Restaurant Website Must-Haves in Dubai (What Works in F&B)

The Reality of Restaurant Websites in Dubai

Your restaurant could have the best burgers in JBR, the most authentic Italian pasta in DIFC, or the trendiest brunch spot in Al Quoz. But if your website doesn't work properly on mobile, doesn't load fast, or forces customers through a painful booking process, you're losing revenue.

Dubai's F&B scene is brutally competitive. There are over 13,000 restaurants across the emirate, and most of them have websites. The question isn't whether you need one—it's whether yours is actually working for you or just sitting there looking pretty while customers book elsewhere.

We've built websites for Dubai restaurants, cloud kitchens, cafes, and multi-location F&B brands. Here's what actually matters, what you can skip, and what mistakes cost you the most money.

Online Ordering Integration (Not Optional Anymore)

Let's start with the big one: online ordering.

Post-2020, online ordering shifted from nice-to-have to absolutely essential. Customers expect to order directly from your website, not just through Talabat, Deliveroo, or Careem. Why? Because they know those platforms charge you 20-35% commission, and many customers would rather you keep that money.

What works:

• Direct integration with your POS system so orders flow automatically to the kitchen
• Support for both delivery and pickup with separate timing options
• Real-time menu availability (if you run out of something, it should reflect immediately)
• Flexible delivery zones with clear radius maps
• Minimum order values that actually make financial sense for your margins

What doesn't work:

• PDF menus customers have to download and call to order
• Third-party widgets that look nothing like your brand
• Systems that go down during peak hours (test during Friday brunch rush before launch)
• Checkout processes with more than 3 steps

Dubai-specific consideration: Many delivery apps don't serve certain areas well (looking at you, obscure parts of Jumeirah and anything past Arabian Ranches). Having your own delivery setup can capture customers those platforms miss.

If you're a cloud kitchen or delivery-focused concept, your website essentially is your storefront. Everything should be optimized for conversion: fast loading, minimal clicks, saved customer preferences, and reorder functionality.

Mobile-First Design (Because That's Where Your Traffic Is)

Check your Google Analytics right now. We'll wait.

Chances are, 75-85% of your traffic is mobile. In Dubai, people browse restaurants on their phones while commuting on the Metro, sitting in traffic on Sheikh Zayed Road, or walking around Dubai Mall trying to decide where to eat.

If your website isn't genuinely mobile-optimized—not just responsive, but actually designed mobile-first—you're actively pushing customers away.

What mobile-first means for restaurants:

• One-tap click-to-call for reservations
• Location and directions accessible within one scroll
• Menu loads fast and doesn't require pinching to zoom
• Reservation forms work perfectly on small screens
• Images load quickly even on spotty 4G
• No horizontal scrolling, no tiny text, no broken layouts

Real example: A Bur Dubai cafe we worked with was getting 1,200 mobile visitors monthly but only 40 reservations. Their booking form was desktop-optimized, and half the fields were cutting off on mobile. We redesigned it mobile-first, and reservations jumped to 180 within the first month.

Mobile isn't the future—it's the present. Design for phones first, then scale up to desktop, not the other way around.

Arabic Language Support (It's Not Just Translation)

Dubai is multilingual, and your website should be too.

Around 40% of UAE residents speak Arabic as their first language. But even beyond that, many families, older customers, and tourists from GCC countries prefer browsing in Arabic. If your website doesn't support it, you're excluding a huge chunk of potential customers.

What proper Arabic support includes:

• Full menu translation, not just the homepage
• Right-to-left (RTL) layout that actually works
• Arabic versions of booking forms and checkout
• Culturally appropriate imagery and tone
• Arabic SEO optimization for local search

What doesn't count as Arabic support:

• Google Translate widget stuck in the corner
• English layout with Arabic text awkwardly squeezed in
• Half-translated pages where the menu is still in English
• Arabic text that breaks on mobile

Work with a native Arabic speaker for translation. Google Translate will give you grammatically correct text that sounds bizarre to actual Arabic speakers. Menu items especially need cultural context—"beef sliders" doesn't translate literally into something appetizing.

