COMPARED OCTOBER 2026
Best website builders for restaurants (2026)
We scored 8 website builders on the 9 things a restaurant needs, the same way for all of them, including Zarla, which is ours.
Free to build · Pay when you publish
What's the best website builder for a restaurant?
For most restaurants, Wix is the best website builder: it scored highest, 15 of 18 across the nine tests we ran on eight builders, and it does the most for the menu, online orders and reservations (level with BentoBox).
If getting found on Google matters most to you, pick Zarla.
The full scores are below, with every builder's weak spot, ours included.
What Zarla builds for a restaurant: Zarla's restaurant website builder.
Build the website
Start your restaurant website now
Add your restaurant's name and your town to the sentence, and Zarla builds the site with your menu. You edit it in chat and publish when you're ready.
Already have a website? Bring it across →Zarla keeps your old page addresses where it can and redirects the ones that change, helping you keep the Google standing you've built.
Zarla for restaurants, in plain facts
Zarla is an AI website builder for small businesses. Describe your restaurant in a sentence and it writes the whole site, every page and every word, in about 30 seconds; after that you change it by typing what you want.
- Your menu is a section on the site, with dishes, sections and prices, and you change it by typing or clicking.
- Price: Free to build and preview. You pay when you publish, on the Premium plan, which includes booking, the leads inbox and invoices.
- Page speed: in our sample of real sites (Google PageSpeed, measured September 28, 2026; BentoBox's, Square's and Toast's on October 12, 2026), Zarla had the fastest median of the eight builders here, 86 on phone and 99 on desktop. The samples differ (theirs are sites that rank on Google, BentoBox's, Square's and Toast's sites found on their own web addresses, ours random customer sites), as the method below explains.
No food ordering built in yet: dishes can go in the online store for pickup, or you link the ordering service you already use.
No table reservations built in: you embed or link a reservation service such as OpenTable or Resy.
In this comparison: second of eight, with 14 of 18 points.
THE SCORES
How do website builders for restaurants compare?
A tick is worth 2 points, a dash 1, a cross nothing, and every test counts the same, so the most anyone can score is 18.
| Test | Wix | Zarla | BentoBox | Squarespace | WordPress.com | GoDaddy | Square | Toast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your menu on the page, easy to change | Yes — Wix Restaurants menus | Yes — Menu section with dishes and prices | Yes — Menu management | Yes — Menu blocks, from Basic | Yes — Menus built from its blocks | Yes — Menu or price list section | Yes — Menu synced from Square POS | Yes — Menu synced from your Toast menu |
| Online orders for pickup or delivery | Yes — Pickup, delivery or dine-in, on a paid plan | Partly — No food ordering; a store with pickup | Yes — Online ordering | Partly — Through ChowNow, Tock or Allday | Partly — With an ordering plugin | Partly — Online ordering through ChowNow | Yes — Pickup and delivery, no monthly fee | Yes — Toast Online Ordering, straight to the kitchen |
| Table reservations online | Yes — Wix Table Reservations, party sizes, on a paid plan | Partly — No table booking; embed OpenTable or Resy | Yes — Its own reservations and waitlist | Partly — OpenTable or Tock blocks | Partly — OpenTable block, from Premium | Partly — OpenTable form, on Standard and up | Partly — Through OpenTable or SevenRooms | Partly — Toast Tables, a separate subscription |
| Finished first draft | Yes — Aria writes pages and starter copy | Yes — Whole site written in about 30 seconds | Partly — Page templates; AI writes text boxes | Yes — Blueprint AI writes a multi-page site | Yes — AI builder on paid plans | Yes — Airo writes a first site | Partly — Templates; AI rewrites text, on Plus | Yes — AI drafts it from your menu and Google listing |
| Edit by chat, new pages by AI | Yes — Aria edits and adds pages by chat | Yes — Type a change; ask for a new page | Partly — AI text generator; no chat edits | Partly — AI chat edits text and images; no new pages | Yes — AI assistant edits and adds pages, on any paid plan | Partly — AI writes text; chat editing is a separate product | Partly — AI rewrites a section's text; no chat edits | No — Site editor; no AI editing |
| Local search set up for you | Partly — Google reviews via apps; no town pages | Partly — Google reviews, map with directions; no town pages | Partly — Location pages; syncs your Google listing | Partly — One-pin map; Google reviews by embed | Partly — Only with plugins | Partly — Google reviews section; no town pages | Partly — Map from Google; no Google reviews section | Partly — Google reviews module; no town pages |
| Search coaching | Partly — SEO Assistant; Search Console shown as charts | Yes — SEO coach; page ideas from your Search Console | Partly — SEO titles; a Search Console guide | Partly — Search Console keywords shown as data | Partly — Search Console verification; SEO via plugins | Partly — SEO wizard; Search Console rankings only | Partly — SEO settings; Search Console verification | No — No SEO checks or Search Console ideas |
