Does a Restaurant Need a Website If It Already Has Instagram?
Short answer: yes, if you want Google search, Google Maps, a readable menu, and table bookings that do not depend on an algorithm. Instagram is marketing. A website is infrastructure.
People searching to eat are not scrolling Reels
A diner with high intent types “gastropub near me”, “Sunday roast [city]” or the restaurant name plus “menu”. That query hits Google, not Instagram. If your Google Business Profile links to a Facebook page or a PDF, you lose the booking to the room that made it easy.
Instagram cannot be your menu
Stories expire. Highlights are slow. PDFs pinch-zoom. Over three-quarters of menu checks happen on a phone, often while walking. An HTML menu with dietary tags loads in milliseconds and can be updated the morning the specials change. That is restaurant website design, not social media.
Third-party apps tax every cover
Relying on delivery or booking apps as the website replacement costs £1.50–£3+ per cover, or 15–30% on delivery. A direct reservation flow on your own domain pays for a custom site in weeks if you are busy. See restaurant website cost in the UK.
You do not own Instagram
Accounts get restricted. Reach drops. Links are buried. A website on a domain you own, with code you own, is a business asset. Social should point at it — not replace it.
A restaurant site built for menus and bookings.
Explore the Cinder & Field prototype, then start a hospitality project.