Websites for restaurants in BC.
Menu schema that Google actually reads, reservation integrations that work, fast-loading mobile-first sites that make the case for your dining room in the ten seconds a hungry customer gives you. For independent restaurants and food operators across Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley.
Most restaurant websites are frozen in opening night.
The pattern is nearly universal: a Squarespace template bought the month the restaurant opened, a hero photo taken by a friend with a good camera, a PDF menu from the first printing, and not much else updated since. Two years later, the menu has changed three times, prices have moved, the pastry chef who designed the dessert program has moved on, and the site still reads like the soft open. Customers comparing three restaurants on a Tuesday night can tell.
A Five-Year Website for a restaurant addresses the structural problem: an HTML menu that any staff member can update through a simple CMS, proper Menu schema that Google can display directly in search, reservation integration through OpenTable / Tock / Resy widgets or a direct API, and photo swapping that’s a one-click operation. The site stays current because keeping it current takes five minutes a month, not an email to your developer.
Local SEO for restaurants rewards specificity. “Italian restaurant Kitsilano” outperforms “Italian restaurant Vancouver” for someone actually deciding where to eat tonight. A site built with neighbourhood-level targeting, proper LocalBusiness and Restaurant schema, and clean integration with Google Business Profile converts local intent better than any amount of paid ads.
Non-negotiable essentials
- HTML menu with Menu schema markup — Google can render this in search results.
- Current photos — seasonal updates as the menu changes, not opening-night only.
- Reservation integration (OpenTable, Tock, Resy, SevenRooms) or a clean direct call CTA.
- Accurate hours synced to Google Business Profile.
- Fast mobile load — most restaurant search happens on phones at or near the restaurant.
- LocalBusiness + Restaurant schema pointing at your exact address.
What wastes time and money
- PDF menus — invisible to Google, painful on mobile, impossible to update fast.
- Full-screen opening-night video as the hero — slow to load, rarely updated.
- Newsletter signup popups blocking the menu on mobile.
- Chef biographies as the front-door content when customers want hours and menu.
- Blog content about “our sustainable values” with no updates in 18 months.
- A separate domain for the reservation page that breaks the SEO of the main site.
Serving restaurants across Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley.
Should I prioritize my website, my Instagram, or my Google Business Profile?
All three do different jobs. Google Business Profile drives discovery — someone searches 'Italian Kitsilano' and sees you in the map pack. Instagram builds trust and atmosphere — a decent grid is often the deciding factor between two restaurants with similar reviews. The website is where both funnel: the customer who found you on GBP or IG comes to the site to check the menu, make a reservation, or see hours. Treating the site as optional is where most independent restaurants lose bookings.
My menu changes monthly. Do I need a CMS or is a PDF fine?
A CMS is almost always better. A PDF menu is invisible to Google — it can't be indexed properly, it doesn't contribute to your SEO, and mobile users pinch-zoom to read it. A proper HTML menu with Menu schema markup lets Google display your menu directly in search results, loads fast on any device, and gives your team a way to update prices or items without calling a developer. I build this into every restaurant Five-Year Website.
Can you integrate with OpenTable, Tock, Resy, or SevenRooms?
Yes — each has a different integration path. OpenTable and Resy offer embeddable booking widgets that slot into a site cleanly. Tock has both widgets and API access. SevenRooms has richer integration options. For independent restaurants, a widget integration is usually enough. For larger operations with multiple reservation types (prix fixe events, chef counter, private dining), a custom booking flow handing off to the PMS can be worth scoping.
Restaurant website frozen in 2021?
20 minutes on the phone. Send me your URL and a sense of how many bookings the site generates a week. I’ll tell you whether a rebuild, a menu migration, or a reservation-flow overhaul is the first move.
Book a 20-min call