Are you a Restaurant GM Needing a Website & Wishing the Owner Would Buy In?

As a General Manager, you work really hard to keep your restaurant going. Your schedule is busy with hiring and managing employees, providing the best food experience possible to your customers, and 10,000 other tasks demanded of managing a restaurant. Every minute of your time is wrapped up into some aspect of the business. But there’s that nagging feeling that you need to be doing more with promoting your restaurant using your website. Or if you don’t have a website, you’ve received the advice from others saying you need a website. You agree, but the owner of your restaurant doesn’t share the same view. You’re trying to get the owner to buy in . . . so now what? Usually this stems from a disconnect between the perceived value of a website, and the cost of building and maintaining one. Owners are (rightfully so) wary of ventures that have risk associated. Helping your owner understand the actual, down-to-earth value will prioritize a website in his or her mind. Need help pitching the value of a website? We have found there are four great ways that you can serve your customers well through your restaurant website.

1. Create Brand Awareness – Your potential patrons are looking for great food online. If you don’t have a website, or your website doesn’t even show up in the search results, your brand is invisible to them. A website that is built well helps your restaurant to show up in searches on Google or Bing where people can find you.
2. Customer Access to Menu, Location, and Hours – Customers are increasingly using the internet to check your menu, location, and hours. Especially with mobile devices, consumers want to know what you serve before they walk in your doors. You want a menu that is simple, easy to understand, and enticing on your website. Having your location and hours makes it convenient for your customer to find you, then walk into your restaurant minutes later ready to eat.
3. Setting the Mood for Your Restaurant – Are you a upscale fine dining establishment? A modern steakhouse? A farm-to-table café? Your customer wants to know what to expect before they visit your restaurant. A website that is designed with the customer experience in mind is SO much more likely to satisfy their expectations. Your website should communicate the atmosphere, service, and overall experience of your restaurant.
4. Building Trust with Your Customer – Trust is a crucial aspect of business. People want to spend money with people they trust. In the online world, a business builds trust by having a well-built website. Your customer can connect with your brand, follow your updates, and get a sense of what values your restaurant upholds. Brands with a poor website, or no website seem sketchy and the customer will move on. Review how your website represents your restaurant.

Increasing your online presence through your website is crucial to your restaurant’s sales. As a GM, you have a unique insight into the business functions and operates. Take these four ideas and show the real value of a new website to the owner. Let us know how it goes!

Interested in Setting Up a Website for Your Restaurant? You are the expert on your restaurant and your customers. We can help you promote that expertise through your website. Bluestem Media will clarify your brand message, create a stunning design, and craft a great customer experience that will bring in many patrons hungry for your food. Let’s visit!  Drop us a line on our contact page.