaurant. It is easily customizable and offers several shortcodes and tools that are simple to use. This theme is also completely compatible with WordPress Multilingual Plugin (WPML). One can also utilize the global currency symbol support on food menus.

6. Barnelli Theme:

Barnelli restaurant WordPress theme is minimal, yet highly responsive. It is a theme that can suit all kinds of food businesses – a small restaurant, fast-food, kebab or anything related to food. This theme is a simple, elegant package with a slider-based homepage, adjustable logo position and size and a custom background for the restaurant pages. It is widget ready and is fully translatable in the admin panel. Restaurant owners can choose from 4 types of block elements and 3 types of grid layout available within the theme.

This blog would have given you a clear understanding of how WordPress is beneficial for restaurateurs looking to create an invincible online presence for themselves. Get in touch with Restaurantify for restaurant website templates and other digital marketing needs.