A hungry customer wants three answers, fast: what’s on the menu, are you open, and how do I get there or order. If your menu is a photo of the chalkboard and your hours are buried in old posts, they’ll go to whoever answers first.
Short answer: yes, if you want new customers. A café website doesn’t need to be big — it needs a menu Google can read, your opening hours, directions and a way to order or call, all from a phone.
The three jobs of a café website
- Show the food. Your own photos, and the menu written as real text with prices — so it shows up when someone searches “toasties Midleton”.
- Answer “are you open?”. Clear hours, ideally an open-now badge that updates itself.
- Make ordering easy. Call, directions and order-ahead buttons pinned to the bottom of the phone screen; a form for platters and cakes instead of DMs.
A real example: Toastie Cafe, Midleton
Toastie had the food, the regulars and a steady Instagram — but the menu lived in photos of the board and anyone wanting a platter or cake had to message and hope. Their five-page site has the full menu with prices as real text, a live open-now badge, and an order-request form for platters, whole cakes and festive bakes. Read the case study.
What to put on it
- Full menu with prices, as text (not a PDF or photo)
- Opening hours and holiday hours
- Address, map and parking or transport notes
- Call, directions and order buttons on every phone screen
- Your best photos — the food and the room
- Catering, cakes or platters with an order form
- Your Google reviews and rating
What it costs
A single-page Launch Page+ is €120 and covers most cafés. A Full Site at €299 adds separate pages for the menu, catering and orders. One-time, hosting included, no monthly fees, free preview first. See the prices.
Everything a café site needs — menu as text, open-now hours, ordering — is laid out on the café & restaurant website design page.
Common questions
Does a café need a website if it has Instagram?
If you want new customers, yes. A website puts your menu, hours and directions where Google and hungry customers can find them in seconds.
Should my menu be a PDF?
No. A menu written as real text loads faster on phones and can be read by Google, so it helps you show up for searches.
How much does a café website cost?
With Nicell, €120 for a one-page Launch Page+ or €299 for a multi-page Full Site, one-time, with hosting included.