Restaurant web design: 7 keys that fill tables
We have designed websites for Costa Brava restaurants like La Pizza di Simo and Sol i Mar. This is what actually turns visits into bookings.
We have designed websites for Costa Brava restaurants such as La Pizza di Simo and Restaurant Sol i Mar, and the pattern repeats: websites that fill tables get these seven things right.
1. Photos rule
Food is sold with the eyes. Professional photography of your dishes, venue and team — no stock images that customers spot instantly.
2. A readable menu, not a PDF
Your menu in HTML, mobile-readable, updatable in a minute and translated. Heavy PDFs scare people off and Google doesn't favour them.
3. Booking in two taps
An always-visible booking button (phone, WhatsApp or booking engine). Every extra step loses diners.
4. Hours, map and languages
Your Costa Brava visitor might be from Girona, Lyon or Manchester: clear hours, directions and a multilingual site.
5. Mobile speed
The 'where to eat' search happens on the street with patchy coverage. If your site is slow, the booking goes next door.
6. Local SEO
A polished Google Business profile and a website that reinforces searches in your area.
7. Connected social media
An integrated, active Instagram: it's your second shop window.
The high-season case
On the Costa Brava, a restaurant's website works twice as hard in summer: tourists searching from their phones, in their own language, sun in their eyes and in a hurry to decide. That's why we insist on multilingual content, speed and a readable menu: every second of loading and every language doubt is a table walking next door.
What about Instagram bookings?
Instagram is a great shop window, but it doesn't replace the website: your profile doesn't rank on Google when someone searches 'restaurant in [your town]', nor does it allow a structured menu or orderly bookings. The winning combo is Instagram to seduce and the website to convert.
Pre-season checklist
- March: menu updated and translated, new photos of your star dishes
- April: summer hours on the website and Google Business, booking test from a phone
- May: speed check (your site will be tested on seafront coverage, not your wifi) and replies to all pending reviews
- All year: one real photo a week on Instagram linked to the website
If you need the visual side, our team does food photography across the Costa Brava — the photos for La Pizza di Simo show the quality leap.
Got a restaurant whose website doesn't bring bookings? Tell us your case — no obligation.
Frequently asked questions
What's best for bookings: phone, WhatsApp or a booking engine?
It depends on volume: for most Costa Brava restaurants, WhatsApp plus phone covers it; beyond a certain volume, a booking engine avoids missed calls during service. What matters is that the button is always visible.
How many languages should my restaurant website have?
On the Costa Brava, at least Spanish, Catalan, English and French; German helps in areas like l'Estartit or Empuriabrava. The menu is the first thing to translate — and the most appreciated.
How often should I renew my dish photos?
At least with every major menu change. Photos that don't match what arrives at the table create the opposite of the desired effect: disappointment and bad reviews.
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