How to make a free restaurant website

Here's how the free options compare:

GloriaFood deserves a closer look before you commit: Oracle says it reaches end of life on April 30, 2027. Keep that date in mind if you're choosing something you'll want to keep using.

Square Online is an option if taking orders is part of the job from the start. Google Sites is an option for a site without a built-in store or blog; you open it with your Google Account, though accounts managed by parents can't use it.

For a menu-and-location site, Heya Free includes 3 sites, up to 5 pages per site and all 68 templates. There's no credit card requirement or time limit. You'll publish at a free yourname.heya.bio address with HTTPS, and the site will have a small Made with Heya badge.

Put the menu where people can find it

Make "Menu" an obvious page name or link. Don't make someone work out whether it's under "Explore" or "Our story."

Start with the menu you want customers to use, and check the dishes and prices before publishing. If you put the menu directly on the page, keep the dish names, descriptions and prices together, with headings that match your menu's own sections.

Keep it readable.

If you're using Heya, you can keep the menu on your main page or give it a separate page within the free plan's allowance. You don't need to use every page just because it's available.

Choose a template for the layout you need, then replace its content with your own. For a small cafe, that might mean putting the menu before anything else; for your restaurant, you might want the address and hours near the top, with the menu just below.

Add your hours, address and map

Write out your opening hours and full address on the page, even when you're also adding a map. Check the hours against what you're currently running, including any days you're closed.

With Heya, use the Google Maps embed for the location. Check that it points to your restaurant before you publish (not another business with a similar name).

And keep your listings in the picture. Google Business Profile and a Yelp business page are free, and both show hours, photos and a map. Set those up alongside your website, then use the same current address and hours wherever you publish them.

What should you check when your schedule changes? The website, your Google Business Profile and your Yelp page. Update each place where you've posted the hours.

Decide how you'll handle orders

If you only need to show the menu, you can stop there. Don't add an ordering setup you don't intend to use.

If you already have a checkout or store page, Heya lets you link a button to it. Heya doesn't have a built-in store or checkout. Label the button with the action, such as "Order online," and check where it goes.

For ordering through Square Online, the Free plan costs $0, with 3.3% + 30 cents per online card sale. Its paid plans are Plus at $49 a month and Premium at $149 a month.

Other paid options may be outside your budget. Owner.com's Flexible plan is $249 a month plus 5% per online order, while its Flat Rate plan is $499 a month with no per-order fee. Wix's cheapest plan that takes online payments is Core at $29 a month billed yearly.

You don't have to buy those plans to publish your menu, hours and address.

Publish, then check the details

In Heya, sign in with Google to publish. Before sharing the address, open the published site and read through the menu, check the map and follow any ordering link you've added.

Set a page title and description, too. Heya allows a title of up to 120 characters and a description of up to 300 characters, plus a favicon and share image. Use your restaurant's name and describe what's on the page.

The free address is enough to publish. If you want your own domain with Heya, custom domains start on Pro Standard at $6 a month, with 1 custom domain per account and HTTPS. Heya doesn't sell domains; you bring one from a registrar.

Related guides: Restaurants, Restaurant website cost, Make a business website for free and GoDaddy vs Square.

More from Heya: All guides, Templates and Pricing.