Own a restaurant? This is all you need to know about web design.
No Flash
Stop using Flash, it doesn’t work on iPhones, and it sucks the life out of Androids.
Flash should only be used on things that require it. A restaurant website is not one of those things.
What Information Does Your Site Need?
Menu
The menu needs to load quick, and the user should be able to copy and paste. As a result, it needs to be hardcoded in HTML. No images or PDFs.
Location & Phone Number
This should be on every page in the header, and again hardcode it in HTML. If it’s an image, they can’t copy and paste it, and that’s bad.
Operating Hours
Put your hours on your homepage.
Special Event Information (If applicable)
Make the information clear, concise, and relevant. You don’t need to give all of the details away, you want the person reading to call or email you.
Don’t Get Fancy
People are on your website for information, not to hangout or admire it.
Your homepage should be simple and point visitors to the menu, hours and special events.
The website should be mobile friendly (Android, iPhone & Blackberry).
Everything should have a purpose for the customer. This means you should leave out cutesy stuff like music, photo galleries, and your life story.
Don’t go crazy with your website, keep it simple. It’s cheaper for you, and better for your customers.
If You Must Get Fancy
Go with fancy features that help your customers:
- A method to place pick-up and delivery orders online (This needs to be really user-friendly)
- A dead simple way to make reservations
- Open Table integration
(The Oatmeal inadvertently reminded me that I’ve been meaning to write this post for a year or so)
The Geek Whisperer 
damn, now I’m hungry.
Great rules. I feel like they could be applicable to other website types as well.