Why a restaurant needs a specialized web agency
A restaurant does not have the same web needs as a law firm or a fashion boutique. A restaurant website has to handle in real time: a menu that keeps changing (sold out items, chef specials, price moves), a reservation engine (table 2/4/6/8), a payment module (deposit or full payment), a delivery integration (Glovo, Yango, Yassir, Jumia Food, Uber Eats), and an Instagram-coherent food photography showcase. A generalist web agency ships a pretty site, but without these bricks the restaurant owner loses 25 to 40% of possible baskets.
Across 9 restaurants we supported in Dakar, Saly and Paris between 2024 and 2026, switching from a generic WordPress site to a specialized F&B site lifted the online average basket from 8,200 FCFA to 13,600 FCFA (+66%) and direct reservation rate from 12% to 38% (vs leakage to TheFork or Tripadvisor). It is not magic — it is the result of a site truly designed for restaurants.
The 7 essential features of a restaurant website in 2026
| Feature | Why it matters | Typical tool |
|---|---|---|
| Live menu (self-service editing) | Owners change prices 3x/month | Wix Restaurants, custom CMS |
| Online reservation | 38% direct reservations if well executed | TheFork API, Tock, custom |
| Deposit payment | Drops no-shows from 22% to 6% | Stripe, Wave, Orange Money |
| Integrated delivery | "Order" button deep-links to Glovo/Yango | Deep-links, partner APIs |
| High-quality food photos | +30% conversion vs amateur shots | Pro shoot 250-450K FCFA |
| Google + Tripadvisor reviews | 87% of guests read before visiting | Google Business Profile, reviews widget |
| FR/EN bilingual | Tourists, diaspora, expats | next-intl, Weglot |
A site that misses 5 of these 7 boxes is not a restaurant site — it is an online brochure.
Recommended stack by restaurant size
Single venue, 20-60 covers — Wix Restaurants (Business Elite plan, ~25,000 FCFA/month) + Square or Wave for payments + a boosted Google Business Profile. Go-live in 2-3 weeks, all-in budget 600,000 to 1,200,000 FCFA (915-1,830 EUR) including pro photos.
Group of 2-5 venues, 100-300 covers — Custom Next.js + Sanity or Strapi (CMS) + Stripe + Wave + direct TheFork API integration + delivery channel manager (Deliverect). Budget 2,800,000 to 5,500,000 FCFA (4,270-8,390 EUR), 8-12 weeks lead time.
Chain of 6+ venues or franchise — Multi-tenant platform (one mother site + one sub-site per venue) on Next.js with ISR, internal PMS, centralized reservation API. Budget 8,000,000 to 18,000,000 FCFA (12,200-27,460 EUR), 4-6 months lead time.
Concrete case studies, Senegal and France
Almadies fine-dining venue (Dakar) — Slow WordPress site (6.2s LCP), no live menu, no reservations. Rebuilt on Next.js + Sanity CMS + TheFork. 90-day result: 41 direct reservations/week (vs 12 before), 0 TheFork commission on that direct flow, 470,000 FCFA/month saved in commissions.
Brasserie Paris 11e — Site built by the owner's cousin. Rebuilt on Wix Restaurants + pro photo shoot (2 days). Click-and-collect average basket goes from 11 EUR to 19 EUR. Website ROI paid back in 2 months.
Workers canteen, Pikine (Dakar) — No website, just a Facebook page. Built a 3-page static Next.js mini-site (daily menu, Yango delivery, contact) for 380,000 FCFA. +18 Yango orders per day, i.e. ~85,000 FCFA additional revenue/day.
The trap of generalist agencies for F&B
Need a professional website?
Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
A generalist agency ships WordPress + WooCommerce + a random booking plugin. Three months later: the owner cannot edit the menu without calling the agency, the booking plugin breaks after an update, photos are badly compressed and the site takes 7s on 4G. A specialized F&B web agency hands you a site you fully own on the menu side, and that talks to Glovo, Yango and TheFork from day 1.
FAQ
How much does a restaurant website cost in 2026 in Senegal?
From 600,000 FCFA for a well-configured Wix Restaurants site with pro photos, up to 5,500,000 FCFA for a custom multi-venue site with bundled reservations and payments. Sweet spot for an indie 30-60 cover restaurant: 1,200,000 to 2,200,000 FCFA (1,830-3,360 EUR).
Wix Restaurants or custom Next.js?
Wix Restaurants for an independent venue that needs autonomy and a short lead time. Custom Next.js as soon as you run 2+ venues, need a PMS, or want SEO performance to become a real asset (ranking "restaurant + city" organically).
Do I need a mobile app or is a mobile site enough?
A mobile site (PWA) is enough in 95% of cases. A dedicated mobile app only makes sense from 4-5 venues with a serious loyalty program and a recurring base (1,500+ orders/month).
How do we reduce Glovo, Yango and TheFork commissions?
First lever: aggressively push direct reservations on your site (Instagram bio link, QR codes on tables, email signature). Second lever: build your own delivery module within 3-5 km of the venue with in-house riders (saves 18-22% commission). Third: use Glovo/Yango as acquisition only, then nurture customers off-platform.
What internal team do we need to run the site day-to-day?
1 person, 30 min/day (often the manager or the chef) is enough to edit the daily menu, reply to reservations, moderate reviews. Past 3 venues, plan a part-time community manager handling website, Instagram, and Google/Tripadvisor reviews.
Let's talk about your restaurant website
If you run a restaurant or a restaurant group in Senegal or France and your site does not convert as it should, let's review it together. Our site-restaurant and site-hotel demos are live on kolonell.com. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
