I’m a serial entrepreneur who has had years of experience in opening and running retail business.
I’m always amazed and dumbfounded when I see a new restaurant (or any type of business) finally open after many months of construction and planning but they neglect or ignore their web presence.
Two new local places come to mind. No website or one that is poorly done.
One place that’s been around for a few years has a decent and attractive web site but no where on the site does it tell you the days and hours of operation.
At our office we don’t even have a Yellow page telephone book. Need info? Ask Google!!
These young entrepreneurs put their heart and soul$$$$$ into getting up and running but completely neglect the best tool for communicating.
Some will use social media (Probably because it’s free) but that is lacking.
I know what a decent web site costs to build and maintain but it is an essential part of a new business. It is a necessary part of the overhead. As important as a telephone and electricity.
Thanks for letting me share (rant.)
Agree completely.
I’ll even go a step further - When I seek the website of a new place, the first thing I want is not hours or even location, but a MENU.
It’s amazing to me how many restaurants don’t have theirs online.
Finding the hours info can be a digital wild goose chase. Often, that info is stuck somewhere counterintuitive, such as when you open the “directions” page.
I find that many smaller restaurant operations don’t keep their online menus anywhere NEAR current. Sometimes it’s obvious, like when you check in May and find the winter menu. Although I will also consider daily specials before ordering, I like to check a menu ahead of time so as to narrow down my choices.
A really good Indian place near me specializes in buffets featuring rotating regional cuisines as well as for the many Indian holiday celebrations. They generally ignore their website. As a FB follower, I will sometimes get posts listing menus for the day’s offerings, but usually not till just a couple of hours before the event, and often not until it’s already over. They always seem busy, though, so I guess their online shortcomings aren’t hurting them.
Even worse are the places that seem to think, instead of a website, having a Facebook page is sufficient. It isn’t.
I agree, Erica. Most restaurants do not maintain their websites. I guest to them it is just another cost.
And while we are into it, I have found the truth behind websites is often sketchy at best. It is not always what you get. Like those travel sites…
Don’t get me started on websites-
A Facebook page shouldn’t be your website.
No menus drives me crazy!
Difficulty finding hours, phone numbers
Hmm. I disagree. The dives, shacks, and drive-in type places usually don’t have a web page, but most have a FB page.
I look on that as a good thing.
More elegant type places, sure, have a website. But NO music. I hate that.
Really? I guess it depends on the restaurant, but some are doing it right.
https://www.facebook.com/VernickPhilly/ (tho this place does have a website as well)
https://www.facebook.com/RevivalKitchen/
BI work at what is essentially a chain liquor store. The company has a great app and seems to have good Yelp, Trip Advisor, and Instagram presence. Facebook not so much. Their website is well done as well. The one thing they don’t do is local social media at the store level. In a business where they always do vendor and store tastings on a regular basis I’m a little surprised that they don’t see a way to let individual stores promote ‘events’ locally. Could be they don’t see the cost effectiveness of having someone at each store do the work. It just surprises me, though it’s way above my pay grade.