Also, consider that Arabic users often search differently. They might search for مطعم إيطالي في دبي (Italian restaurant in Dubai) rather than the English equivalent. Your Arabic SEO needs to reflect actual search behavior, not just translated keywords.

Smart Reservation System

OpenTable is popular internationally, but in Dubai, things work a bit differently. Many restaurants still rely on phone reservations, which is fine for fine dining but frustrating for casual spots.

What a good reservation system should do:

• Show real-time table availability
• Let customers choose specific time slots (not just "lunch" or "dinner")
• Send confirmation via both SMS and email (people in Dubai check both)
• Allow modifications and cancellations without calling
• Integrate with your internal booking system to avoid double-bookings
• Support group reservations with deposit options

Dubai-specific features that help:

• Waitlist functionality for popular spots (especially Thursday-Friday nights)
• Private room or terrace booking with visual previews
• Special occasion flags (birthdays, anniversaries) so staff can prepare
• Integration with valet or parking instructions
• Dress code reminders for upscale venues

Friday brunch functionality: If you do Friday brunch (and in Dubai, who doesn't?), your reservation system needs to handle package selection, beverage preferences, and potentially child menus. Brunch is a revenue driver—don't make people call to book it.

Avoid systems that require customers to create accounts before booking. In our testing, mandatory signups reduce conversion by 40-60%. Let them book as guests, then optionally create an account afterward.

Visual Menu Design (Because PDFs Are Dead)

If your menu is a PDF download, you're stuck in 2015.

Modern restaurant websites have interactive, visual menus that load fast, look beautiful, and actually help customers make decisions. This is especially important in Dubai, where Instagram-ability matters and people want to see what they're ordering.

What works:

• High-quality food photography for hero dishes
• Searchable menu (customers can filter by dietary needs, spice level, ingredients)
• Clear allergen and dietary labels (vegan, gluten-free, halal, etc.)
• Prices in AED (obvious, but some international chains still show USD or EUR)
• Add-to-cart functionality that flows directly into ordering

What doesn't work:

• Stock photos from Shutterstock
• Menus that haven't been updated in 8 months
• Generic descriptions like "fresh ingredients" (everyone says that)
• No prices listed (this isn't a Michelin-star establishment, just show the price)

Description writing tips for Dubai F&B:

• Be specific: "48-hour slow-cooked beef short rib" beats "tender beef"
• Mention origin when it matters: "Scottish salmon" or "Wagyu from Japan"
• Note preparation style: "wood-fired," "charcoal-grilled," "stone-baked"
• Include standout ingredients: "truffle oil," "24k gold leaf," "Manjari chocolate"

People in Dubai appreciate quality and luxury. Your menu descriptions should reflect what makes your dishes worth ordering.

Performance and Speed (Because Patience Is Limited)

This is the unsexy but crucial part: your website needs to load fast.

Dubai has excellent internet infrastructure, but people still won't wait. If your site takes more than 3 seconds to load on mobile, 40% of visitors will bounce before seeing your menu.

Technical optimizations that matter:

• Compress all images (those 5MB food photos are killing your load time)
• Use modern image formats like WebP
• Implement lazy loading so images load as users scroll
• Minimize JavaScript and CSS bloat
• Use a CDN to serve content faster regionally
• Enable browser caching

Why this matters for restaurants specifically: People search for restaurants when they're hungry and impatient. If your competitor's site loads in 1.5 seconds and yours takes 6, they're booking elsewhere. Speed isn't just a technical metric—it's directly tied to revenue.

Test your site on actual mobile devices with 4G (not your office WiFi). Load times that seem fine on desktop can be painful on mobile networks, especially during peak hours.

Location and Accessibility Information

Seems basic, but you'd be surprised how many restaurant websites make this hard.

