Squarespace vs Wix vs Custom Restaurant Website
By MarketingToolsProHub Editorial Team | Last updated: | 4 min read
Should a restaurant use Squarespace, Wix or a custom website?
For a single restaurant with a simple menu, Squarespace or Wix is usually enough: both have restaurant menus and connect to booking and ordering tools. Restaurants on a POS such as Toast can use its synced website. A custom site fits groups, private dining, events and anything the builders can't do well.
- Squarespace: menu pages, reservations through Tock and ordering through ChowNow; US plans from $19 a month billed annually.
- Wix: its own Menus, Orders and Table Reservations apps; orders and bookings need a paid plan (from $29 a month for payments).
- Toast Websites keep your menu in sync with Toast POS; pricing is by quote.
- BentoBox is now part of Clover and only available to Clover POS customers.
- Custom: a one-off build for restaurants that need more than a template, with no platform tied to your POS.
How do Squarespace, Wix and a custom site compare for restaurants?
| Feature | Squarespace | Wix | Custom website |
|---|---|---|---|
| Menu | Built-in menu layouts, no PDF needed | Restaurant Menus app | Designed for your menus, editable by your team |
| Reservations | Tock (or a contact page) | Wix Table Reservations | Your platform embedded, or a built-in booking system |
| Online ordering | ChowNow | Wix Restaurant Orders | Your ordering tool connected, or built in |
| Price | $19, $29, $49 or $99 a month | $17, $29, $39 or $159 a month | From $5,000 one-off, plus hosting |
| Who builds it | You | You | Us, to a fixed written quote |
These are approximate figures based on published pricing and industry reports at the time of writing. Your actual cost depends on your scope and will be confirmed after a free discovery call with us.
For restaurant sites we build, see our restaurant website design page.
Is Squarespace good for a restaurant website?
For design-led restaurants with one location, often yes. Squarespace says its menu layouts are indexable by search engines and easier to edit than a PDF, and it adds reservations through Tock and commission-free ordering through ChowNow. Both are separate services with their own fees.
It's less flexible when you need several menus per location, deep POS integration, or a booking flow that isn't Tock's.
Is Wix good for a restaurant website?
Wix keeps more inside its own system. Wix Restaurants is made up of Menus, Orders and Table Reservations apps: menus work on any plan, while you need to upgrade your site to accept online orders and payments or table bookings. Plans that accept payments start with Core at $29 a month billed annually in the US.
It's a reasonable all-in-one for a small restaurant. Check that its ordering handles your modifiers and that reservations fit how you seat tables.
What about Toast, BentoBox and other restaurant platforms?
If you already use a restaurant POS, check its website product first. Toast Websites stay in sync with your Toast menu, online ordering and POS in real time, which saves updating prices twice; pricing comes through a demo. BentoBox is now part of Clover, and new BentoBox services are only available to Clover POS customers.
The trade-off is lock-in: if you change POS, the website usually goes with it. Our guide to restaurant website costs compares builders, restaurant platforms and custom builds over three years.
When does a custom restaurant website make sense?
- You run several locations with different menus, hours and booking rules.
- Private dining, events or catering bring in a large share of revenue and need proper enquiry flows.
- You want to keep your website if you change POS, booking or ordering provider.
- The builder can't do what you need without workarounds your team struggles to maintain.
With us, a custom restaurant website starts at $5,000 (Custom Business Website), or $7,500 with a booking system built in, with a fixed written quote after a free discovery call. You own the website, code and domain once paid.
See it in action. Our demo Maison Noir has a menu as a real web page, a "Book your table" form and a private-dining section. It's a demo we built, not a client project.
How do you choose between them?
- List what the site must do: menus, booking, ordering, events, gift cards, locations.
- Check what you already pay for: your POS, reservation and ordering tools may include a website.
- Test the builders on a phone with your real menu and one booking or order.
- Count your team's time: a builder is cheaper only if someone keeps it updated.
- Compare over three years, not month one.
Our restaurant website checklist helps with step 1, and our guide to OpenTable alternatives covers the booking side. Check your current site with our free restaurant website grader.
Frequently asked questions
Summary
Squarespace and Wix both suit a single restaurant with a simple menu, connecting to booking and ordering tools for from about $19 a month. POS websites such as Toast's save double updates but tie you to the POS, and a custom site fits groups, events and anything the builders can't do well.
Check your current site with our free restaurant website grader.
Sources checked
Information checked on . Prices, fees and policies change, so confirm details with the source before relying on them. This article is general information, not legal or tax advice.