| Fast pages, measured | Partly — Phone 65, desktop 77 | Partly — Phone 86, desktop 99 | Partly — Phone 58, desktop 81 | Partly — Phone 56, desktop 74 | Partly — Phone 51, desktop 69 (10 WordPress sites, any host) | Partly — Phone 56, desktop 80 (7 phone, 6 desktop sites) | No — Phone 13, desktop 17 | No — Phone 28, desktop 39 |
| Leads, quotes, invoices and payments together | Yes — Contacts, price quotes clients accept online, invoices, payments | Yes — Leads inbox, online quotes, invoices, payment links | Partly — Inquiries, gift cards, payments; no quotes | Yes — Contacts, estimates clients accept online, free invoices, payments | Partly — Payments block; quotes and invoices need a plugin | Partly — Inbox, invoices, payments; no quotes built in | Yes — Messages inbox, estimates, invoices, payments | Partly — Payments, catering forms; no quotes |
| Score | 15 / 18 | 14 / 18 | 12 / 18 | 12 / 18 | 12 / 18 | 11 / 18 | 11 / 18 | 9 / 18 |
Checked on each builder's own website and help pages on September 28, 2026, and the leads, quotes, invoices and payments together test on October 4, 2026, and re-checked every answer on October 12, 2026, the day BentoBox, Square and Toast joined and all their answers were read; speed measured on September 28, 2026 (BentoBox's, Square's and Toast's on October 12, 2026). When two builders tie on points, the one with fewer crosses goes first.
THE LIST
The best website builders for restaurants, ranked
- 1
Wix
Best forOwners who care most about the menu, online orders and table reservations.
What it costsCore, the cheapest plan with bookings, is $29/mo billed yearly. Light is $17/mo without bookings, and there's a free plan on a wixsite.com address. (their pricing page, checked 28 Sept 2026)
Features- An AI builder that writes your pages from a description
- Aria, an AI agent in the Harmony editor that edits the site and adds pages by chat
- Wix Bookings with online payments and deposits
The CatchBookings need the Core plan rather than the cheapest one, and pages for each town you serve are yours to write.
- 2
Zarla
Best forOwners who care most about getting found on Google.
What it costsFree to build and preview. You pay when you publish, on the Premium plan, which includes booking, the leads inbox and invoices.
Features- Describe your restaurant in a sentence and Zarla writes a complete first draft, menu included, in about 30 seconds
- Change dishes and prices by typing what you want, or ask for a new page
- Private-event inquiries and gift cards, with every inquiry in one leads inbox
The CatchBuild my restaurant website — freeThere's no food ordering or table booking built in yet, so you link the ordering and reservation services you already use. It's also newer than the big names.
- 3
BentoBox
Best forOwners who care most about the menu, online orders and table reservations.
What it costsOnly for restaurants on Clover's point of sale, per its pricing page, which shows no public price. (their pricing page, checked 12 Oct 2026)
Features- Restaurant websites with menus, online ordering and gift cards
- Its own reservations and digital waitlist
- Catering and event inquiries
The CatchBentoBox is now part of Clover, and its own pricing page says it's only available to restaurants on Clover's point of sale.
- 3
Squarespace
Best forGood if polished design matters most and you don't mind adding a separate booking tool.
What it costsBasic is $19/mo and Core $29/mo, billed yearly, after a 14-day free trial. Online booking is a separate Acuity Scheduling subscription. (their pricing page, checked 28 Sept 2026)
Features- Blueprint AI writes a multi-page starting site
- Design-led templates
- Invoices and online payments on every plan
The CatchOnline booking is a second subscription, Acuity Scheduling, on top of the website plan, and it's managed in a different place.
- 3
WordPress.com
Best forFor owners who want full control and don't mind choosing and looking after plugins.
What it costsPersonal is $4/mo billed yearly; form file uploads need Business, $25/mo billed yearly. Plugins can add their own cost. (their pricing page, checked 28 Sept 2026)
Features- An AI website builder on paid plans
- An AI assistant that edits and creates pages, on every paid plan
- Thousands of plugins
The CatchBooking, reviews and invoices each come from a plugin you choose, may pay for and keep updated, so the setup and upkeep are on you. Photo uploads on forms need the Business plan.
- 6
GoDaddy
Best forHandy if you already get your domain and email from GoDaddy.
What it costsWebsites + Marketing plans are priced by country, and GoDaddy's page didn't show us a US price, so check it for yours. (their pricing page, checked 28 Sept 2026)
Features- Airo writes a first website for your business in Websites + Marketing
- Online appointments with a deposit
- Photo attachments on the contact form
The CatchEditing by chat, and asking the AI for new pages later, happen in Airo AI Builder, a separate GoDaddy product with its own credits; in Websites + Marketing, pages for each town you serve are yours to write.
