Create a Restaurant Website: What It Really Costs in 2026

Your food is excellent. Your service is too. But when someone Googles "restaurant Zurich Seefeld", your business either does not show up or the website behind it is not convincing. Unfortunately, this is the norm for Swiss gastronomy businesses in 2026.

The question is not whether you need a website. The question is: What should it cost, and what should it be able to do?

The 3 Options Compared

Option 1: Classic Web Agency

Costs: CHF 5'000 to CHF 15'000

Large agencies in Zurich or Bern charge between CHF 5'000 and CHF 15'000 for a restaurant website. For this you get a custom design, often professional photography (billed separately), and a project manager who mediates between you and the development team.

The reality: For a restaurant with 40 seats and a daily menu, this is often oversized. You pay for structures and overhead that your business does not need. And the timeline? 8 to 16 weeks. During this time, you have not made a single rappen of revenue through your new website.

Option 2: Freelancer

Costs: CHF 1'500 to CHF 4'000

A good freelancer is cheaper and often more flexible. The problem: Quality fluctuates enormously. A freelancer for CHF 1'500 often delivers a WordPress theme with your logo on it. It works, but it looks like 200 other restaurant sites.

Added to this is the risk: If the freelancer cannot be reached and your website crashes, you are left alone. No support, no backup plan.

Option 3: Myfrendo

Costs: SiteScore free, website from CHF 1'490

Custom design, no website builders, fast implementation in 2 to 4 weeks. Including basic SEO, mobile optimization, and a contact person in Seefeld, Zurich. You talk to a person, not a ticket system.

| | Agency | Freelancer | Myfrendo | | ------------------- | ---------------- | --------------- | --------------- | | Price | CHF 5'000-15'000 | CHF 1'500-4'000 | from CHF 1'490 | | Timeline | 8-16 weeks | 4-8 weeks | 2-4 weeks | | Custom Design | Yes | Partially | Yes | | Mobile Optimization | Yes | Often extra | Included | | Basic SEO | Often extra | Rarely | Included | | Contact Person | Project manager | One person | Personal, local |

What a Restaurant Website Must Do

Forget feature lists with 30 points. Exactly these 5 things matter for a restaurant:

1. Menu as Text, Not as a PDF

PDFs are illegible on mobile phones and are not indexed by Google. Your menu belongs on the website as normal text. If someone Googles "risotto Zurich", your website should appear. This never happens with a PDF.

2. Reservation in 3 Clicks

Whether via a form, a WhatsApp button, or an integration with a booking tool: The guest must be able to reserve in under 30 seconds. Every additional step costs you reservations.

3. Current Opening Hours and Address

Sounds trivial, but it is the most frequent reason for frustration. If a guest stands in front of a closed door because the website says "open Monday" even though you are closed on Mondays, this guest is lost forever. Keep this information up to date. Always.

4. 3 to 5 Professional Photos

Your interior, a signature dish, the terrace in summer. Not 40 pictures in an endless gallery. A few good photos that whet the appetite and show the atmosphere. A photo shoot costs CHF 400 to CHF 800 and is worth more than any advertisement.

5. Google Maps and Contact Immediately Visible

Not on a separate "Contact" page, but on every page. Best in the footer, which is always there. A guest who has to search for your address will give up.

The ROI Calculation: When Does the Website Pay for Itself?

An average restaurant in Zurich has a turnover of CHF 85 per guest (including drinks). Let's calculate conservatively:

• New website visitors per month through better Google visibility: 120
• Of those, reserving: 6% = 7 guests
• Average turnover per guest: CHF 85
• Additional monthly turnover: CHF 595

A website from CHF 1'490 can pay off quickly depending on reservation volume. The free SiteScore shows first whether website structure, mobile UX, or local SEO are the most important levers.

And that is only a model calculation. The concrete effect depends on how visible your restaurant is today and how easy it currently is for guests to reserve.

Common Mistakes That Cost Restaurants Money

Website builders (Wix, Squarespace): Cheap at first glance (CHF 15 per month), but after 3 years you have paid CHF 540, and the website still looks generic. In addition: slow loading times, limited SEO options, and you are tied to the platform.

No website, only social media: Instagram and Facebook are rented spaces. The algorithm determines who sees your posts. You own a website. It ranks on Google, is always accessible, and you control what guests see first.

Website built once, never updated: A website that has not been updated since 2021 does more harm than good. Outdated menus, wrong opening hours, dead links. Google penalizes this, and guests trust you less.

The Right Time Is Now

Every week without a proper website is a week in which potential guests reserve with your competition. You do not need a huge budget and a process that takes months.

A restaurant website from CHF 1'490 gives your restaurant a professional online presence that works on every device and is visible on Google. The first step is the free SiteScore.

Request Free SiteScore | View Restaurant Page