Cafes, bakeries and restaurants · Sydney
Most people looking for somewhere to eat are standing on the footpath holding a phone. They check your hours, look for the menu, and try to book. If any of those three is hard work, they go somewhere else.
Scroll inside the phone. It is the real page, not a screenshot. Open it full size ↗
What decides it
Three things, and they all happen on a phone.
Your hours have to be right
Google shows your hours before it shows your website. When they are wrong someone walks to a closed door, and most people only do that once.
The menu has to be readable
A photo of a printed menu is no good on a phone, and Google cannot read it either. Written as text it opens straight away and turns up in searches for the dish.
Booking has to be easy
Nobody hears the phone during service. A booking form puts it in your inbox and you deal with it when you get a minute.
Three sample designs
Three venues, three different structures.
Batch & Bond
A roaster sells coffee over the counter and beans by the kilo. So this one is built like a shop. The nav, hours and phone number sit in a fixed panel down the left, and the page itself is this week's roast, the bags and the wholesale enquiry.
Sunday Loaf
This one sells out by early afternoon, so the whole page is about what is left and what bakes when. It is laid out like a newspaper front page, masthead and all, with a board showing what has already gone.
Nonna's Table
Open since 1987, and dinner bookings are the whole business. So the booking form is in the first screen next to the headline, and the history runs down the page as a timeline instead of hiding on an about page.
Booking software costs more than most venues need to spend.
On booking systems
The platforms were built for large restaurants and they are priced for large restaurants. This is what they publish.
Taken from each platform's published pricing and public comparisons, September 2026. At around 500 covers a month an OpenTable style plan can come to roughly $899 once the per cover fees are added.
If you need floor plans, waitlists and a host stand, one of those platforms is worth paying for. If you just need people to be able to book without ringing you, it is built into the website and included in every plan.
The plans, in your terms
One amount a month. Menu changes included.
Every plan gets the design, the words, the hosting and the security. Pick how much we do for you each month, and move up any time.
- Essential
- $149a month
- Growth
- $229a month
- Ahead
- $490a month
No setup fee. 12 months, then month to month.
Three pages, hosted and kept secure: home with hours and the menu as text, a second page, and contact with the map and a booking form. Enough for a cafe that is already busy.
No setup fee. 12 months, then month to month.
What most venues choose. Adds the search setup, your Google reviews on the site, a monthly Google Business Profile update, and an hour of edits for menu and hours changes.
$250 setup. 12 months, then month to month.
For a venue with functions to fill or a second site opening. A new page every month, weekly Google Business Profile updates and priority care from your account manager, 24 hours a day.
Prices in Australian dollars. Elsio is not registered for GST, so nothing is added on top. Would rather pay once and own it? Design and price your own site from $450, and add care from $45 a month. The full menu is on the pricing page. Every price, or design and own a site from $450.
Questions
Common questions from venues.
Can people book a table from the website?
Yes. A booking form is in every plan, so a booking lands in your inbox with the date, time and covers instead of ringing a phone nobody can hear over the machine. There is no monthly platform fee and no charge per cover. If you need live availability, a calendar can be added.
How much does a cafe website cost?
From $149 a month on Essential with no setup fee. Most cafes choose Growth at $229 a month because it includes the search setup, your Google reviews on the site, a monthly Google Business Profile update and an hour of edits for the menu and hours. If you would rather buy it outright and own it, you can design and price your own site from $450, and care is from $45 a month.
Do I need a website if my Instagram is busy?
Instagram reaches the people who already follow you. Google reaches the person standing on your street at 12.40pm deciding where to eat. Your Google listing and a simple site with your menu and hours is what wins that person, and Instagram cannot turn up in a search for cafe near me.
Can you keep the menu and hours up to date for me?
Yes. Growth includes an hour of edits every month, which covers menu changes, specials and public holiday hours, and we keep your Google Business Profile in step at the same time. On Essential, edits are $30 for a batch of three.