Websites, menus and ordering for restaurants

01How customers find a restaurant in Canada

Diners search for a cuisine or a restaurant near them, look at the map listing, check hours and photos, glance at the menu and decide. Regulars want the menu and the ordering link. Event planners search for private dining or catering and want a form that asks the right questions. Very few read an About page; almost everyone reads the menu.

Google states that its AI features in Search use the core Search index and ranking systems with no special requirements beyond standard SEO practice. For a restaurant that means a maintained Google Business Profile, a menu that is real text on the site, correct hours and consistent details. A PDF menu with last year's prices is hard for search engines and AI assistants to use and annoying to a person.

02What a restaurant website must do

It should be fast, current and useful on a phone, and it should route each visitor to the action they came for.

03Automation and CRM for restaurants

Restaurants need less automation than most industries, but the two that matter are worth having: the catering and event inquiry pipeline, and call coverage during service. Beyond that, a simple list of catering clients with follow-up reminders and a review request after events is enough.

Worked example at published prices: a Business site at CA$499 with a menu page, hours block, reservations link and events form, plus Lead Follow-Up Automation from CA$149 for event inquiries. Hosting is optional: Redenn Business is CA$199/year, or we hand the site over for you to host. Direct online ordering is an Ecommerce build from CA$1,499; store platform subscription and payment processing fees are not included, and if we host it, Redenn Dynamic hosting is CA$49/month. Usage (AI, call minutes, SMS, email) is billed by each provider directly to your own account; none is included in our prices. Ask about a trial period to see your real usage first. A single-location café with no events business can start with a Launch page at CA$99.

• Event inquiry acknowledged instantly; manager reminded until answered.
• Reservation confirmations and reminders where a booking system is used.
• Review request after catered events.
• Specials published once, shown on the site and social.

04Compliance and trust

Quebec's Charter of the French Language, as amended by Bill 96, requires businesses operating in Quebec to make their commercial websites and publications, menus included, available in French; other languages can sit alongside. The OQLF publishes the details. Online ordering charges sales tax, and the rules differ by province: GST applies federally, HST in the participating provinces, and QST or PST in others, with rates that change and must be verified with the Canada Revenue Agency and your accountant. The ordering flow is configured for your province and can be updated.

Reservation and ordering forms collect personal information, so a short privacy notice is expected under PIPEDA or the equivalent provincial law. Promotional emails and texts about specials need CASL consent, identification and an unsubscribe option. An order confirmation does not need consent, but it must still identify you and offer an unsubscribe option. Describe allergen and dietary information carefully and keep it current.