If you run a restaurant, your website has two jobs. It has to show up when someone nearby searches for what you cook, and it has to make ordering easy once they land. A lot of builders do the first part fine and fall apart on the second, or the other way around.
We make DinerMagnet, so we're not neutral. We'll tell you where we fit, but we'll also tell you when another option makes more sense. Prices below are what we could confirm in November 2026. They change, so check each company's site before you sign anything.
What to look for first
Before you compare logos, decide what you need the site to do. For most independent restaurants it comes down to five things:
- Online ordering that's built in, not bolted on with a third-party widget.
- Your own domain. If your menu lives on a POS company's web address, the search traffic builds up for them, not you.
- Pages Google can read. One long page with a PDF menu is hard to rank. Separate pages for your menu and dishes, with hours and address marked up properly, do much better.
- Fees you can predict. A monthly price is easy to plan for. A percentage of every order grows as you get busier.
- Who owns the guest list. When someone orders, do you get their email and phone number so you can bring them back?
Keep those in mind as you read the list.
The main options
Squarespace and Wix
General website builders are where a lot of owners start. They look good and they're cheap. ChowNow's own guide puts Squarespace at about $16 to $99 a month on annual billing.
The catch is ordering. Neither is built for restaurants, so you'll usually connect a separate ordering service, and that's a second bill and a second login. Menus also tend to end up as images or PDFs, which Google can't read well.
Good fit if: you mostly need a nice-looking info page and don't take many online orders.
Owner.com
Owner.com is the best-known all-in-one option right now: website, ordering, an app and automated marketing. Third-party pricing pages list two plans, about $249 a month plus 5% per order, or $499 a month flat. Guests also pay a 5% order support fee on both plans, according to the same sources.
It's a strong product, and plenty of restaurants do well on it. The question is cost. At $499 a month, you're paying about $6,000 a year before any order fees.
Good fit if: you want a proven all-in-one platform and the monthly price isn't a concern.
ChowNow
ChowNow started as an online ordering company and now includes a website builder in its plans. Capterra lists three plans in 2026: Launch at $229 a month, Grow at $319 and Elevate at $409. Card processing is extra.
ChowNow is a solid pick if ordering is your main focus and you're comfortable with a set monthly fee.
Good fit if: you want an established ordering company and a simple site.
BentoBox and Popmenu
Both are popular with full-service restaurants and restaurant groups that care a lot about design. BentoBox is known for polished, hospitality-style sites. Popmenu focuses on interactive menus and marketing tools. Pricing is mostly through their sales teams, so you'll need to ask for a quote.
Good fit if: you're a sit-down restaurant where reservations and brand look matter more than takeout volume.
DinerMagnet
Here's where we fit. DinerMagnet gives you a restaurant website built to get found on Google, commission-free online ordering, a branded app and automated marketing in one place.
What's different is the price structure. Starter is $0 a month with a $0.99 fee per online order, which you can pass to the guest or cover yourself. Growth is $199 a month and Pro is $349, both with no per-order fees. There's no setup fee, and no plan takes a percentage of your sales. The full breakdown is on our pricing page.
Good fit if: you're an independent restaurant that wants to own its orders and guest list without a big monthly bill on day one.
Side by side
| Builder | Monthly price | Per-order fee | Built-in ordering | Restaurant-specific |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Squarespace | ~$16–$99 | Depends on add-on | No | No |
| Owner.com | $249 or $499 | 5% (Flex plan) + 5% guest fee | Yes | Yes |
| ChowNow | $229–$409 | Card processing | Yes | Yes |
| BentoBox / Popmenu | Quote | Varies | Yes | Yes |
| DinerMagnet | $0, $199 or $349 | $0.99 on Starter, none on paid plans | Yes | Yes |
How to choose in ten minutes
- Count your online orders. Under a hundred a month? A free or low-cost plan makes more sense than a $400 subscription.
- Do the fee math. Multiply your monthly orders by your average ticket, then by any percentage fee. Compare that to the flat plans.
- Ask who owns the domain and the guest data. Get it in writing.
- Click through a real demo. You can try ours here without signing up, and most competitors offer one too.
If you want a deeper look at what you'll spend, we broke down how much a restaurant website costs in 2026, including the fees people forget.
FAQ
What is the best website builder for a small restaurant?
For a small restaurant that takes online orders, pick a restaurant-specific builder with ordering built in. General builders like Squarespace are cheaper to start but need a separate ordering service. If budget is tight, look for a plan with no monthly fee.
Can I use Squarespace or Wix for online ordering?
Yes, but usually through a third-party ordering add-on. That means two bills, two logins and a checkout that may not match your site.
Do I need my own domain name?
Yes. A domain in your name means the search traffic and reputation build up for your restaurant. A standard .com usually costs about $10 to $25 a year.
How long does it take to build a restaurant website?
With a restaurant-specific platform, most restaurants are live in days to a couple of weeks. Agencies usually take one to two months. With DinerMagnet, most restaurants are live in a week or less.