Restaurant websites--the good, the bad and the just plain annoying

For the past four months I’ve spent my weekends revising the copy for a second edition of a book I wrote two years ago. To that end, I’ve spent a lot of time surfing websites, often restaurant websites.

It’s gotten me thinking about what consumers look for in a restaurant site. Here are my priorities:

• The address and phone should be obvious. Duh, but you’d be surprised by how many sites forget this. A link to Google maps or MapQuest is a nice feature.
• Ditch the mood music. Many people surf and make reservations at work. A plucky harmonica version of “Cheeseburger in Paradise” is highly embarrassing if your cubicle mates catch wind of it. Restaurant B.T. has music I can live with, but then there are ones like this or like this one (and what's with the glass of water?).
• Online reservation options are nice, whether it’s overseen by the restaurant itself or by OpenTable (a great thing, reminds my friend Jim Webster, because you accrue points on OpenTable that can be used toward restaurant meals).
• A CURRENT menu. Restaurateurs, it's a big pain in the patoot, but every time you change out your menu (or amend the prices), scan it, pdf it and slap it on your site. People are looking at your site specifically to peruse the menu (and assess the price point). It should be accurate.
• Picture(s) that give an accurate sense of the ambiance. Is it somewhere I can envision myself? It's that much easier if there's a photo that shows an expanse of dining room.
• Tell me a story. Who are the principals? How did the restaurant come to pass? What are you trying to do? (It doesn't need to be a high fallutin' culinary philosophy, just a general description of the kitchen's passions and orientation.)

Comments

[Ranald]

I love Thai food.....

[Jackie Martling]

How about assessing reviewers websites? This one was downright terrible for two weeks. Like serving the same dish for all four courses.

[JM]

Yes Jackie, of course, you're right, the Irvine incident was a non-story. (Huh?)

Same dish for all four courses? Bad analogy. A more accurate one for the Irvine story would be having completly new and shocking meals, prepared with ingredients and cooking techniques never before sampled, on different days.

All you folks who find the Irvine story play so distasteful, why don't you just not read it all? Or is it that you just like to sniff about it being beneath your superior tastes and sensibilities?

[s. bradley askew]

As someone who works in the advertising & design industry for sometime now... I've had a lot of restaurants clients some fine Tampa ones all the way to LA. Restaurant owners hate spending money, they rather pay some cousin of a friend who runs mail to do it for $250 and free drinks then pay a reputable design or web firm to build something that really reflects their business. I agree about the menu thing, but from my experience these guys are changing it month, new items, new prices, etc... Most times I don't even get call backs on the proofs they just immediately run with them...

I feel your pain