Restaurant Websites in Spain & LatAm: WhatsApp, TheFork, Google Booking

How a restaurant site should take bookings in Spanish-speaking markets — and when TheFork’s commission is a tax on people who already searched your name.

Written and reviewed by Artem Palamarchuk, Founder of BLEX STUDIO.

Does a restaurant website have to take bookings?

Yes. If it does not, TheFork or the venue phone will — and they keep the relationship. Spain defaults to ElTenedor/CoverManager. LatAm defaults to WhatsApp. A photo gallery is a slow Instagram.

The menu is data, not a PDF

An 8 MB PDF on mobile is a fine. Instagram does not rank “menu [name] [city]”. HTML dishes, prices and allergens do.

Delivery apps are not your website

Rappi and Uber Eats fill the ticket and keep the customer. Build owned checkout only when volume pays for it.

A restaurant does not need origin storytelling. It needs a table at 9pm Friday.

Frequently asked questions

Cost?

5,000–18,000 USD with a real booking path.

Need an app?

No. People book in Maps or WhatsApp.

TheFork or owned?

If they search your name, cut the commission. Measure branded bookings first.

Two languages?

If tourists are real covers, yes. It is dishes and allergens, not a toggle.

Instagram DMs?

A channel, not a system. Send them to the business WhatsApp.