Looking to showcase your restaurant’s delectable offerings on your WordPress website? A captivating online menu can draw in more customers, whether for dine-in or online orders. In this comprehensive guide, we will walk you through the process of creating an engaging online restaurant menu in WordPress.
Setting Up Your Website
Before diving into creating your online restaurant menu, you’ll need to set up a website. Don’t worry if you don’t have one yet – WordPress is the go-to website builder for millions of small businesses, including restaurants, bars, and cafes. With WordPress, you can start building your website without a hefty upfront investment.
You’ll need a domain name and web hosting to get started. We recommend using Bluehost, a top-notch hosting provider recommended by WordPress. With Bluehost, you’ll get a free domain name, a free SSL certificate, and a 60% discount on web hosting for WPBeginner readers.
Once you have your domain name and hosting, you can choose a WordPress theme. There is a wide selection of fantastic WordPress restaurant themes available that can help you create a professional-looking website that entices customers to explore your menu and place orders.
If you need assistance setting up your restaurant website, take a look at our step-by-step guide on how to make a website.
Why You Need an Online Restaurant Menu
An online restaurant menu page on your WordPress site offers a superior user experience for visitors and potential customers. When people visit your restaurant website, their primary objective is usually to browse your menu. If you only provide a PDF menu, it can be challenging for visitors to view the available options.
Creating a menu page on your website eliminates the need for users to download your menu. PDF files can be difficult to download, especially for individuals with limited data plans or slow internet connections. Additionally, a menu page on your website will be mobile-responsive, ensuring it looks appealing on any device without requiring users to zoom in and out.
With a menu page, you can effortlessly edit and update your menu, including adding online ordering options. It’s more complicated to edit and upload PDF files when you need to make changes to your menu or pricing.
Creating an Online Restaurant Menu with SeedProd
There are several WordPress plugins available to assist you in building an online restaurant menu. Our top recommendation is SeedProd, a remarkable drag-and-drop WordPress page builder trusted by over 1 million websites. With SeedProd, you can effortlessly create a stunning restaurant menu using an intuitive drag-and-drop builder.
Begin by installing and activating the SeedProd plugin on your WordPress site. For detailed instructions, refer to our comprehensive guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.
After activating the plugin, navigate to SeedProd » Pages and click on the ‘Add New Landing Page’ button. You’ll find a wide range of templates for different niches. For this tutorial, select the ‘Dinner Sales Page’ template.
On the template screen, give your menu page a name and click the ‘Save and Start Editing the Page’ button. This will take you to the page editor screen.
To customize your menu page, utilize the blocks and sections available on the left-hand side of the screen. You can add your restaurant’s logo, modify the navigation menu button, change the headline, and replace the existing food items with your own text and images.
Once you’ve personalized your menu page, click the ‘Save’ button and publish it to make it live on your website.
Alternative Method: Utilizing the Food Menu Plugin
If you’re seeking an alternative method, you can create an online restaurant menu using the Food Menu – Restaurant Menu & Online Ordering plugin. This plugin enables you to swiftly build a menu in WordPress and integrate it with WooCommerce for online ordering.
To get started, install and activate the Food Menu – Restaurant Menu & Online Ordering plugin on your WordPress site. For detailed instructions, refer to our beginner’s guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.
Once activated, navigate to Food Menu » Add Food to enter the menu item details such as name, description, and image. Click ‘Update’ or ‘Publish’ to save each menu item. You can follow the same steps to add more items to your menu.
After adding items to your food menu, go to Food Menu » ShortCode Generator and click on the ‘Add New’ button. Provide a title for your shortcode to help you remember the type of menu items it represents. Customize the display of your menu, including layout and filtering options.
To enable online ordering, select the ‘WooCommerce’ option and ensure your menu items are added as products in your WooCommerce store.
Once you’ve customized the menu display, click ‘Publish’ to save the shortcode.
Next, create a page where you want your menu to appear. Go to Pages » All Pages and click ‘Add New’. Give your page a title like ‘Menu’ and add a new block by clicking the ‘+’ icon. In the search bar, type ‘Menu’ and select the ‘Food Menu’ block.
From the dropdown menu, choose the shortcode you created earlier and insert it into the block. Click ‘Publish’ to make your menu live on your website.
Promoting Your Restaurant Menu
Now that you’ve created an engaging online restaurant menu, it’s time to promote it and grow your business. Here are a few useful tools to assist you in promoting and expanding your restaurant:
– Social media marketing: Utilize platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to showcase your menu and attract customers.
– Email marketing: Build an email list of subscribers and send them regular updates about special offers, new menu items, and upcoming events.
– Local SEO: Optimize your website for local search to ensure your restaurant is visible to potential customers in your area.
– Online reviews: Encourage customers to leave reviews on popular review sites such as Google My Business and Yelp.
By leveraging these tools, you can effectively promote your menu and attract more customers to your restaurant.
We hope this guide has helped you create an enticing online restaurant menu in WordPress. For more WordPress tips and tutorials, subscribe to our YouTube Channel and follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
