September 7th, 2011
Is it time for your restaurant have its website design updated? According to Slate Magazine’s Farhad Manjoo, there are some serious problems with modern restaurant websites. “The rest of the Web long ago did away with auto-playing music, Flash buttons and menus, and elaborate intro pages, but restaurant sites seem stuck in 1999,” he writes. Furthermore, none of the sites are smartphone-friendly, which is where more and more customers like to do their restaurant web browsing these days. The problem isn’t so much the money, but a matter of taste. There seems to be a disconnect between what restaurant owners like and what web users need.
Top Problems With Toronto Web Design For Restaurants:
- Menu buttons that you have to mouse over because they are not clearly labeled
- Too much emphasis on the chefs and not enough about the actual food
- Long movie clips that auto-play with no opt-out
- No information on menu pricing whatsoever
- Too much clutter on the screen with no clear navigation
So, What Gives?
Restaurant owners tend to be not only culinary geniuses, but also people who know how to throw a good party and have a good time. They want that sort of “party” vibe to transcend into their web presence, but the loud blaring music and Flash animation is more likely to distract web users and make it a confusing experience altogether.
Web design experts, on the other hand, may be just as guilty. They take advantage of their clients’ naiveté regarding technology and seek to impress them with beautiful (and expensive) multimedia presentations that fail to deliver what the average web user really needs.
The Solution
Yet, all web design pros are not created equal. There are still some of us who understand the value of a solid, minimalist page that does not disappoint. Furthermore, we know that it is essential for Toronto restaurants to have a page that is easily perused via a mobile device, since more than 10 percent of all diners canvas restaurant sites this way. At the end of the day, we understand end-users just want to know: What’s this place like? Where’s it located? What are the hours? How do I get a reservation? That’s it! Feel free to contact us to see how we can bring your restaurant’s site into the 21st Century!
