The short answer
A hungry diner has three questions. Answer them, and they come in.
Every section below exists to answer one of these, in this order. A site that looks lovely but leaves any of them open sends the diner back to Google Maps, and to the place next door.
Are you open, and where?
Today’s hours, the address and how to get there.
What do you serve, and how much?
The menu as text, with a price on every dish.
Can I get a table, or take it home?
Book in thirty seconds, or order pickup on WhatsApp.
This example is a sit-down restaurant that also does takeaway and private dining. Running a cafe? See what changes. Serai & Santan is a made-up Melaka restaurant; its prices, reviews and address are illustrative.
Page 1 · The homepage
The full homepage, section by section
Read it top to bottom, the way a diner would on their phone. Each numbered pin matches the note beside it.
The whole page at a glance
Ten sections, in the order a diner scrolls
Open now and the price come first, then the food, the menu and the two ways to eat it: book a table or order. Proof, directions and group bookings close the page. Tap any section to jump to its note.
Header
Name the menu after what diners check, and keep “Book a table” on screen
“Menu, Book a table, Order, Find us” are the four things people open a restaurant site for. The booking button stays in the header as they scroll, so it is never more than one tap away.
Restaurant tipOn a phone, add a bar at the bottom with Call, WhatsApp and Directions. Most people looking you up are already out and hungry.
Hero
Answer “are you open, and is this my kind of food?” in one look
An “Open now” badge with today’s closing time, the cuisine and the place in the headline, and a price per person. Two buttons say what happens next: see the menu, or book a table. The photo is your own food, not a stock plate.
Restaurant tipSay your halal status plainly. Only write “Halal certified” if you hold the JAKIM certificate. If you don’t, “Pork-free, not halal certified” is honest, and diners respect it more than a vague “Muslim-friendly”.
Our signatures
What people come back for
Prices include 6% service tax. Pork-free kitchen.
Signature dishes
Show the four dishes people come back for, each with its price
A first-time diner wants to know what you are famous for. Four dishes, each with your own photo and a price, answers that faster than any “About us”, and tells them what to order when they arrive.
Restaurant tipUse your own photos, shot near a window at lunchtime. Stock photos of food are easy to spot and make diners wonder what the real plate looks like. See stock photos vs real photos.
From the menu
Full menu →Prices checked November 2026, include 6% service tax. No service charge.
Menu preview
Put the menu on the page as text, with prices, not as a PDF or a photo
A text menu loads fast on mobile data, can be read on a small screen without pinching, and is something Google can read when someone searches “laksa near Jonker Street”. A PDF or a photo of your printed menu does none of that.
Restaurant tipMark the dishes people ask about: spicy, vegetarian, contains nuts. It saves a question at the table and helps families decide before they come.
Book a table
We confirm on WhatsApp within 15 minutes, 11am to 9pm.
Free times
Book a table
Let them pick a date, time and party size without calling
Many people won’t call a busy restaurant at 7pm, and some never call at all. Showing the free times and booking in three taps catches the diner who decides on the sofa, the night before.
Restaurant tipSend the confirmation and a reminder on WhatsApp the day before. A short reminder cuts no-shows far more than a deposit does, and keeps the booking friendly.
Takeaway and delivery
Order direct for pickup, or use your usual app.
Order
Offer direct pickup next to the delivery apps, not instead of them
Delivery apps bring you new customers, but they keep a large share of every order: reported rates in Malaysia are roughly 20 to 30 percent, set per outlet, and the platforms don’t publish one rate card (checked November 2026). A direct pickup button keeps that margin on your regulars.
Restaurant tipKeep the WhatsApp order simple: the dish names and the pickup time in one prefilled message. See WhatsApp for small business.
★★★★★ 4.7 from 1,240 Google reviews
Reviews
Show the score, the count, and reviews about taste, service and value
A diner choosing between three places nearby trusts other diners. The score and the number of reviews say you are popular; three short reviews that mention taste, a booking that worked and fair prices answer the usual doubts. Link to all of them on Google.
Restaurant tipReply to every review, the bad ones too, calmly and with your name. People read the replies. See how to get more Google reviews.
Find us
28 Jalan Tukang Emas, 75200 Melaka
3 minutes’ walk from Jonker Street
Parking: Jalan Hang Kasturi car park, RM 1 an hour.
DirectionsFind us
Give the address, today’s hours, parking and how far it is from a landmark you can see
Visitors to Melaka don’t know your street, but they know Jonker Street. “3 minutes’ walk from Jonker Street”, the nearest car park and a Directions button get them to your door. Holiday hours on the page stop the wasted trip that ends in a one-star review.
