The Situation
The restaurant's website was a single page with a PDF menu and a phone number. No online reservation form, no content, no structured data. TheFork and similar platforms had become the de facto booking channel, which meant Annika was paying commission even for regulars who would have booked directly. The restaurant was invisible for searches like 'fine dining Rotterdam' or 'Indonesian restaurant Netherlands'.
The Turning Point
When Annika calculated that platform commissions had cost €33,600 in the previous year — equivalent to a full-time salary — she decided to invest in owning her restaurant's online presence.
What We Did — And Why
We built a website that told the restaurant's story as vividly as the food itself. Each seasonal menu page included ingredient sourcing stories and preparation philosophy. Rich schema markup ensured Google displayed menu items, price ranges, and ratings directly in search results. The content strategy positioned the restaurant within Rotterdam's food culture — articles about local fish markets, seasonal Dutch-Indonesian ingredients, and the stories behind signature dishes attracted food enthusiasts planning their visits.
Our Approach
- 1.Rebuilt the website with restaurant schema markup (menu items, price ranges, cuisine type, reservation availability) and created seasonal menu pages with ingredient sourcing stories.
- 2.Developed a content strategy around Rotterdam food culture, publishing articles about local suppliers, seasonal ingredients, and Dutch-Indonesian culinary heritage that attracted food enthusiast traffic.
- 3.Launched a Google Business Profile optimization campaign with professional food photography, weekly specials posts, and a systematic approach to encouraging diner reviews.
The Results
Direct bookings more than doubled from 48 to 116 per week. Weekday covers jumped from 67% to 94% as the restaurant appeared prominently for 'restaurant Rotterdam' and cuisine-specific searches. Platform dependency dropped from 60% to 22% of bookings, saving approximately €2,800 per month in commissions. Several food bloggers discovered the restaurant through its content and provided additional coverage.
In Their Own Words
“Annika shared: 'Our website is now an extension of our kitchen. It tells people who we are before they sit down. The guests who find us through Google are exactly the kind of diners we want — curious, appreciative, and eager to experience what we do.'”