Her article, for the most part, focuses on the over animated, flash driven, .pdf menus that plague the restaurant scene. I know I've been there before. All you want to do is view the menu on the website. The problem is, you get to the "enter" page and can't figure out how to actually enter. You click the icon or the "enter" logo (it's size 3 font in the top left corner in a font color that blends with the background), you have to wait 4 minutes for the main page to load. When you finally do enter and you track down the "menu" section, you get a menu that you need to download a .pdf menu file (that's probably 5 years old an irrelevant) or it says, "page under construction."
There are a few restaurants around here that come to mind when I think of the over-the-top Flash dependence (Cinderella in Fall River. Great restaurant, terrible site). However, locally (Fall River/New Bedford area), I have another problem with restaurant websites. They're either entirely outdated (they are more poorly constructed than my free blogger page) or absent entirely. Maybe it's just me, but a Facebook page doesn't really cut it when you're trying to promote a real restaurant.
I don't really want to pick on anyone, but I'm going to single out Mesa 21 in Fall River. The restaurant is excellent. Real wood fired pizzas, excellent entrees with a Portuguese twist, active, fun bar and a strikingly attractive interior. Well, a quick Google search turns this up. You get a map (it actually is useful for the uninitiated, Mesa is off the beaten path), a link to a facebook page, a Yelp link, and a few third-rate review sites and menu sites (which can't be depended on). What you don't get is a website showing you interior shots, photos of the food, an active (or recent) menu, a drink list, hours of operation (which aren't ordinary at Mesa), specials, etc.
As someone who relies on the internet for information about these places, I find it frustrating. As a restaurant in an era where everything is digital, I don't know how you don't have a website! It's really not expensive and you don't need to go over the top with the animations (in fact, they're often a hindrance if you read the linked article above). A page with some nice photos of both the food and the interior combined with a relatively current sample menu (at least something displaying the right season), and some basic information (up to date specials are a plus). Cotali Mar is another great restaurant in New Bedford serving up excellent high end Portuguese food. Until recently, you couldn't find their hours of operation on their website. Now, it's in tiny print along the bottom of the page.
One of the more effective websites is the Waterfront Grille. It's attractive but simple. No flash "enter" page to deal with. The hours are posted on the first page. Clicking the "menu" link takes you right to the menu page which is current. There area few more pages with good "bonus" information too.
Still, too many restaurants don't have pages at all. Some of my favorites: Academica, Fall River, Ginger Grill, New Bedford, Bella, Fall River, Roasted Pig New Bedford. and many others. It makes it hard for outsiders to find these places or find out if they're even still open. That's fine if you don't want to get the word out (Mesa 21 has a lively and active crowd who are mostly regulars); but it's tough if you want to continue attracting new people. I work hard to find new and hidden places. Not everyone wants to do that. I ate at the Roasted Pig a few weeks ago (probably one of the best restaurants in the region, by the way) and shared my experience with my friends (who don't live in New Bedford). It was nearly impossible to describe the menu (yes they have roasted suckling pig) and even harder to tell them where it is (Nash Rd. isn't a primary downtown thoroughfare). A google search would lead one to question whether or not it even exists.
I would bet that restaurants with good websites get at least a 50% boost in customers as a result. A hell of a value considering that it only costs around $20-40 per year to run a halfway decent website. Websites today are almost idiot proof. Create something with Blogger or Wordpress and buy the domanin name. You don't need to know code for that. It's a shame that many great restaurants die before they get discovered. The internet can really offset that problem.
