Today, most restaurant guests begin their journey online. Instead of wandering down the street and stumbling upon somewhere new, they turn to the internet for recommendations and reviews.
Your restaurant landing page is often a patron’s first point of contact with your venue, and—just like the first bite of a new dish—first impressions matter. An effective landing page draws in new customers by showcasing your menu, facilitating reservations, and creating a smooth online experience that turns casual browsers into loyal guests.
In this guide, you’ll discover how landing pages can be the foundation of successful restaurant marketing, helping you attract and engage customers from their very first click.
The role of landing pages in the restaurant industry
Chances are that you already have a restaurant website and social media profiles. However, creating a landing page is different from building and maintaining an entire website.
These standalone web pages are designed with a specific audience and goal in mind. Unlike a full website, each landing page typically has just one call to action (CTA) that guides customers toward a specific next step. With a clear, singular focus, they make it easy for potential customers to take immediate action—whether that’s reserving a table, learning about a special event, or signing up for updates.
Let’s explore how restaurants can use landing pages effectively.
Driving reservations and foot traffic
For most restaurants, the top priority is filling seats. A targeted landing page can encourage people to make reservations or visit a new location. For example, you could create one to announce a restaurant launch or updated store hours and then share a link to your reservation form, allowing customers to book at their convenience.
Each landing page should serve one purpose. If your aim is to boost reservations, focus on a prominent call to action that links to a booking form. If you want to encourage walk-in diners, design a welcoming page that highlights your location and hours.
Details like your menu or your restaurant’s story are better reserved for other areas, and can be linked from your website’s homepage. Keeping the landing page focused on one purpose ensures it drives the desired action without distraction.
Showing off the dining experience
Sometimes, your goal isn’t just about bookings—it’s about giving potential customers a true sense of what makes your restaurant unique. If you offer a specific cuisine, use local produce, or have a signature ambiance, a dedicated landing page can help convey that message.
In this case, use a landing page to showcase your dining experience. Compelling copy and high-quality photographs (or even videos) can create an irresistible impression for potential diners. Even small details, like carefully chosen fonts and color palettes, can reflect your restaurant’s unique character.
Supporting promotional campaigns
Because they stand alone, landing pages are perfect for spotlighting limited offers, seasonal campaigns, special events, and temporary promotions. For example, it could introduce a holiday menu or promote an event like a live music night or community fundraiser.
Landing pages also work especially well for pop-up restaurants, which surged by 155% in 2024. Since pop-ups often feature temporary premises and unique menus, they rely on hype and are typically short-term and budget-friendly—making a full-scale restaurant website unnecessary. Instead, create individual landing pages for each pop-up to maximize visibility without overextending resources.
What great restaurant pages have in common
What’s the secret behind successful restaurant landing pages? They’re built with customers—not restaurant owners—in mind.
Effective landing pages focus on how to improve the restaurant customer experience. They’re visually appealing, easy to navigate, and optimized to appear in search engine rankings. Most importantly, they make it easy for customers to take specific actions, like booking a table, which leads to higher conversion rates and greater profitability.
Let’s take a closer look at the three hallmarks of the most successful restaurant landing pages.
Clear and engaging CTAs
An attractive, well-written landing page alone isn’t enough; you need to guide customers toward an action. Whether you want them to view your menu, make a reservation, or join a mailing list, a clear CTA is essential.
Phrases like “Book Your Table” or “Order Online” drive higher click-through rates by making the next step obvious. To increase their impact, design CTA buttons that stand out visually.
While each landing page should focus on one single goal, you can place CTA buttons in multiple spots for visibility. For example, a “Book Now” button could appear at the top of the landing page, next to the menu, and again at the bottom to ensure it’s always within reach.
Mobile optimization
Most of your customers will be searching for restaurants on their mobile devices, so landing page optimization for mobile is essential.
Optimizing for mobile starts with technical essentials like fast load speeds and functionality across devices. But it’s equally important to consider user experience. Do your images and design elements display well on various screen sizes? Is it easy to tap through the menu and navigate without needing a mouse?
While many landing page builders offer responsive design, Bitly Pages are automatically mobile-optimized, requiring no extra work on your part. This means your page will look great and function seamlessly on nearly any modern mobile device, from smartphones to tablets. However, it’s still a good idea to test the landing page on your own devices to fully experience the design, load speeds, and navigation just as your customers will.
Trust-building elements
Your landing page may be the first time your target audience learns about your restaurant. If you build trust quickly, they’ll be more likely to visit in person.
Customer reviews and star ratings are highly effective forms of social proof. In fact, 35% of restaurant guests say online reviews influence their dining decisions, and 28% rely on Facebook comments and ratings. Including quotes or links to media mentions can also enhance credibility and encourage visitors to take the next step.
6 examples of restaurant landing page best practices you won’t want to skip
With the right landing page design, you can establish trust with customers and increase bookings. Below are six key elements of high-converting landing pages that can help you create a compelling, effective page for your restaurant.
1. Use high-quality images and videos
High-quality images and videos can instantly convey your restaurant’s unique dining experience. Photos of the venue, signature dishes, and staff allow potential customers to get a sense of the atmosphere before they even step through the door.
Investing in professional photography ensures these visuals are both appealing and authentic. For example, Buddha-Bar New York’s private events page effectively uses high-resolution images to showcase the variety of spaces available for events—from intimate dining rooms to grand gathering areas. The visuals capture each space’s distinctive style, enticing visitors to explore options that suit their needs.