Restaurant tipChange your hours here and on Google before every public holiday. “Closed for Hari Raya, back on Thursday” is the update diners need most and see least.
Private dining and catering
Events and catering
Price your private room and set menus, so groups can plan without a long chat
Birthday dinners, company lunches and family gatherings are your biggest bills. A minimum spend, a set menu price per person and how many people the room fits let the organiser get approval first, then message you with a date.
SSerai & SantanNyonya kitchen & cafe
28 Jalan Tukang Emas, 75200 Melaka06-288 1234 · WhatsApp 012-388 1234
Opening hours
Tue to Sun 11am to 10pmClosed Mondays
Good to know
Pork-free, not halal certifiedPrices include 6% service tax
Serai & Santan Sdn Bhd (SSM no.)
Footer
Same name, address and phone as your Google Business Profile
Your footer is where Google and diners check you are real. Use exactly the same name, address and phone as your Google listing, and repeat your hours and your halal status, so nobody is surprised at the door.
Restaurant tipMatching details help you show up in “restaurant near me” and Google Maps searches. See Google Business Profile.
Page 2 · Where diners decide
The menu page
The page most visitors open second, and the one they keep open at the table. It should load fast, read easily on a phone and answer every price question.
Our menu
Prices checked November 2026.
Sections
Split the menu into short sections, with a bar to jump between them
A long menu is easy to get lost in on a phone. Five or six sections with a bar that stays at the top let a diner go straight to noodles or desserts, the way they would flip a printed menu.
Each dish
Name, one line on what is in it, the price, and simple tags
“Ayam pongteh” means nothing to a tourist. One short line on what is in it, the price, and tags for spicy, vegetarian or nuts let anyone order without asking the waiter to explain every dish.
Photos
Add a photo to your best sellers, not to every dish
Twenty small photos make the page slow and hard to read. Photos on your five or six best sellers guide people to the dishes you are proud of, and keep the rest of the menu quick to scan.
Prices include 6% service tax. No service charge. Corkage RM 30 a bottle.
Pork-free kitchen, not halal certified. Ask us about allergies; we cook to order.
The small print
Say what is in the price before they order
A bill that is 16 percent higher than the menu feels like a trick, even when it is legal. If you charge 6% service tax (for restaurants registered for SST, required above RM 1.5 million a year in sales) or a service charge, say so at the top of the menu, along with corkage and your halal status.
Order from the menu
Let them add dishes for pickup, then send the list in one tap
The menu page is where people decide, so let them order there. A small “Add” on each dish builds a pickup list with the total, and one button sends it to your WhatsApp. You get the full order instead of “can tapau?”.
Restaurant tipRead more on forms that get filled in.
The same page on a phone
Most diners read your menu standing on the street
They find you on Google Maps or from a friend’s WhatsApp, often a few hundred metres away and deciding where to eat right now. Build the phone version first, then widen it.
Open now, at the very top
Today’s hours and how far you are from a landmark, before the first dish. It is the first thing a hungry person checks.
A menu you can read with one thumb
Big enough text, sections to tap, and prices on the right. No zooming into a photo of a printed menu.
Call, Directions and Book, always on screen
A bar at the bottom that never scrolls away. One tap opens Maps or the booking, wherever they are on the menu.
Page 3 · Where the table is booked
The table booking page
Every “Book a table” button leads here. Its job is to replace a phone call at the busiest hour with a booking that takes thirty seconds.
Book a table
Takes 30 seconds. We confirm on WhatsApp within 15 minutes.
Date and time
Show only the times that are actually free
A calendar where every slot looks open, followed by “sorry, full”, wastes the diner’s time and yours. Show real free times as buttons. If you can’t keep it live, show your seating times and confirm on WhatsApp.
Party and seating
Ask how many, then the two or three things that change the table
Number of guests, and the few things that decide where you seat them: a baby chair, a wheelchair, indoor or outdoor. Anything more can wait for the chat.
Bringing a cake is free. We’ll bring candles and a plate.
The occasion
Ask if it is a special occasion, and answer the usual question before they ask it
Birthdays and anniversaries are why many people book instead of walking in. Asking lets you prepare, and a line like “bringing a cake is free” answers the question most birthday groups have.
Confirm
End with a summary, the rules in one line, and one button
Show the booking back to them, say whether there is a deposit and how long you hold the table, then send it all to WhatsApp in one tap. Clear rules up front stop most no-shows and arguments.
Restaurant tipFor groups of 10 or more, a small deposit by DuitNow is normal and fair. Say so on this page, not after they have booked.
The other pages
What each of the other pages must do
These matter less for bookings, so keep them short. One job each.
Our story
Who cooks, where the recipes come from, and a photo of the kitchen team. Diners choose a family recipe over a brand. See About Us pages.
