A cafe website has two audiences who want different things. Regulars want to see what's new on the menu and what's happening this weekend. First-time visitors want to know whether you're open, where you are and whether the place suits them. A good site serves both without making either group dig.
This guide goes through the sections a cafe usually needs, in the order a visitor is likely to look for them.
The first screen: hours, address and menu
Start with the three things a new visitor needs most. Put the opening hours, the address with a map link and a button to the menu at the top of the home page. Everything else can sit below.
If your hours change for holidays or the monsoon season, add a short note near the top, with the date it applies from. A note that stays on the page after it stops being true is worse than no note.
The menu, with room for the seasonal one
Keep your everyday menu on one page, grouped into clear sections such as coffee, tea, food and desserts. Put the seasonal or limited menu in its own section, with the dates it runs. When a seasonal item leaves the menu, move it into an archive or remove it, so the page stays accurate.
Prices can change more often than the rest of a cafe page. Write them in a consistent format and mention once that prices may change. You don't need to rewrite the whole page each time you adjust a price, but the menu must not show a price you no longer charge.
Events and workshops
A list of events is one of the most useful things a cafe website can hold. For each event, give the date, the start time, what happens (a live set, a book club, a latte art session), whether there's a fee, and whether people need to reserve a seat.
Remove or archive events once they're over. Don't promise a crowd or describe an event as sold out unless it is.
Visit details
Visitors often ask the same practical questions. Answer the ones that are true for your cafe:
- Seating: indoor, outdoor, or a mix. Mention if there's a garden or a terrace.
- Parking, if there's parking nearby or on site.
- Wi-Fi, only if you actually provide it.
- Access for wheelchairs or pushchairs, only if you can say yes honestly. If you're not sure, say the team can answer the question, and give a phone number.
- Whether the space suits a quiet afternoon, a group or a work session.
Leave out anything you're not certain about. A short, accurate list is worth more than a long one that sends people to the counter with questions.
Photos that show the real place
Use photos of the space at different times of day, the counter, the seating and the food. Real photos of your own cafe help a visitor know what to expect when they walk in, and they're easier to trust than images that could be from any cafe.
What to do next
The cafe websites page shows how these sections usually fit together for a cafe. The layout behind this is covered on the business websites page, which suits any cafe building its first site. Start with the hours, the address and the menu, then add events once you have a regular programme.