Choosing the Right Domain for Your Restaurant

Your restaurant's domain name affects how customers find you, remember you, and talk about you. The best restaurant domains share three traits: they're short, they hint at what you serve, and they're easy to spell after hearing them once.

What Makes a Good Restaurant Domain

Cuisine-specific names work when you specialize. A sushi restaurant named "TunaHouse.com" tells customers what they'll get before they click. Generic names like "TheTable.com" work better for establishments that want flexibility to change their menu over time.

Location matters for local SEO. "AustinTacos.com" will rank for Austin taco searches without extra effort. But location locks you in - if you plan to franchise or open in multiple cities, a brandable name gives you room to grow.

Common Naming Patterns

[Cuisine] + [Location]: Simple and effective. ItalianAustin, SushiDenver, TacosBrooklyn. These domains tell Google exactly what you are and where you are.

[Ingredient] + [Style]: Focuses on your specialty. OliveKitchen, SeafoodBistro, FreshBurger. Works well when your menu centers on specific ingredients.

[Chef/Owner Name] + [Restaurant Type]: Personal branding for chef-driven concepts. MarcosTrattoria, ChefLeeKitchen. Builds around a personality rather than a cuisine.

TLD Recommendations

.com remains the default. Customers type it without thinking. If you can get your name in .com, take it.

.menu works specifically for restaurants and signals exactly what your site contains. Available inventory is much better than .com.

.restaurant is descriptive but long. Consider it only if the domain before the dot is very short.

Mistakes to Avoid

Hyphens confuse customers. When someone tells a friend about "Italian-Kitchen.com," they'll likely type "ItalianKitchen.com" and land on a competitor.

Numbers require explanation. Is it "5StarBistro" or "FiveStarBistro"? Either way, half your word-of-mouth referrals will get lost.

Misspellings as a style choice backfire. "Eetaly" instead of "Italy" forces you to correct everyone, forever.