Published 2026 price guides put a template site at a few hundred dollars and a basic menu-and-contact restaurant site at $1,500 to $4,000 from a freelancer or $4,000 to $8,000 from an agency. Builds with online ordering run $6,000 to $12,000, and custom builds for chains start around $15,000. Monthly running costs range from about $30 to $80 for a basic site to $400 to $1,200 for multi-location setups. These are publishers' estimates, not quotes.
Where these numbers come from
There is no official price list for restaurant websites. The figures below come from two commercial publishers: Project Cost Estimator's restaurant website cost guide, updated July 2026 [1], and OuterBox's general website pricing guide from August 2026 [2]. Both are businesses with their own interests, so treat the numbers as rough planning ranges. Our own approach to quoting is on the pricing page.
Build costs by route
| Route | Reported range | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Squarespace or Wix template | $200 to $1,000 | Project Cost Estimator [1] |
| DIY WordPress on cheap hosting | $0 to $500 | Project Cost Estimator [1] |
| Freelancer, basic menu-and-contact site | $1,500 to $4,000 | Project Cost Estimator [1] |
| Freelancer, custom design and setup (wider range) | $500 to $5,000 | Project Cost Estimator [1] |
| Agency, basic menu-and-contact site | $4,000 to $8,000 | Project Cost Estimator [1] |
| Custom WordPress build | $5,000 to $10,000 | Project Cost Estimator [1] |
| Restaurant build with online ordering | $6,000 to $12,000 | Project Cost Estimator [1] |
| Custom build for chains | $15,000 and up | Project Cost Estimator [1] |
For comparison, OuterBox's general guide, which assumes a US-based agency, puts a basic professional small-business website at $3,000 to $10,000 and up, and a custom business or lead-generation website at $10,000 to $50,000 and up [2].
Feature add-ons
Project Cost Estimator lists an online ordering feature add-on at $2,000 to $6,000, and Shopify for heavy ordering at $4,000 to $8,000 [1]. Reservation tools usually come from a platform you subscribe to, so the website cost is mostly the work of placing and styling the booking flow.
Monthly running costs
| Setup | Reported monthly cost |
|---|---|
| Basic site | $30 to $80 a month |
| With reservations | $80 to $200 a month |
| With online ordering | $200 to $400 a month |
| Multi-location | $400 to $1,200 a month |
All four figures are from Project Cost Estimator [1], which also lists hosting from $4 to $15 a month on one host and $14 to $80 a month on another, and ongoing local SEO at $300 to $800 a month [1]. Software subscriptions for reservations or ordering are usually separate from these figures.
Hourly rates
The same guide gives a US freelancer median rate of $105 an hour and a US agency median rate of $185 an hour [1].
What drives the price
Two restaurant websites with the same number of pages can differ a lot in cost. These are the factors that move a quote:
| Factor | Why it changes the cost |
|---|---|
| Number of menus and how often they change | Each service, and each seasonal change, needs structure and editing tools |
| Locations | Each real location needs its own page, details and profile checks |
| Booking and ordering | Connecting and testing tools takes time; building custom ordering takes far more |
| Writing | Writing all the copy costs more than editing copy you supply |
| Photography | Commissioning a shoot is separate; designing around existing photos is part of the build |
| Brand work | Creating a new visual identity costs more than extending an existing one |
| Accessibility and speed targets | Testing to WCAG 2.2 AA and Core Web Vitals takes care at every step |
| Content management | A system your team can edit adds setup and training |
Costs that are easy to forget
Build and hosting are the obvious costs. A few others are easy to miss when budgeting for a restaurant website:
- Domain renewal. A small yearly fee, but losing the domain because a renewal lapsed is expensive to fix.
- Email. Mailboxes on your own domain usually come with a hosting plan or a separate subscription.
- Software subscriptions. Reservation, ordering and gift card platforms charge their own fees, separate from the website.
- Photography. A professional shoot is separate from the website build, and menus that change seasonally may need new photos.
- Content updates. Someone has to keep menus, hours and specials current. If that is not your team, budget for help.
- Accessibility fixes. Third-party widgets added later can introduce barriers that need attention.
- Redesign cycles. Plan for a refresh when the concept, the brand or the menu changes significantly.
Listing these costs next to the build quote gives a truer picture of what the website costs each year.
Reading a quote
When you compare quotes, check what each one includes:
- How many pages and menus are included?
- Who writes the copy, and how many rounds of edits are included?
- Are booking and ordering tools connected and tested?
- Is accessibility testing part of the work, and against which standard?
- What happens after launch: checks, fixes, training?
- Who owns the domain, the site files and the logins?
- What are the monthly costs after launch, and what do they cover?
Cheap versus expensive
A template site can be a reasonable start for a small café with a simple menu, if someone on the team keeps it up to date. A custom build makes more sense when the brand, the menu or the booking and ordering setup are more involved, or when you run several locations. The most expensive option is not always the right one; the right one is the site your team will keep accurate.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a basic restaurant website cost?
Project Cost Estimator's 2026 guide answers that a basic menu-and-contact site costs $1,500 to $4,000 from a freelancer or $4,000 to $8,000 from an agency, and puts a template at $200 to $1,000.
How much does online ordering add?
The same guide lists an online ordering add-on at $2,000 to $6,000 and a restaurant build with ordering at $6,000 to $12,000, plus higher monthly running costs.
What are the monthly costs?
Reported monthly costs run from $30 to $80 for a basic site to $400 to $1,200 for multi-location setups, before software subscriptions.
Does Menuquavix publish fixed prices?
No. We quote after a short discovery call. Our pricing page explains how.
Sources
Checked on October 29, 2026.
- Project Cost Estimator (Florin Florea), Restaurant Website Cost in 2026 [Real Pricing]. Updated July 2026. Commercial publisher
- OuterBox, How Much Does a Website Cost in 2026 | Website Design Cost. August 5, 2026. Commercial publisher
