Every restaurant needs a website, directory listings, and social media accounts to succeed online. Each asset supports the other in achieving your restaurant’s goals. Without even one of these assets your restaurant’s chances of success are reduced substantially. Here’s a breakdown on why these assets are important and how to set them up. 

Prerequisite To Starting Your Online Program

Before starting an online program for your restaurant we recommend having the following ready. 

1. A method to take orders and process payments from online orders. 
2. A plan for customers to pick-up their order and a plan to deliver customer orders.
3. Commitment to the online program. Its results will depend on the amount of effort your team puts in. 

Your Restaurant Needs A Website 

Starting an online program for your restaurant starts with creating a spot for itself on the internet. Without its own website your restaurant’s ability to drive up online business will be severely limited. 

How Restaurants Should Use Their Websites

A restaurant's website will serve many roles in its online program. An effective restaurant website should: 

1. Act as an online menu for customers to access from anywhere. 
2. Act as a digital waiter by taking orders and processing payments. 
3. Act as a marketing hub for its restaurant’s digital marketing efforts. 
4. Act as a bulletin board with updates about its restaurant.  

Setting Up A Website For Your Restaurant 

When it comes to creating a website for your restaurant there are only two options. There is to create the website yourself or to pay an expert to create it for you. The reality of the situation is that the website will cost something to create. 

If you wish to create the website yourself then we recommend going to providers like wordpress, squarespace, wix, or godaddy. All have pricing plans that range between $0 - $200+/mo for hosting and other features. On top of paying for hosting, you will also be responsible for selecting the template and filling the website in with your own content. 

If you wish to have an expert create a website for your restaurant you can reach out to Marketing Nebula and our experts can create a professional website on your behalf. 

Your Restaurant Needs To Appear In Directories

In addition to its website, your restaurant needs to appear in local online directories. Directories act as online lists that consumers can use to find businesses based on what they are searching for at the moment. 

If your restaurant does not appear in online directories like google maps then it will have no chance of serving the consumers that use them. The good news is that the majority are free and easy to set-up. 

Creating Your Directory Listings

There are many directories to choose from when creating a listing but we recommend starting with Google, Yelp, and Facebook. All are free and easy to set-up, just follow the instructions for Each: 

Google Maps:

1.  Go to Google My Business  https://www.google.com/business/ 
2. Sign into your gmail account
3. Select manage now 
4. Follow their prompts to create your listing 

Yelp: 

1. Go to Yelp  https://biz.yelp.com/
2. Fill in the forms with your business information 

Facebook: 

1. Log into your Facebook account on https://www.facebook.com/
2. Select the “Create” button
3. Select the “Business or Brand” option
4. Fill in your business information 

Your Restaurant Needs To Create Social Media Accounts

Social media is Powerful. It can sway elections, create idols, and it can grow your restaurant. It’s also free to create your business account, so there really isn’t an excuse not to create accounts for your restaurant. 

Social media plays a huge role in a restaurant’s online success. It allows restaurants to create and engage with communities. Those communities then spread the word about your restaurant. Think of it like a customer telling a friend about your restaurant but instead of one friend they’re telling all their friends, family, and anyone else that is connected with them. 

Setting Up Your Restaurant’s Social Media Accounts

When creating your social media accounts we recommend using just one primary email, keeping the usernames the same, and creating accounts with the top three platforms. Start with Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. 

To create your accounts on Twitter and Instagram visit each platform and select the options to create an account. Everything after that is as simple as filling in the correct information. 

For Facebook, you will need to sign into your personal account and select the create a page option. Follow the prompts to create a business page and you’ll be finished after filling in the appropriate information.