Building Niche Sites For Restaurants

[Aztec Silver]

Hello Guys, I'm building websites for money - how original

I've built sites for cash before with moderate success. I definitely couldn't quit my job but it was a promising lead.

Years went by and more lucrative business opportunities came my way. I left the web dev gig to focus on running and selling businesses.

I'm at a point where one thing is on my mind; INVEST, INVEST, INVEST.

I'm using all the money I don't put away or spend on bills to fund businesses. I own only 2 out of 4 businesses that I fund. 3 of these businesses have a more obvious and immediate ROI.

I want to own more of the businesses I run so now I'm back to web dev. I've been away from the gig for some time but not ignorant to its market.

Some think web dev is hard or dead, It's not. I tested it myself and using data I collected when I was in the game I learned restaurants are the most profitable for selling website. I dusted off the Siteground and Elementor subscriptions and went up to the newest place in town. Got a quick $200 for a static site, not bad, need better.

I learned 2 things when working with the client:

1. Restaurant needs have changed and require more technical services
2. Business owners are no longer neanderthals when it comes to the big WWW

While I conduct my own research and destroy my local competition, I wanted to ask you guys what I should be looking at?

Do any web devs understand what the food places look for these days in a website? are uber/doordash buttons worth looking into? Just want your input.

Cheers and if this thread even gets a reply I will share my other businesses. I started with no money and invested profits to create others.

 

[Routine34]

How can you even make a profit selling $200 websites. My cost for designing and coding a website from scratch is around $1500-$2000 USD

 

[Total Noob]

$200 is super low, though maybe not depending on your country.

Maybe look into providing inhouse online ordering platforms. Restaurants hate the fees that come along w/ Grubhub etc.

 

[GenesisOne]

How can you even make a profit selling $200 websites. My cost for designing and coding a website from scratch is around $1500-$2000 USD

That's why I stopped selling this services.
People that don't value their work just to make some pennies.
Don't think that can be tagged as building a business.

 

[theeyeinside]

In this day and age, there is NO SUCH THING as "coding from scratch"

Never trust a client's well being with someone that can leave town in a second.

The question is - are you in the "web designer business"?

Or are you in the "service provider" business?

Each web designer thinks they are the greatest in the world and their perceived value is LOW.

You want to be a service provider so that in case there are problems, you can fire the designer and hire another.

So you want to use a theme that was designed by a team that are experts in your restaurant niche.

Here are some at the gpl coffee theme club. There are more.

Foody
Espresso
Tomato
White Rock
Caverta
Wine House
Cristiano
Berg
Rose
LemonChili
Nuvo
Linofeast

The key is to install several of these on your vps or dedicated server. Make a portfolio to show a prospective client.

Find one of those GraphicRiver proposal templates and fill it with color images of these sites, specifically listing the functionality that they come with.

Then sales pitch it as a REVENUE SHARE

You handle everything. Domain. Putting in the menus. Mailchimp list building. Etc Etc.

Ask for 3%. Settle for 2%. You can track it using the online reservations plugin.

You should be able to sell between 50 and 100 of these sites in your city and within 10 miles around you in 6 months if you work it hard. It costs them NOTHING to start. Why would they say no?

If you had 100 of these sites and each one was making $10 a day, that is $30,000 a month. And it will only grow as people get used to making those reservations.

The only thing you will have to think about is what gated community you are going to buy your new house in.

Sincerely,

TheEye

 

[Routine34]

In this day and age, there is NO SUCH THING as "coding from scratch"

Never trust a client's well being with someone that can leave town in a second.

The question is - are you in the "web designer business"?

Or are you in the "service provider" business?

Each web designer thinks they are the greatest in the world and their perceived value is LOW.

You want to be a service provider so that in case there are problems, you can fire the designer and hire another.

So you want to use a theme that was designed by a team that are experts in your restaurant niche.

Here are some at the gpl coffee theme club. There are more.

Foody
Espresso
Tomato
White Rock
Caverta
Wine House
Cristiano
Berg
Rose
LemonChili
Nuvo
Linofeast

The key is to install several of these on your vps or dedicated server. Make a portfolio to show a prospective client.

Find one of those GraphicRiver proposal templates and fill it with color images of these sites, specifically listing the functionality that they come with.

Then sales pitch it as a REVENUE SHARE

You handle everything. Domain. Putting in the menus. Mailchimp list building. Etc Etc.

Ask for 3%. Settle for 2%. You can track it using the online reservations plugin.

You should be able to sell between 50 and 100 of these sites in your city and within 10 miles around you in 6 months if you work it hard. It costs them NOTHING to start. Why would they say no?

If you had 100 of these sites and each one was making $10 a day, that is $30,000 a month. And it will only grow as people get used to making those reservations.

The only thing you will have to think about is what gated community you are going to buy your new house in.

Sincerely,

TheEye

Your post is making my eyes bleed. I am neither a web designer or a web developer. I am a business man. I could do just like you and download a bunch of hacked themes and upload it on a server and call it a portfolio but I offer customized digital services and I care about my reputation. Real businesses that see the value a website add to their brand is what I am looking for. Also, yes, you can 100% code a website from scratch. I don’t know where you get the feeling that you can’t?

Just an example of the expenses I have for a regular 5 pages website:

- UI/Wireframe : $250
- UX : 450
- Development : $700 - $850 depending on whether the client wants a pure HTML or Wordpress website.

And that’s just for a basic website. It’s also not even counting content or my own personal time I invest in going back and forth with the client about ideas to reach his online goals, whether it’s driving more sales, leads or better ways to put out the information his clients is searching for while browsing his website.

 

[kimblens]

In this day and age, there is NO SUCH THING as "coding from scratch"

Never trust a client's well being with someone that can leave town in a second.