Essential location information:

• Google Maps embed (not just an address—people want directions)
• Landmarks and nearby metro stations
• Parking instructions (valet, paid parking, free parking, street parking)
• Delivery zones with clear maps
• Opening hours that update for holidays and Ramadan

Dubai-specific details:

• Which mall floor or pavilion you're on
• Outdoor vs. indoor seating availability
• Whether you're family-friendly or adults-only
• Shisha availability
• Pet-friendly terrace info
• Accessibility for people with disabilities

Tourists and new residents especially need this information. Don't assume people know where "next to the Spinneys in JBR" is—give them actual navigation.

Social Proof and Reviews

Dubai diners trust peer recommendations more than advertising. Your website should showcase this.

What works:

• Instagram feed integration (if your food actually looks good)
• Google Reviews widget showing recent ratings
• Customer testimonials with real names and photos
• Press mentions and awards
• Influencer features (if authentic, not paid)

What doesn't work:

• Generic stock testimonials
• Only showing 5-star reviews (looks fake)
• Reviews from 2019 that haven't been updated
• Broken Instagram feeds showing "unable to load"

Let your popularity speak for itself, but don't oversell. A 4.6-star rating with 300 reviews is more credible than a 5.0 with 8 reviews.

Email Capture (Done Right)

Newsletter signups can work for restaurants, but most do it wrong.

Skip the popup that appears 3 seconds after someone lands on your site. It's annoying and kills mobile experience. Instead, offer value in exchange for emails:

• Exclusive access to new menu launches
• Birthday discount or free dessert
• Early reservation access for special events
• Behind-the-scenes content from the chef
• Seasonal tasting menu previews

Dubai residents eat out frequently. If you build a good email list, you can drive repeat visits through targeted campaigns (Thursday night wine pairing dinner, weekend brunch specials, Ramadan iftar bookings).

Common Mistakes Dubai Restaurants Make

Let's talk about what not to do:

1. Auto-playing music or videos Nothing screams "built in 2010" like a website that blasts audio the moment it loads. Don't.

2. Requiring Flash or outdated plugins If your menu requires Flash, rebuild it. Immediately.

3. No clear call-to-action Every page should guide visitors toward booking, ordering, or calling. If someone lands on your "About" page, there should still be a clear CTA.

4. Ignoring Ramadan Update your site for Ramadan. Changed hours, iftar packages, suhoor menus—this matters. Set a calendar reminder.

5. Broken third-party integrations If your Zomato widget or Google Reviews feed breaks, you might not notice for weeks. Check regularly.

6. No clear value proposition Why should someone eat at your restaurant instead of the 50 others nearby? Your homepage should answer this in 5 seconds.

SEO for Dubai Restaurant Websites

You need to be found when people search for restaurants near them.

Local SEO basics:

• Google My Business listing (complete, verified, updated)
• Location-specific keywords: "Italian restaurant Dubai Marina," "best brunch JBR," "Indian food Karama"
• Schema markup for restaurants (opening hours, menu, ratings)
• Mobile-friendly site (Google prioritizes this)
• Fast load times (also a ranking factor)

Content that helps SEO:

• Blog posts about your chef, sourcing, menu development
• Event pages for brunches, live music, themed nights
• Seasonal menu updates
• Neighborhood guides (if you're in a tourist area)

People search for "where to eat in Dubai" thousands of times daily. Your website should show up.

Bottom Line: What Actually Drives Reservations

At the end of the day, your restaurant website has one job: convert visitors into customers.

It should be:

• Fast (loads in under 3 seconds)
• Mobile-friendly (genuinely, not just technically responsive)
• Easy to navigate (menu, location, booking in 2 clicks)
• Visually appealing (but not at the expense of speed)
• Functional in both English and Arabic
• Integrated with ordering and reservations
• Updated regularly

It shouldn't be:

• An afterthought that hasn't been touched in 2 years
• A dumping ground for every idea your marketing team had
• Prioritizing design over usability
• Ignoring analytics data about what customers actually do

The best restaurant websites aren't the flashiest—they're the ones that make it effortless to book a table or place an order. Focus on that, and everything else will follow.

Dubai's F&B market is unforgiving. Your website is often the first interaction potential customers have with your brand. Make it count.