4 ms·

Ask HN: Describe the ultimate restaurant website

2 points by c1sc0 15y ago

I have a friend who is doing a startup building websites for restaurant owners. I think he's making things too complicated. In light of the recent discussion about website minimalism, I'd like to ask the following question: "What is the strict minimum you can get away with in restaurant website design?"

mooism2 15y ago
1. name 2. location 3. opening hours 4. menu with prices Might not be strictly necessary, depending on the restaurant: 5. some way of reserving a table (even if only a phone number) (But "ultimate" =/= "minimal".)
rms 15y ago
It's not an ultimate website my any means, but a Facebook page is a certain kind of strict minimum restaurant webpage.
BrainScraps 15y ago
I would try to outsource a lot of the trite admin stuff to other sites such as yelp, opentable or a Google Places page (hours, parking, etc.) and have the page mostly defining the brand. For a restaurant, more important than the information is the feeling. The style. The occasion that is evoked by the fonts, graphics, transitions, everything. Best minimalist design would integrate some high-quality shots that define the ambiance of the erstaurant, show/tell about the chef / owner, and then link to other sites that had all of the admin data. There are my $0.02 - enjoy.
pbhjpbhj 15y ago
I think "restaurant" is actually to broad of a field to define an "ultimate" site for. The site I'd want to find a high-class go-to-when-someone-else-is-buying-me-a-treat restaurant is different to the one I'd use on my phone to find the nearest place in a strange town for a family meal that's good but cheap. On the one hand I want to know who the chef is, where he's worked possibly, definitely see images of the dishes, the full menu, wine list, pictures of the interior, etc.. On the other I'd just trust for a good rating by a few dozen people (who mention dining with kids preferably), couple of example dishes and prices. I think you could combine these different use cases but I doubt you can make the ultimate tool that addresses both.
c1sc0 15y ago
Thanks for all the great suggestions. I have an inkling that this friend of mine will soon join the discussion ... Here's my take. The ultimate restaurant answers the following questions (and no more!) ... What's the atmosphere like? How's the food? Can I afford this place? How do I get there? What do I need to do now that I have decided to eat there?

2 points by c1sc0 15y ago

mooism2 15y ago

1. name 2. location 3. opening hours 4. menu with prices Might not be strictly necessary, depending on the restaurant: 5. some way of reserving a table (even if only a phone number) (But "ultimate" =/= "minimal".)

rms 15y ago

It's not an ultimate website my any means, but a Facebook page is a certain kind of strict minimum restaurant webpage.

BrainScraps 15y ago

I would try to outsource a lot of the trite admin stuff to other sites such as yelp, opentable or a Google Places page (hours, parking, etc.) and have the page mostly defining the brand. For a restaurant, more important than the information is the feeling. The style. The occasion that is evoked by the fonts, graphics, transitions, everything. Best minimalist design would integrate some high-quality shots that define the ambiance of the erstaurant, show/tell about the chef / owner, and then link to other sites that had all of the admin data. There are my $0.02 - enjoy.

pbhjpbhj 15y ago

I think "restaurant" is actually to broad of a field to define an "ultimate" site for. The site I'd want to find a high-class go-to-when-someone-else-is-buying-me-a-treat restaurant is different to the one I'd use on my phone to find the nearest place in a strange town for a family meal that's good but cheap. On the one hand I want to know who the chef is, where he's worked possibly, definitely see images of the dishes, the full menu, wine list, pictures of the interior, etc.. On the other I'd just trust for a good rating by a few dozen people (who mention dining with kids preferably), couple of example dishes and prices. I think you could combine these different use cases but I doubt you can make the ultimate tool that addresses both.

c1sc0 15y ago

Thanks for all the great suggestions. I have an inkling that this friend of mine will soon join the discussion ... Here's my take. The ultimate restaurant answers the following questions (and no more!) ... What's the atmosphere like? How's the food? Can I afford this place? How do I get there? What do I need to do now that I have decided to eat there?