What slop looks like in restaurants and cafés
A hero photo of a dish that was never cooked in that kitchen, "An unforgettable culinary experience", a menu as a PDF or as three cards labelled Starters, Mains and Desserts with the prices missing, and a reservation form that goes nowhere. Opening hours in the footer, if at all.
What a designer would have done
Hours, address and the menu with prices on the first screen, photos taken in the room, a reservation link that works, and a sentence about who cooks. Nothing else is needed.
Tells to check first
- Not one real photograph: Nothing on the site shows this business's actual place, people, product or work.
- No address, no phone, no name: No physical address, no phone number, no named person anywhere, only a form that may or may not work.
- A form that submits to nothing: A contact or sign-up form with no action, no handler, or a success message that appears whatever you type.
- Buttons that go nowhere: Primary buttons linking to "#", navigation items that reload the home page, a "Learn more" that learns nothing.
- The swap-test headline: A headline of the form "Innovative solutions for your business" or "Your reliable partner for X": swap in a competitor's name and nothing changes.