Why your Christchurch takeaway needs its own website (not just Facebook)

A Facebook page is a great start. But if it’s the only place your takeaway lives online, you’re probably losing orders to the shop down the road. Here’s why your Christchurch takeaway needs its own website, and what it should include.

Hungry people check before they order

When someone feels like fish and chips or a curry, they pick up their phone. They search Google, look at Google Maps, scroll through a few options and pick the one that looks good, is open and is easy to order from.

A survey of more than 1,000 adults in the United States found that 77% of diners visit a restaurant’s website before they eat there or order. People in Christchurch aren’t so different. They want to see your menu, your prices and your opening hours before they decide.

If they can’t find those things quickly, they don’t message you to ask. They just go somewhere else.

Why Facebook isn’t enough

Facebook is useful for posting specials and staying in touch with regulars. But it has some big gaps when it’s your only online home.

• Your menu gets buried. Posts slide down the page. A customer has to scroll to find your menu, and it may be a photo of an old menu.
• Not everyone uses Facebook. Some people don’t have an account, and some won’t log in just to see a menu.
• You don’t control it. Facebook decides how your page looks, who sees your posts and what changes next. If your account has a problem, your business can disappear overnight.
• It’s harder to find on Google. A website with a clear menu page, address and opening hours gives Google much more to work with when someone searches “takeaway near me”.

The best approach is to use both. Keep your Facebook page, and link it to a proper website that has everything in one place.

Keep more of every order

Delivery apps can bring in new customers, but they take a cut. In New Zealand, Uber Eats capped its commission at 30% after pressure from restaurant owners. On a $40 order, that can be up to $12 that never reaches you.

You don’t have to quit the apps. But your own website gives regular customers another option: call you, message you on WhatsApp or order directly. Every order that comes straight to you is an order you keep more of.

What your takeaway website needs

A takeaway website doesn’t need to be complicated. It needs to answer the questions a hungry customer has, fast.

1. Your menu, with prices

This is the most important page. Use real text, not just a photo of a printed menu. Text is easier to read on a phone, and Google can read it too. Add short descriptions and mark vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free or halal options.

2. Opening hours

Put your hours where people can see them straight away, and keep them up to date. Nothing loses a customer faster than turning up to a closed shop.

3. Phone number and WhatsApp button

Make your phone number tap-to-call on mobile. A WhatsApp button lets customers message you in one tap to place an order or ask a question.

4. Address and Google Maps

Show your address and an embedded map so people can get directions. Mention your suburb, for example Riccarton, Hornby or Papanui, so locals know you’re nearby.

5. Great food photos

People eat with their eyes first. A few good photos of your best dishes do more than any paragraph of text. If you don’t have photos, royalty-free stock photos are a good start.

6. Works perfectly on phones

Most of your visitors will be on a phone. Your website should load fast and be easy to use with one thumb.

A website helps you on Google Maps too

When you set up your free Google Business Profile, you can add a link to your website and your menu. A good website and a complete Google profile work together to help you show up when people nearby search for food. We explain how in our guide to getting your restaurant on Google Maps in Christchurch.

“But websites are expensive”

They don’t have to be. A simple takeaway website with a menu, hours, map, contact form and WhatsApp button can be built quickly and doesn’t need monthly design fees. The ongoing costs are a domain name and hosting, which are usually small.

If you want to understand the costs in more detail, read how much a website costs in New Zealand.

The short version

• Most people check a website before they order.
• Facebook alone hides your menu and isn’t built for Google.
• Your own website helps you take orders directly and keep more of each sale.
• Keep it simple: menu, hours, phone, WhatsApp, map and photos, all working well on a phone.