The question is - are you in the "web designer business"?

Or are you in the "service provider" business?

Each web designer thinks they are the greatest in the world and their perceived value is LOW.

You want to be a service provider so that in case there are problems, you can fire the designer and hire another.

So you want to use a theme that was designed by a team that are experts in your restaurant niche.

Here are some at the gpl coffee theme club. There are more.

Foody
Espresso
Tomato
White Rock
Caverta
Wine House
Cristiano
Berg
Rose
LemonChili
Nuvo
Linofeast

The key is to install several of these on your vps or dedicated server. Make a portfolio to show a prospective client.

Find one of those GraphicRiver proposal templates and fill it with color images of these sites, specifically listing the functionality that they come with.

Then sales pitch it as a REVENUE SHARE

You handle everything. Domain. Putting in the menus. Mailchimp list building. Etc Etc.

Ask for 3%. Settle for 2%. You can track it using the online reservations plugin.

You should be able to sell between 50 and 100 of these sites in your city and within 10 miles around you in 6 months if you work it hard. It costs them NOTHING to start. Why would they say no?

If you had 100 of these sites and each one was making $10 a day, that is $30,000 a month. And it will only grow as people get used to making those reservations.

The only thing you will have to think about is what gated community you are going to buy your new house in.

Sincerely,

TheEye

How can you track the revenue share, with the reservation plugin you only tracks reservations no?
And 2% revenue share is not a big deal, is it?
Thanks

 

[Aztec Silver]

Oh man, you guys have really given me some great feedback! I will follow up one by one as there's lots to learn but a few clarifications:

• $200 is absolutely low for an experienced web dev but not for a seasoned amateur with no portfolio who put something together in 3 hours.
• I'm looking to learn from the ground up even if I'm not new to wordpress and html. I'm not the best web dev but I'm a good businessman.
• Knowledge over money rn, I'm looking for a scalable business down the line, not a quick buck.

Thanks and keep input and critiques coming

 

[Aztec Silver]

How can you even make a profit selling $200 websites. My cost for designing and coding a website from scratch is around $1500-$2000 USD

I lowballed the business owner for the experience not the money. I'm getting my foot in the door. This business is new and won't generate profit yet (that's what my other businesses are for.) I do have a question, what do your expenses look like business wise? The 200 dollars not only paid for a year's hosting, domain, and wordpress plugins, I profited $15. An expert is paid for their expertise (I assume you are one) but does it really take you $2k to profit? Thanks!

 

[Aztec Silver]

$200 is super low, though maybe not depending on your country.

Maybe look into providing inhouse online ordering platforms. Restaurants hate the fees that come along w/ Grubhub etc.

That's a great suggestion! I'm debating this as I learn what my local business owners prefer- a trusted brand that takes a huge chunk by % or a one time payment for a tailored system that will pay off in the long run.

Also 200 is low in New York, I just need to get my foot in the door and "free" is not an option Haha. Thank you!

 

[Aztec Silver]

In this day and age, there is NO SUCH THING as "coding from scratch"

Never trust a client's well being with someone that can leave town in a second.

The question is - are you in the "web designer business"?

Or are you in the "service provider" business?

Each web designer thinks they are the greatest in the world and their perceived value is LOW.

You want to be a service provider so that in case there are problems, you can fire the designer and hire another.

So you want to use a theme that was designed by a team that are experts in your restaurant niche.

Here are some at the gpl coffee theme club. There are more.

Foody
Espresso
Tomato
White Rock
Caverta
Wine House
Cristiano
Berg
Rose
LemonChili
Nuvo
Linofeast

The key is to install several of these on your vps or dedicated server. Make a portfolio to show a prospective client.

Find one of those GraphicRiver proposal templates and fill it with color images of these sites, specifically listing the functionality that they come with.

Then sales pitch it as a REVENUE SHARE

You handle everything. Domain. Putting in the menus. Mailchimp list building. Etc Etc.

Ask for 3%. Settle for 2%. You can track it using the online reservations plugin.

You should be able to sell between 50 and 100 of these sites in your city and within 10 miles around you in 6 months if you work it hard. It costs them NOTHING to start. Why would they say no?

If you had 100 of these sites and each one was making $10 a day, that is $30,000 a month. And it will only grow as people get used to making those reservations.

The only thing you will have to think about is what gated community you are going to buy your new house in.

Sincerely,

TheEye

This was actually real helpful, especially the second half. I am certainly looking into making monthly revenue off of the businesses I work with, the question is what add on service can be worth $50+ to a business?

I appreciate the input even tho I half believe you're a bot, hehe, no offense. Thanks

 

[AndreiDoesMarketing]

$200 is super low, though maybe not depending on your country.

Maybe look into providing inhouse online ordering platforms. Restaurants hate the fees that come along w/ Grubhub etc.

Good idea and better to combine it with website creation and support.
The fees they are paying to the big players are in the 10-15% range and that s on the full price including VAT. You can easily offer something better and then when they re seeing how good it s going for them pitch them some social media and orm package, charging them monthly.

I know somebofy doing this and he s handling the pos as well ( a pc with a touchscreen interface and a printer which is printing the order automatically when placed on the website) All are connected.
But he has a rudimental approach, lots of room for improvement. However, there is quite a gap in the market for this.

I only have one thing that s hard to figure out for me. How do you actually put together a system like this. A cheap website where there is a menu and a reservation form. Customers can order items on the menu ( accept card payment online or cash ) and then order is printed. I m not even going to ask about the pos and that software.

I am interested in both ways to do it (thinking there are 2)
Build it yourself
or
Buy it

Thanks everyone for your input