Reviewed by the SEOPointz team · Last reviewed June 2026. Platform prices and fees were checked against vendor sites at the time of writing and change often, so confirm current rates before signing up. SEOPointz may earn a commission from some links; it never changes what we recommend.
Most people deciding where to eat tonight will look at the restaurant’s website on a phone, and they will decide in seconds. They want the menu, the hours, the address, and a way to order or book — fast. A restaurant site that buries those four things, or loads slowly on mobile data, sends that diner straight to a delivery app that charges you a commission for the privilege. So the real question isn’t just “which host is cheapest” — it’s which setup lets a hungry visitor get to the menu and place an order without friction, and without handing a third of the bill to an aggregator.
Hosting or all-in-one builder? Decide this first
There are two honest paths. The first is a website builder with hosting bundled in — Wix, Squarespace, or a restaurant-specific platform. You trade some flexibility for templates, menu modules, and ordering tools that work out of the box. The second is your own WordPress site on a managed host like SiteGround, which gives you full control and lower long-term cost but means you assemble the pieces yourself. For an independent restaurant without a developer on call, a bundled builder usually wins on time-to-launch. For a group with multiple locations or strong branding needs, self-hosted WordPress pays off.
The thing that actually costs you money: commissions
The biggest financial decision in a restaurant website is not the hosting fee — it is whether you take orders directly or through a commission-based aggregator. Third-party delivery marketplaces commonly take a sizeable percentage of each order. A direct ordering tool on your own site flips that: you pay a flat monthly fee (and normal card processing), and you keep the rest. On thin restaurant margins, moving even a fraction of your orders to direct channels can matter more than any other choice on this page. This is why “commission-free online ordering” is the phrase to look for, and why platforms like UpMenu and Menubly lead with it.
Comparing the popular restaurant platforms
| Platform | Starting price | Online ordering model | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Menubly | Around $9.99/month | Commission-free, bundled with menu and simple site | Small spots that want a menu and ordering link, cheaply |
| UpMenu | Around $49/month per location | Commission-free, with loyalty and marketing tools | Restaurants that want to own ordering and run promotions |
| Wix (with Restaurants Orders app) | Paid plan plus the app | Direct ordering with pickup/delivery and prep-time scheduling | Owners who want design flexibility plus built-in ordering |
| BentoBox | Essentials around $149/month + ~$500 setup | Polished restaurant sites; ordering is an add-on | Established venues wanting a designed, branded experience |
BentoBox makes a genuinely attractive site, but it is the expensive end — the Essentials package starts around $149 per month plus a setup fee, the Plus package higher, and add-on order fees can push the real total much higher. For many independents, that money is better spent elsewhere. Where BentoBox falls short for a small operator is simply value: you are paying agency-tier prices for capabilities a $10–$50 tool covers.
Speed and mobile aren’t optional for restaurants
Restaurant traffic is overwhelmingly mobile and often impatient — people checking the menu on the walk over, or comparing two places at a stoplight. A slow site loses them. If you go the self-hosted WordPress route, a host with strong caching like SiteGround keeps the site quick even during a Friday-night rush of reservations and orders. Whatever platform you pick, test it yourself on a phone over cellular data, not just your office Wi-Fi, and make sure the menu and the order button are reachable in one tap from the homepage.
Get the non-negotiables right
A few things every restaurant site needs regardless of platform: a real menu in text (not a photo of a PDF — search engines and screen readers can’t read an image), accurate hours and address with a map link, a clickable phone number, and an SSL certificate so any ordering or booking happens securely. Add online reservations if you take them, and make sure photos are compressed — a gallery of huge, unoptimised food images is the most common reason restaurant sites load slowly.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need separate hosting if I use a builder like Wix or BentoBox?
No. Those platforms include hosting in the subscription. You only buy separate hosting if you build on self-hosted WordPress, where a managed host like SiteGround runs the site.
Is it worth paying for direct ordering instead of using delivery apps?
For most restaurants, yes. Aggregators take a meaningful cut of every order, while a commission-free tool charges a flat monthly fee. If you can move even some regulars to ordering directly, you keep margin that the apps would otherwise take.
What’s the most common mistake on restaurant websites?
Hiding the menu — especially posting it as a PDF or an image instead of real text. It hurts mobile users, accessibility, and search visibility. Keep the menu as plain, readable text and link it from the homepage.
For more on the foundations underneath a fast, reliable restaurant site, see why speed matters in web hosting and web hosting services built for small business websites.
