How much does a restaurant website cost?

A restaurant website has a few clear jobs: show the menu, take bookings, and make you discoverable. How you implement those jobs drives most of the cost.

Below I explain which choices affect price. You get concrete euro ranges, technical must-haves and a checklist to decide what you really need. Some choices save time later; others are cheap at first but create maintenance work.

Cost breakdown: what you pay for

Costs fall into five buckets:

• Design and UX
• Functional development (menu, booking, contact)
• Discoverability and SEO
• Hosting, security and maintenance
• Integrations and licensing (booking systems, POS, Google Business)

This table shows indicative ranges. Use them as a starting point, not as fixed quotes.

Remember: amounts are indicative and vary per project.

Menu: display and management

Menus must load fast on mobile. Use a CMS so you can change dishes and prices without a developer.

• Static menu (PDF): cheap but clumsy to update.
• CMS-managed menu: slightly higher cost, much less time spent editing.

If you update daily (specials, market-driven dishes) choose an easy editing flow. That reduces ongoing admin time.

Bookings: two realistic paths

You can either embed an external booking service or build a custom system.

1. Embedded booking (e.g., OpenTable or regional providers). Fast to set up, recurring fees or commission apply. Implementation usually costs €300–€800. Expect ongoing fees from €0–€50/month and/or commissions.
2. Custom booking system. Integrates with POS and table layouts. Higher upfront cost (€1,000–€4,000) but full control.

For a single-location restaurant an embed often suffices. For multi-site or complex seating you may need custom.

Discoverability: what matters most

Local discovery is critical. Keep your Google Business Profile accurate — it directly affects local search visibility. See Google's official guidance here: https://support.google.com/business/answer/3038177.

On-site SEO starts with technical basics: mobile-first, fast loading and correct meta tags. Follow Google's SEO starter guide to avoid common mistakes: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/seo-starter-guide.

Practical steps:

• Present menu items in HTML, not only in PDFs.
• Use consistent address and opening hours across site and Google Business Profile.
• Submit your site to Google Search Console and monitor indexing (see Google Search Essentials: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/essentials).

Tech: speed, mobile and accessibility

Mobile-first is mandatory. Build responsive layouts and test on real devices.

Core Web Vitals (LCP, INP, CLS) are practical metrics; they matter for UX and search. Aim to optimize images and server response times; see the Core Web Vitals guide for target metrics: https://web.dev/articles/vitals.

Accessibility matters too. Follow WCAG guidance for contrast, keyboard navigation and semantics: https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG22/.

Short technical checklist:

• Responsive design and device testing
• Work on LCP and CLS to improve perceived speed
• Add alt text and semantic markup for accessibility
• Set up monitoring for uptime and performance

Hosting, security and maintenance

Hosting is more than performance. Backups and security prevent downtime and data loss. For CMS sites, implement hardening and regular backups.

Maintenance cost depends on complexity. Expect €10–€50/month for a simple site. For sites with integrations or custom features expect €50–€300/month.

How to decide: practical checklist

• What is your development budget (one-time) and recurring budget (monthly/yearly)?
• How often do you change the menu? If often, favour CMS solutions.
• Do you need full control over bookings or is convenience more important?
• Multiple locations or POS integration needed?
• Who will handle SEO and Google Business updates after launch?
• Prefer low maintenance or maximum flexibility?

Conclusion and next steps

A simple, well-built restaurant site can get live for €1,500–€4,000. Full integration and custom booking systems commonly fall in €4,000–€12,000 (indicative).

If you want a tailored plan, check options and examples at website laten maken. Want a quote? Request a bespoke estimate at ask for a quote.

We are a senior-led web and app development studio from the Netherlands that builds custom sites and supports maintenance. I used public guides like Google’s SEO starter guide and Core Web Vitals to shape practical, measurable recommendations: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/seo-starter-guide and https://web.dev/articles/vitals.

If you want a short consultation about scope vs cost, request a quote at /quote.