Restaurant website in the Netherlands: what to include

If you run a restaurant or café in the Netherlands, people visiting your website mostly want four things: what's on the menu, when you're open, where you are and how to book a table. Everything else comes second. Those four things should be easy to find, especially on a phone.

This article covers what belongs on a restaurant website, what you can keep up to date yourself, and the Dutch rules worth knowing, such as allergen information. If you're thinking of having a restaurant website built, you'll find our prices near the end.

What guests look for on your website

• Your menu, with prices. What can I eat, and what does it cost?
• Your opening hours, including different hours around public holidays.
• Address and directions. Where are you, is there parking, is there a tram or bus stop nearby?
• Booking or calling. A phone number guests can tap to call, or a way to book online.
• Photos of the place. What does it look like inside, is there a terrace?

Put this information at the top or straight in the menu, not at the bottom of a long page. People looking for a place to eat are often out and about, on their phone. So test your site on a phone first.

Dutch, English or both?

If you get a lot of tourists or international guests, an English version of your site can help. And if your own team works in English, an English site may be the natural starting point, with Dutch added later.

Start with what guests need most: the menu, the opening hours and how to book. Whether your site gets a second language is something we discuss in the intro call, and the price is in the proposal.

Your menu as a web page, not a PDF

Lots of restaurants put their menu online as a PDF. It's quick to do, but on a phone guests have to zoom in and scroll sideways. And every time a price changes, you have to make and upload a new PDF.

A menu as plain text on a page works better. It fits any screen, loads quickly and can be read by Google and by guests who use a screen reader.

A new dish, a different price or a seasonal menu: you change it yourself in WordPress, just like your other texts and photos. You don't need technical knowledge for that. We show you how it works when the site goes live.

Do keep it current. An old price on your website leads to awkward conversations at the table.

Allergens: what Dutch rules expect

In the Netherlands, the NVWA (the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority) checks how food businesses inform customers about allergens. According to the NVWA, you have to provide information on 14 allergens. For dishes you serve unpackaged, you can do that in two ways:

• In writing or electronically, for example with symbols or text next to each dish on the menu.
• By referring guests to a place where they can read the information.

Telling guests in person is also allowed, under conditions. You or your staff must be able to give the information straight away, before the purchase takes place. It must also be available in writing or electronically for your staff and for inspectors. And there must be a clearly visible notice at the point of sale that guests can ask about allergens.

What does that mean for your website? The NVWA doesn't name the website as a required place for this information. But if your menu is online, it makes sense to add the allergens per dish, or to say how guests can get the information.

Selling food online, for takeaway or delivery? Then the NVWA says your webshop must state which allergens the products contain. You can also refer to a phone number where people can get the allergen information directly.

This isn't legal advice. The current rules are on the NVWA website: Allergenen bij onverpakte levensmiddelen (in Dutch).

Bookings: a booking system or a simple form

There are roughly two ways to let guests book online.

A booking system. Guests see which times are free and book straight away. You get a system like that from a separate provider, with its own terms and costs. Your website links to it or shows a button for it.

A simple booking form. Guests fill in a date, time, the number of people and their contact details. The form doesn't show whether there's a table free. You get a message and confirm yourself, by email or phone. For a small place, that can be enough. Only ask for what you actually need.

Either way, show your phone number clearly so guests can call with one tap.

Connecting a booking system or adding a simple booking form is something we discuss in the intro call. What it costs is in the proposal.

Opening hours, address and your Google Business Profile

Your opening hours aren't only on your website. They're also in your Google Business Profile, and often in other places too. Keep your opening hours, address and phone number the same everywhere. If they differ, guests don't know which one is right.

Pay extra attention to public holidays. If you're new to the Netherlands, some may catch you out, such as King's Day. Google recommends confirming your hours for official holidays, even if they're the same as your regular hours, so customers can see they're accurate. The Google Business Profile Help explains how. Put the same hours on your site, for example in a short notice at the top.

You manage your Google Business Profile yourself, at Google. It's not part of the website, but both work best when the details match.

Photos: use your own dishes

A stock photo of a dish looks nice, but guests then expect that plate on their table. If they get something different, that's a letdown. So use your own photos for your dishes. We can pick licensed stock photos for you. What that costs is in the proposal. They do only suit general atmosphere, not your menu.

A phone gets you a long way:

• Shoot in daylight, near a window and without flash.
• Pick a calm background and shoot from above or at a slight angle.
• Wipe the lens first. A greasy lens puts a haze over the picture.
• Photograph the place itself: the interior, the terrace and the entrance, so guests recognise you when they arrive.

Online ordering and delivery

If you want guests to order online for takeaway or delivery, there are two routes.

Through a delivery platform. You're listed on a platform and link to your page there from your own site. The platform handles ordering and payment, with its own terms and fees.

Through your own site. Guests order and pay with you directly. That means a webshop, with iDEAL, the Dutch online bank payment. The price is tailored to your project. Read more about getting a webshop built. With your own webshop, the allergen rules for online sales above apply.

One page or several?

Below is an example layout. It's not a fixed package: you decide what goes on it.

One-pager, $299.99. Everything on one page: a short introduction with a photo of the place, the menu, opening hours, booking or calling, and address with directions.

Multiple pages, $499.99. Up to 5 pages, for example:

• home, with opening hours and a button to call or book;
• the lunch menu;
• the dinner menu;
• groups and set menus;
• contact and directions.

Each extra page costs $49.99, for example for a separate drinks menu.

Both include a contact form and directions, and you update texts and photos yourself. If you'd like a booking system or a second language, we discuss it in the intro call and the price is in the proposal. All amounts in one place: what a one-pager or a multi-page site costs.

We don't charge VAT on our invoices. If you're exempt from VAT or use the small business scheme (KOR), ask your accountant what that means for you.

We don't provide hosting or a domain name. You buy those yourself from a hosting provider of your choice, in your own name. For the yearly costs, read what a website costs per year.

Build it yourself or have it built?

Building it yourself is an option. With a website builder you can put together a simple site on your own. WordPress vs Wix explains when that's the smarter choice.

Having it built makes sense if you'd rather spend your time on the restaurant. A site with a few pages can be online within two weeks, once your texts and photos are ready. Read how long it takes to build a website and what you can prepare. What you get from us is on the page about having a WordPress website built. We can work with you entirely in English.

After launch, the site is yours. You maintain it yourself, or hand over maintenance, from $19.99 a month, cancel any month. Not sure whether to pay once or monthly? Read paying for a website: one-off or monthly.

Want a website for your restaurant? Request a quote or book a free half-hour intro call.

Information from the NVWA and Google checked on 25 October 2026.