For restaurants and cafés in Canada
Websites, menus and ordering for restaurants
- Published
- Published
- Last reviewed
- Reviewed
The short answer
A restaurant website has a short list of jobs: show the current menu readably on a phone, state the hours correctly everywhere, take a reservation or an order, and capture catering and event enquiries. Redenn builds restaurant sites that do those jobs from CA$99 for a Launch page, with direct online ordering as a Custom or Ecommerce build from CA$1,499 when commissions on delivery apps justify it.
The problems we hear from restaurants and cafés
- Our menu is a PDF that nobody can read on a phone, and the prices on it are two changes old.
- Google shows the wrong hours on holidays and people show up to a locked door.
- Delivery apps bring orders but the commission takes the margin.
- Reservation calls come in during service when nobody can answer.
- Catering and private event enquiries go to a shared inbox and get answered days later.
- Our real presence is on social media and the website looks abandoned.
The solution architecture
Each piece maps to a real Redenn service with a published price.
A menu that is a page, not a PDF
The menu is real page content, readable on a phone, updated by staff from the CMS in minutes, with prices, dietary markers and photos where you want them. Search engines and AI assistants can read it too.
Website DesignHours that are right everywhere
Google Business Profile with regular and holiday hours, menu link, photos and attributes maintained, and the same hours on the site, so nobody drives to a closed door.
Google Business Profile OptimizationReservations without the phone
Integration with your reservation platform where you use one, or a booking system for tables and events, with confirmations and reminders.
Booking SystemsDirect online ordering when it pays
A pickup and delivery ordering flow on your own site with menu, modifiers, taxes and payment, so regular customers order from you directly. Built as Ecommerce from CA$1,499 and worth it when app commissions are a real cost.
Ecommerce DevelopmentCatering and event enquiries answered fast
An enquiry form with date, headcount and budget, an instant acknowledgement, and a reminder to the manager until it is answered. Events are the high-margin bookings and deserve a pipeline.
Lead Follow-Up AutomationCalls covered during service
The AI Receptionist answers hours, location and reservation requests during the rush, books where your rules allow, and messages the host stand.
AI ReceptionistSocial content that also lives on the site
A simple flow where specials and events posted to social are also published on the site, so the website stops looking abandoned.
Social Media Management
Where restaurants and cafés usually start
How 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 invisible to an AI assistant and annoying to a person.
What 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.
| Page or feature | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Menu as page content | Readable, current, updated by staff; visible to search and AI. |
| Hours, location and parking block | The first-screen answers; matched to Google Business Profile. |
| Reservations | Platform integration or a booking system for tables. |
| Order online (pickup and delivery) | Direct orders without app commission; Ecommerce build. |
| Catering and private events page with form | Captures the high-margin bookings with the right details. |
| Specials and events feed | Kept alive from social or the CMS. |
| French menu and pages (Quebec) | Required for businesses serving the Quebec public. |
Automation and CRM for restaurants
Restaurants need less automation than most industries, but the two that matter are worth having: the catering and event enquiry 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, hosted on Redenn Business at CA$199/year, plus Lead Follow-Up Automation from CA$149 for event enquiries. Direct online ordering is an Ecommerce build from CA$1,499 on Redenn Dynamic hosting at CA$49/month. A single-location café with no events business can start with a Launch page at CA$99.
- Event enquiry 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.
Compliance and trust
If you serve the Quebec public, the Charter of the French Language requires the website, including the menu, to be available in French. 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. Describe allergen and dietary information carefully and keep it current.
Questions
Can staff update the menu themselves?
Yes. The menu is content in the CMS, so prices, items and dietary markers change in minutes without a developer. A Business Plus site includes the CMS; smaller sites can add Blog / CMS from CA$49.
Is direct online ordering worth it?
It depends on how much you pay in app commissions and how many regulars would order from you directly. An Ecommerce build starts at CA$1,499 plus Redenn Dynamic hosting at CA$49/month and processor fees. We will tell you if it does not add up.
Can the site work with our reservation platform?
Yes, where the platform provides a widget or link. Otherwise a booking system with confirmations and reminders is used for tables and events.
Does a small café need more than one page?
Often not. A Launch page at CA$99 with menu, hours, location and a link to order or reserve is a complete site for many cafés.
How are sales taxes handled in online ordering?
The ordering flow is configured with the GST, HST, PST or QST rates for your province at launch, and rates are verified with the CRA and your accountant. They change, so they must be reviewed.
Sources
- AI features and your website, Google Search Central. Accessed 2026-09-24.
- Charter of the French Language, Office québécois de la langue française. Accessed 2026-09-24.
- GST/HST and provincial sales taxes, Canada Revenue Agency. Accessed 2026-09-24.
- Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL), Government of Canada. Accessed 2026-09-24.
- The Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada. Accessed 2026-09-24.
Related
Services
- Website DesignFast, mobile-first design from a tested component system, priced by page count rather than by the hour.
- Google Business Profile OptimizationA complete, correctly categorized profile plus Search Setup and local structured data on your site, CA$199.
- Booking SystemsCustomers pick a service and time, it lands in your calendar, both sides get a confirmation; CA$99 one-time.
- Ecommerce DevelopmentA storefront you own, with catalogue, checkout, Canadian sales tax rules and shipping, from CA$1,499.
- Lead Follow-Up AutomationInstant reply, reminders and hand-off rules so no enquiry sits unanswered, from CA$149 one-time.
- AI ReceptionistAnswers the calls you miss, captures the need, books or routes, and messages you the summary, from CA$149/month.
Guides
Canadian markets
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