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Comment by oars | Hacker News Reader

Out of curiosity, does anyone even go to a restaurant's actual website anymore?

I personally go straight to DoorDash or GrubHub to find my desired restaurant, or something like Yelp or Zomato if need be.

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I spent 7 years (ending late 2018) as the web developer at an agency that did branding & design for local restaurants. Unfortunately I don't have access to any of the analytics accounts anymore to give actual numbers -- but I can say that yes, people do go to the websites.

If you're just looking for hours and address you can get that via search (especially on mobile), but a properly-developed website will also provide sub-navigation in Google results for menus, contact info, events, etc.

Menus were also a big part of it. Dropping a PDF (or worse, a JPEG) of a menu onto a website sucks for usability. The sites used responsive design to lay out the menus in a way that was actually readable, and my CMS made it easy for the chef/manager to update on a regular basis. The menu pages were highly popular among first-time site visitors.

For restaurants that host private parties (larger or more complicated than what OpenTable & company will handle), the website was the primary way that people contacted them to start the reservation process. Many more people did that than message on Facebook.

Gift cards around the holiday seasons (mother's/father's day, graduation, December holidays) are also particularly popular.

I do. I've never used DoorDash or GrubHub and will try to forever avoid them. I avoid Yelp like the plague due to their mafia like (pay us to improve your score, whether true or not) BS tactics. And I've never heard of Zomato.

I do, if it's available. BUt I'm relying on Yelp more and more to get the latest menus. I was turned off by the fees and commissions that GH,UE, and DD charge. Most of the restaurants I use are decades old, family-owned businesses and already do full service, including delivery.

Imagine an internet where small businesses don’t have websites anymore. Their only options are to be listed on DoorDash and GrubHub.

Of course people go to websites still. I find your question uninformed.

I usually use Foursquare to find restaurant with a good rating or cuisine I like and to the restaurants page directly from there.

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