Aligning your visual content with your restaurant’s style is also essential. Minimalist venues might benefit from ample white space and clean lines, while bold, lively restaurants could use vibrant colors and dynamic imagery. Tailoring your landing page design to reflect your establishment’s character helps create a cohesive and inviting online presence.
2. Highlight important restaurant information upfront
Landing pages are meant to be simple, targeted, and helpful to customers. This means that essential details—such as location, hours, and contact information—should be easy to find.
For example, Providence in Los Angeles not only displays its dining hours, contact details, and location clearly and concisely on a designated landing page but also prominently directs users to this information in its top-level navigation and footer. It’s impossible to miss.
Depending on your landing page’s goal, consider including additional details, like allergen information or sourcing practices. As of 2024, 39% of restaurants prioritize environmentally sustainable sourcing. Value propositions such as being carbon-neutral or allergen-friendly can resonate strongly with customers but are only effective if clearly communicated.
3. Feature a simple reservation or contact form
The golden rule of web design is that if you want customers to take action, you have to make it easy for them. Your booking system or reservation form should be as simple as possible.
Start with a clear, uncluttered layout, like the straightforward booking page from DISFRUTAR in Barcelona. Limit your form to only essential fields—asking for too much information can slow down the booking process and frustrate potential customers. For example, if you already use SMS to handle bookings and marketing, you likely don’t need to ask for both an email address and a home address. If you’re wondering how to use SMS for restaurants, simplifying your form is one step toward integrating this strategy effectively.
4. Include customer testimonials and social proof
Online reviews, customer testimonials, and press mentions are powerful forms of social proof that reassure visitors that your restaurant is a great place to eat.
There are several effective ways to incorporate social proof on your landing pages. For a minimalist approach, consider a press section that features logos from publications that have reviewed your restaurant, like Kato restaurant’s clean, logo-only press page. Alternatively, you can embed widgets displaying recent Yelp or Google reviews with quotes and star ratings.
Position these trust-building elements strategically—ideally near your call to action. This placement helps visitors feel confident in their choices just as they’re about to take action.
5. Ensure fast load times and straightforward navigation
As we’ve seen, simplicity is key to increasing conversions on your landing page. It’s also important to make it as fast as possible—if it’s slow or cumbersome, website visitors are likely to leave, resulting in a high bounce rate and missed bookings.
To improve page loading speed, try the following:
- Compress images to reduce file sizes. While the image quality may not be as crisp, the improvement in page speed is worth it.
- Remove unnecessary plugins and pop-ups.
- Use a direct URL that points straight to the landing page, avoiding redirects that can add load time.
- Optimize for mobile users so they don’t have to deal with an unresponsive design.
By prioritizing speed and user-friendly navigation, you create a smoother experience that keeps visitors engaged and more likely to convert.
6. Showcase special offers and promotions
Limited-time offers, discounts, and seasonal events, menus, and promotions can capture guests’ attention and create urgency to book right away.
For major promotions, consider creating a dedicated landing page—like Joia Beach Miami’s Valentine’s Day “Under the Stars” event page, which highlights a special food and drink menu, live music, and photo ops.
For smaller offers, you might just add a few bullet points to an existing landing page. Ensure the information is clear and helpful to draw interest without overwhelming visitors.
Why Bitly Pages is the right choice for restaurant landing pages
Landing pages are targeted, fast, and convenient—for both customers and restaurants. With a user-friendly landing page generator like Bitly Pages, you can create new sites quickly to meet specific campaign needs.
Easy-to-use, customizable templates
Bitly Pages has a library of customizable templates that require minimal time or design skills and can be tailored specifically to your restaurant’s needs. Each Bitly Pages template allows users to create a no-code landing page that reflects their branding and highlights key information—whether it’s for collecting bookings, showcasing a seasonal menu, or launching new products in an online store.
Simple engagement tracking
Bitly Pages seamlessly integrates with Bitly Analytics, providing insights into user interactions with your landing pages. You can monitor when and where users click links or scan QR Codes, enabling data-driven refinements in your digital marketing strategies.
For example, by conducting A/B testing on different landing page versions, Bitly’s metrics help identify which design garners the most engagement, allowing for informed optimization.
Fast integration with marketing campaigns
Bitly Pages are built to enhance your overall marketing strategy. Here are just a few ways that Bitly’s suite of tools can support restaurant marketing efforts:
- Branded short links: Use Bitly Links to create memorable, customized URLs for your landing pages. These links are ideal for sharing across print materials, social media, and SMS marketing.
- Embedded links: Add short links within your landing page to direct customers to specific parts of your website, like your menu or restaurant gallery.
- Custom QR Codes: Design personalized QR Codes with Bitly Codes, incorporating your restaurant’s logo, brand colors, and tailored calls to action. Display these codes on printed materials or screens to provide quick, interactive access to your landing page.
- Comprehensive analytics: Leverage Bitly Analytics to monitor which unique links and codes receive the most clicks and scans. This insight allows you to refine your marketing strategy to focus on channels that drive the best results.
Build the perfect restaurant landing page
Most customers discover new restaurants online, making a landing page the ideal marketing tool for sharing targeted information and encouraging potential customers to book a table, join your mailing list, or place an order. Following best practices—such as mobile optimization, clean design, and social proof—can make your landing pages even more impactful.
Bitly Pages is a landing page builder that enables you to create eye-catching, effective landing pages in minutes. Each Bitly landing page is automatically optimized for mobile and comes with detailed analytics, allowing you to track what resonates with your audience. You can also create custom links and QR Codes to seamlessly share your pages across multiple marketing channels.
Get started with Bitly today to attract more bookings and expand your restaurant’s online presence.