- 7
Square
Best forShops that already take payments with Square and want online orders or bookings on the same account.
What it costsSquare Online and Square Appointments each have a free plan, with a booking site and online ordering at no monthly fee; paid plans add features, and Square's pricing pages didn't show us a US price for them, so check it for yours. Card payments carry Square's processing fees. (their pricing page, checked 12 Oct 2026)
Features- Online ordering for pickup and delivery, synced with Square's point of sale
- Square Appointments' booking site, with clients choosing their staff member
- Estimates, invoices and card payments in one account
The CatchIt's built around Square's payments and point of sale: the website comes from templates, and the AI only rewrites text you already have.
- 8
Toast
Best forRestaurants already running Toast that want the website, ordering and reservations tied to the kitchen.
What it costsPart of Toast's Digital Storefront Pro Suite on a Toast point-of-sale account; its help page shows no public price. (their help page, checked 12 Oct 2026)
Features- An AI first draft from your Toast menu and Google listing
- Menu and prices kept in sync with your point of sale
- Commission-free online ordering, and Toast Tables reservations as an add-on
The CatchIt needs Toast's point of sale and its Digital Storefront Pro Suite, and changes after the first draft are made by hand in its editor.
What should a restaurant website include?
Diners decide fast: they want the menu, the prices, the hours and a way to get a table or an order, in that order, on a phone.
- The menu as text, not a PDF. Dishes, prices and dietary marks on the page, so it reads on a phone and search engines can see what you serve.
- Hours and where you are. Opening hours, the address with a map, and parking, near the top of the page.
- A way to book or order. A reservation button, an order button, or both, on every page.
- Private dining and catering. What you offer for groups and events, with a form that asks for the date and the number of guests.
- Photos of the food and the room. Your own dishes and the dining room, so people know what to expect.
How did we score the website builders?
The 9 tests, and what it takes to get a tick:
- Your menu on the page, easy to change. The menu is the page diners look for first. Tick: a menu section with dishes, sections and prices, written on the page and changed in the builder. Dash: a PDF or picture, an app or a plugin.
- Online orders for pickup or delivery. Orders through your own site skip the delivery apps' commission. Tick: food ordering is built in: customers order from your menu, choose pickup or delivery and pay on your site. Dash: a general online store, another company's ordering service, or a plugin. Cross: no way.
- Table reservations online. A table booked online at midnight is a table you'd have missed. Tick: reservations are built in: diners pick a time and party size and book on your site. Dash: another company's reservation service, embedded or linked, or a plugin.
- Finished first draft. You're running a kitchen. The website has to get done between services. Tick: it writes the whole site, pages and words, from a description of your business. Dash: templates, or AI that only writes some of it.
- Edit by chat, new pages by AI. Specials, prices and hours change every week. Updating them should take a sentence. Tick: you type a change and the site updates, and you can ask for a new page and get one.
- Local search set up for you. "Restaurants near me" is how most diners decide where to eat tonight. Tick: a map of the areas you cover, a page for each town, and your Google reviews on the site, all built in. Dash: some of that, or only with add-ons.
- Search coaching. Brunch, private dining and catering are separate searches, and each is a page worth having. Tick: something that checks your site and tells you what to fix, plus a Google Search Console connection that turns your search data into ideas for new pages. Dash: one of the two.
- Fast pages, measured. Diners look at menus on their phones, often standing outside. We measured this ourselves with Google's PageSpeed test on real sites built with each builder. Tick: a typical phone score of 90 or more, which Google calls good. Dash: 50 to 89. Cross: under 50.
- Leads, quotes, invoices and payments together. Catering and event inquiries, invoices and payments in one place, so a party booking doesn't slip. Tick: a leads inbox, quotes your customers accept online, invoices and online payments, all built in. Dash: some of them, or only with plugins.
How we picked them. When we asked ChatGPT "What is the best website builder for a restaurant? Give me your top 5." on October 12, 2026, it named Wix, Squarespace, BentoBox, Square Online and Toast Websites. We score the general builders that appear on every page in this series, Wix, Squarespace, GoDaddy (its Websites + Marketing builder) and WordPress.com, whether ChatGPT named them this time or not, plus BentoBox, Square and Toast, the restaurant products it named. Zarla is ours.
How we scored them. Same tests for everyone, each worth the same. We checked every answer on the builder's own website and help pages on September 28, 2026, and the leads, quotes, invoices and payments together test on October 4, 2026, and re-checked every answer on October 12, 2026, the day BentoBox, Square and Toast joined and all their answers were read. godaddy.com blocks automated reading of some of its pages, so where we couldn't open one, we read GoDaddy's page as Google indexes it. Toast's own site did the same with some pages, so we read those through a page-reading service or as Google indexes them. When two builders tie on points, the one with fewer crosses goes first.
