I’m about to drop some unasked (and probably polarizing) opinions on how your restaurant’s website can thrive in 2025 and beyond. Why should you care? In 2024 alone, I helped my clients generate over $5M in revenue. Let’s talk about how Coeur d’Alene businesses can do the same.
Hi there, I’m Charlee—senior designer, chief of creative strategy, and founder. Let me get this out of the way: I’m not originally from Coeur d’Alene, but I adore this town and proudly call it my home. I’m about to drop some unasked (and probably polarizing) opinions on how your restaurant’s website can thrive in 2025 and beyond. Why should you care? In 2024 alone, I helped my clients generate over $5M in revenue. Let’s talk about how Coeur d’Alene businesses can do the same.
Your menu is more than just a list of food—it’s your opportunity to ignite cravings and draw people through your doors. Take Cong Restaurant, for example. Their website features vibrant, high-quality photos of their dishes that make your mouth water just by looking. That visual appeal? It’s not just aesthetic; it’s a sales driver.
Restaurants that include professional, appetizing images of their food see a 30% increase in online conversions compared to those that don’t (Source: Vengreso). Additionally, 67% of diners say images are a deciding factor when choosing where to eat (Source: Upserve).
Think of your website as a digital extension of your restaurant experience. If your physical menu is minimalist and lacks images, balance it out online. Use enticing visuals to create that instant connection. Tourists and locals alike are scrolling through websites and social media to decide where to dine—make sure your food stands out in the sea of options.
Because nothing is truly worse than scanning a QR code just to get to a PDF document of your physical menu, with no images. If your competitor provides photos of the food with detailed description and pricing, guess who gets the reservation first if you’re providing the outdated PDF in comic sans.
Convenience isn’t a luxury anymore; it’s an expectation from consumers, even in rural areas like Coeur d’Alene. With so many consumers prioritizing ease of access, having online reservations and ordering on your website is a no-brainer. In fact, 81% of diners have used an online reservation system in the past year, and restaurants with online ordering options experience a 20% increase in revenue (Source: Toast). Would you like to make 20% more this year?
Picture this: a family visiting Coeur d’Alene is planning their day. They’ve got kids in tow and limited time to find a restaurant, they’re walking around town as their kids run amuck in McEuen park trying to search for good local eats. If your website makes it easy to book a table or place an order, shows your accommodations, you’ve just won their business.
Whether you integrate platforms like OpenTable or use a custom reservation system, the key is simplicity. Ensure it’s mobile-friendly, fast, and intuitive. Convenience breeds loyalty, and loyalty equals repeat customers. No restaurant is too cool to be above this, or too anti-establishment to refute repeat business.
Under-designing your site screams, “We didn’t care enough to try.” That’s a truly harsh reality. Guess what they’re thinking about your food too? What you celebrate, your customer celebrates, same goes for what you don’t.
On the flip side, overly complicated, clunky UX (user experience) can frustrate visitors and drive them away. A poorly designed website leads to a 38% higher bounce rate, meaning people are leaving before they even get to see your menu or specials (Source: Sweor).
For instance, your homepage shouldn’t just be a plain block of text with a tiny logo in the corner. But at the same time, it shouldn’t look like a digital Rube Goldberg machine with unnecessary animations and hard-to-navigate elements. Instead, aim for a design that reflects your restaurant’s vibe—clean, professional, and memorable.
Your website should be an experience in itself. Invest in high-quality design that seamlessly combines branding, usability, and aesthetic appeal. It’s worth the effort, and the return will speak volumes for your business. The consumer is now an educated one, searching sites before they decide to buy. Restaurants exist inside of this system too, even if the purchase is made in person.
If you’ve got happy hours, live music, or Taco Tuesday specials, don’t hide them in some obscure corner of your website. Specials and events should be front and center, displayed boldly and clearly. Why? Because people love a deal, and they love knowing what’s happening.
56% of diners say they’re more likely to visit a restaurant if specials are promoted online (Source: Datassential). This isn’t just about discounts; it’s about creating excitement. Events and specials can turn your restaurant into a go-to spot, especially for locals who are always looking for their next favorite hangout.
Make it impossible to miss. Use bold banners, interactive calendars, and pop-ups that grab attention. I promise you will get customers coming in saying they’re here for the offers on the website.
Local awards like “Best Pizza in Coeur d’Alene” or “Top Family Restaurant” aren’t just feel-good accolades—they’re powerful trust signals. Restaurants showcasing awards on their websites enjoy a 44% higher trust rate from potential customers (Source: BrightLocal).
Winning an award positions your restaurant as a standout in a competitive market. Even if you’re a newer spot, start nominating yourself for local recognition or community awards. Highlighting these achievements prominently on your homepage or menu page will help attract both locals and tourists who are searching for “the best” in town.
In fact, if you just take a walk at the restaurants in Coeur d’Alene, they typically have them. But they aren’t on their website…
…I’m holding back my comments here, you know the response.
Diners trust other diners. 95% of consumers read reviews before deciding where to eat, and a one-star increase on Yelp can boost revenue by up to 9% (Source: Harvard Business Review).
Don’t just link to your Google or Yelp pages—integrate customer reviews directly into your website. Highlight glowing testimonials on your homepage, include a dedicated “Reviews” section, and feature customer feedback on your menu pages. This builds credibility and helps hesitant visitors feel confident about choosing your restaurant.
And if you’re feeling daring, go ask customers if you can take video reviews. Yeah, I’m that serious about it! Add them to your website in a fun, ‘our customers, our family’ section. It will be radically different, and amazing.
Your restaurant isn’t just a food production line, or even just a business; it’s a story, an experience, it’s history and flavor. Let people connect with the faces behind the food. Adding images and bios of your owners, chefs, and team gives your website a human touch.
72% of diners say they feel more connected to a business when they know the people behind it (Source: Sprout Social). Share why you started your restaurant, what makes your team passionate about food, and why you love serving the Coeur d’Alene community. These personal stories can turn casual diners into loyal patrons, and attract those travelers looking for restaurants that care.
Coeur d’Alene business owners need to think beyond just appealing to locals. With a $2.5 billion tourism economy flowing through the region annually (Source: Visit Idaho), your restaurant’s website should cater to visitors just as much as it does to regulars. I’m well aware of the air around tourism here, but if it brings in moving income to the local economy and you run a restaurant, you have no excuse to not take advantage of opportunities. That’s real capitalism.
The competition is fierce, but a well-designed, strategically optimized website can set you apart. Don’t just keep up—stay ahead. Let’s make Coeur d’Alene’s dining scene better, stronger, and as beautiful online as it is in person.You can contact me here if you need some help doing just that.