Events & catering
Room size, set menus per person, minimum spend and how far ahead to book. Organisers need numbers to get approval.
Halal & ingredients
Your certificate and number if you have one, or a plain line if you don’t. Plus allergies and what can be made vegetarian.
Find us
Map, today’s hours, holiday hours, parking and the walk from the nearest landmark. The same details as your Google listing.
Cafes
If you run a cafe
Your customers are not booking dinner. They want to know if you are open, if there is a seat, and whether the coffee and cake are worth the trip. Keep the same rules: real photos, a text menu with prices, Google reviews, WhatsApp. Change these four things.
Open now and today’s cakes in the hero
“Open now · until 6pm” and what is in the cake case today. For a cafe, that beats any headline.
Breakfast and brunch hours
If the kitchen closes before the coffee bar, say so. “Brunch until 2pm, coffee until 6pm” saves a disappointed table.
Who it suits
Laptop friendly with Wi-Fi and plugs, or a quiet spot for a chat, or kids welcome. Say it, so the right people come.
Cakes to order
Whole cakes and office trays bring bigger orders. Show the sizes and prices, and how many days ahead to order. See the bakery walkthrough.
The checklist below still applies. Most cafes can skip table booking and keep the WhatsApp button for groups.
Beyond the pages
Six things that quietly fill more tables
Not pages, but they decide whether a hungry person nearby walks in, and whether you can tell the website worked.
Link your menu page from your Google listing
Add the menu link, booking link and fresh photos to your Google Business Profile. For “food near me”, it is often the first and only thing people see.
QR menu
Point the QR code at the same menu page
The QR on the table should open your menu page, not a separate PDF. One menu to update, always the same prices.
Hours
Holiday hours, every holiday
Update the page and Google before Hari Raya, Chinese New Year, Deepavali and Christmas. A closed door costs more than a missed booking.
Speed
Compress the food photos
Phone photos can make the page crawl on mobile data. Resize and convert to WebP before uploading.
Reviews
Reply to reviews within a week
A calm, named reply to a bad review reads better than ten good reviews with no replies.
Tracking
Count bookings and WhatsApp orders, not visits
Set up booking and WhatsApp taps as conversions. See Google Analytics for small business.
What good looks like
Restaurant website checklist
Check your own site against these. Each one you are missing is a reason for a hungry diner to pick the place next door.
Open now and today’s hours in the hero
Plus the cuisine, the area and a price per person.
“Book a table” in the header
Always one tap away, and a Call, Directions and Book bar on phones.
Four signature dishes with prices
Your own photos, not stock.
The menu as text, with prices
Sections, one-line descriptions and spicy, vegetarian and nut tags.
Service tax and charges stated
At the top of the menu, with corkage and your halal status.
Online table booking
Real free times, party size, and a WhatsApp confirmation.
Direct pickup next to the delivery apps
A WhatsApp order for regulars, app links for reach.
Map, parking and holiday hours
The same name, address and phone as your Google listing.
Four things that empty tables
The menu as a PDF or a photo
Slow on a phone, can’t be read by Google, and out of date the day prices change.
No prices
Diners assume it is expensive and choose the place that shows them.
Wrong hours
One wasted trip on a public holiday becomes a one-star review that stays for years.
Only delivery app links
Every order pays the app’s commission, even from regulars who would happily collect.
Owners’ questions
Restaurant website questions
What should a restaurant website include?
A homepage that shows if you are open, what you serve and the price per person, four signature dishes with prices, a menu as text with prices, online table booking, a pickup order button next to your delivery app links, Google reviews, a map with parking and holiday hours, and the same name, address and phone as your Google listing.
Do I need a website if I am already on GrabFood and Instagram?
The apps and Instagram bring people to you, but they don’t book tables, they charge commission on every order, and Instagram can’t be searched for your menu. A simple site with your menu, hours and booking works for people searching Google, and gives your regulars a way to order direct.
Should a restaurant put prices on its online menu?
Yes. Prices are the main reason people open a restaurant menu online. Without them, diners guess, and often guess too high. Date the prices, and say if they include 6% service tax or a service charge. See should I show prices on my website.
Can customers book a table on my restaurant website?
Yes. The simplest setup is a booking page that collects the date, time, party size and any requests, then sends it to your WhatsApp for you to confirm. Booking systems that show live free tables are possible too, if you can keep them updated.
How much does a restaurant website cost in Malaysia?
It depends on how many pages you need, how big the menu is, and whether booking and pickup orders go to WhatsApp or into a booking or ordering system. See website design price in Malaysia for current ranges.
Run a restaurant or cafe? Let’s fill more tables.
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