How we measured speed. Google's PageSpeed test, three runs each on phone and desktop, on up to ten real sites per builder. For the others we used the first sites built with them that came up in Google for home-service businesses in five US cities (for WordPress, any WordPress site). Zarla sites don't rank in those searches yet, so we picked ten at random from our customers' published sites and don't name them. BentoBox, Square and Toast joined later, so we ran the same PageSpeed test on October 12, 2026, on ten sites each, almost all found by searching Google for each product's own web addresses, a search not limited to US businesses (of the sixty sites for the six products measured that day, only two came up in Google for hair salons, barbershops, restaurants, gyms or auto repair shops in the same five US cities). It's a sample, not a promise about any one site.
What we didn't score. Price, because every plan bundles different things (each builder's own price is on its card, and Zarla's is on our pricing page), and how long it takes to get a site live, which we plan to time and add here. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
Other trades. The same tests for cleaning businesses, junk removal companies, car detailing businesses, pressure washing businesses, plumbers, pet sitters and dog walkers, handyman businesses, construction companies, moving companies, remodelers, towing companies, tree service companies, painters, electricians, HVAC companies, roofing companies, landscapers, Christmas light installers, window tinting businesses, mobile mechanics, pool service companies, home care agencies, blinds and shutters companies, hair salons, auto repair shops, barbershops, gyms.
Questions owners ask
Better not. A menu written on the page reads on a phone without zooming, and search engines can read the dishes; Squarespace's own help calls its menu blocks "a great alternative to embedding .pdf menus, which aren't always as SEO-friendly". The menu row in the scores above shows how each builder does it.
It helps. The delivery apps take a commission on every order, while an order through your own site keeps the customer and the margin. Square's ordering page says its pickup and delivery orders come "without marketplace commissions". If ordering matters more to you than anything else, the ordering row in the scores above is the one to read.
The menu as text with prices, your hours and address, a reservation or order button on every page, private dining and catering details, and photos of the food. Our guides to making a restaurant website and starting a restaurant go further.
Wix, BentoBox, Square and Toast have it built in. It takes another tool or a workaround on Zarla (no food ordering; a store with pickup); Squarespace (through ChowNow, Tock or Allday); WordPress.com (with an ordering plugin); GoDaddy (online ordering through ChowNow). We read each on the builder's own pages on October 12, 2026.
Wix and BentoBox have it built in. It takes another tool or a workaround on Zarla (no table booking; embed OpenTable or Resy); Squarespace (OpenTable or Tock blocks); WordPress.com (OpenTable block, from Premium); GoDaddy (OpenTable form, on Standard and up); Square (through OpenTable or SevenRooms); Toast (Toast Tables, a separate subscription). We read each on the builder's own pages on October 12, 2026.
Building and previewing one can cost nothing on most builders; a live site on your own domain costs money on every builder here. Wix: Core, the cheapest plan with bookings, is $29/mo billed yearly. Light is $17/mo without bookings, and there's a free plan on a wixsite.com address. BentoBox: Only for restaurants on Clover's point of sale, per its pricing page, which shows no public price. Squarespace: Basic is $19/mo and Core $29/mo, billed yearly, after a 14-day free trial. Online booking is a separate Acuity Scheduling subscription. WordPress.com: Personal is $4/mo billed yearly; form file uploads need Business, $25/mo billed yearly. Plugins can add their own cost. GoDaddy: Websites + Marketing plans are priced by country, and GoDaddy's page didn't show us a US price, so check it for yours. Square: Square Online and Square Appointments each have a free plan, with a booking site and online ordering at no monthly fee; paid plans add features, and Square's pricing pages didn't show us a US price for them, so check it for yours. Card payments carry Square's processing fees. Toast: Part of Toast's Digital Storefront Pro Suite on a Toast point-of-sale account; its help page shows no public price. Zarla is free to build and preview, and you pay when you publish, on the Premium plan. Each price is the builder's own, read on its pricing or help pages (September 28, 2026 and October 12, 2026); check it for your country before you buy.
Yes: Wix placed first of eight here, with 15 of 18 points. Of the tests that are particular to restaurants, it gets a tick on "Your menu on the page, easy to change", "Online orders for pickup or delivery" and "Table reservations online". The catch: bookings need the Core plan rather than the cheapest one, and pages for each town you serve are yours to write.
See your restaurant website before you decide.
Add your town to the sentence and Zarla builds the first draft, menu included, free. You pay only when you publish.
Already have a website? Bring it across →Zarla keeps your old page addresses where it can and redirects the ones that change, helping you keep the Google standing you've built.