Start with what customers actually do
Most people looking for a restaurant want three things fast: what you serve, how much it costs, and how to order or book. Everything below is about making those three things easy on a phone.
Option 1: A proper menu page
A simple page on your own website, listing dishes, short descriptions and prices.
- Why it works: Google can read it, so people searching for a dish or your restaurant name can find it. A photo of a menu can’t be read in the same way.
- Keep it easy to update: prices change often, so make sure you can edit them yourself in a minute, without a designer.
- Show prices clearly: state the currency, and say when prices were last updated if they change frequently.
Option 2: A QR code menu
The same menu page, opened by scanning a code on the table.
- Print the QR code so it opens your menu page, not a PDF. PDFs are slow to open and hard to read on a phone.
- Add the menu in Arabic and English, with a language switch at the top.
- Test the code from a few metres away and in low light before printing a hundred copies.
Option 3: Ordering by WhatsApp
Many restaurants in Lebanon already take orders on WhatsApp. A website can make that smoother.
- Add an "Order on WhatsApp" button on the menu, which opens a chat with your number.
- Go further with a simple cart that builds the order and sends it as one tidy WhatsApp message, with the items, quantities and address.
- It’s a good first step before investing in a full online ordering system.
Option 4: Online ordering and delivery
A full system where customers order, choose delivery or pickup, and pay cash or online.
- Worth it when you get many orders a day and phone or WhatsApp orders are causing mistakes.
- Compare the cost with the commission delivery apps charge. Your own ordering keeps the customer relationship and the margin.
- Payments in Lebanon have their own constraints; the payments guide explains the options.
Don’t forget Google
- Create or claim your Google Business Profile, and add a link to your menu page in the menu field.
- Add your opening hours, phone number and photos of real dishes.
- Reply to reviews. Restaurants with recent, answered reviews get chosen more often.
A simple plan
- 01
Put a clean menu page online, in Arabic and English.
- 02
Print QR codes that open it.
- 03
Add an "Order on WhatsApp" button.
- 04
Link the menu from your Google profile and Instagram bio.
- 05
Add online ordering later, if orders grow.
A small restaurant website usually starts around $600; see what a website costs in Lebanon for details.