The About Us page is the most underused sales tool on most restaurant websites. Guests who click it are not passively browsing — they're actively trying to decide whether they want to spend their time and money with you. They want to know why you exist, what you stand for, and whether they'll feel comfortable walking through your door. A well-written restaurant About Us page answers those questions and converts curious visitors into confident bookings. A poorly written one — full of clichés and generic claims — convinces no one.
Most restaurant About Us pages fail for the same reasons: they're written to impress rather than to connect, they use language that sounds like marketing copy rather than a real person talking, and they focus on what the restaurant does rather than why it exists and who the people behind it are. This guide covers exactly what to include, how to structure it, and what to cut so that your About page actually does the work it's supposed to do.
What Guests Actually Want to Read
When someone clicks your About page, they're asking a small number of questions. Why did you open this restaurant? What makes you different from the three other Italian places within a mile? Who are the people cooking my food and taking my order? And — most importantly — will I enjoy being here?
These questions call for specific, honest answers. Not "we are passionate about food" (everyone claims this), but "we opened in 2018 because we couldn't find a neighbourhood restaurant that felt like a real kitchen — unpretentious food, a short menu that changes weekly, a room where you can actually hear the person across the table." That's a story. That's a reason to choose you.
Guests are also doing a quiet risk assessment. Spending an evening out — the cost, the planning, the expectation — is an investment. An About page that gives them a genuine sense of who you are reduces that perceived risk and tips them towards making the booking.
A Structure That Works
The hook. Open with something specific that draws the reader in. Not "Welcome to [Restaurant Name]." Something that immediately establishes your character: a single sharp sentence about what makes you worth visiting, a striking fact about your sourcing, or a question that captures the spirit of your food. You have about three seconds before a visitor decides whether to keep reading.
The origin story. This doesn't need to be long — two or three sentences is enough. How did this restaurant come to exist? Was it a lifelong ambition? A return to your grandmother's recipes? A frustration with what the neighbourhood was missing? Specificity is everything here. "After working in Michelin-starred kitchens in Lyon for six years, I wanted to cook the kind of food I actually eat at home" tells a story. "We have a passion for great food and warm service" tells nothing.
What you stand for. One short paragraph on your food philosophy, your sourcing approach, or what the experience is like. Again: specific, not generic. "We source from farms within 50 miles and change the menu every Monday based on what's arrived that week" is credible. "We believe in fresh, locally sourced ingredients" is noise.
The team. A brief mention of the key people, with real personality. You don't need a full bio for every staff member, but putting two or three real people in the story — the chef who grew up in this neighbourhood, the front-of-house manager who's been here since the beginning — makes the restaurant feel human rather than corporate.
The invitation. End with a warm, direct invitation to visit. A short sentence followed by a booking link or a "Find us" link. This is the CTA your About page needs. Don't end with a paragraph about your philosophy and leave the guest wondering what to do next.
Avoiding Clichés
A short list of phrases that have lost all meaning through overuse, and should be cut from any restaurant About page:
- "Passion for food"
- "Family atmosphere"
- "Fresh, locally sourced ingredients" (acceptable only if made specific)
- "We pride ourselves on..."
- "A dining experience like no other"
- "From our family to yours"
The test is simple: could another restaurant use this exact sentence without changing a word? If yes, cut it or rewrite it with specifics that only apply to you.
Using Specific Details Instead of Generic Claims
Every generic claim can be replaced with a specific detail that makes the same point more credibly. Instead of "we use the freshest ingredients," try "we visit the market every Thursday morning and build the week's specials around what looks best." Instead of "our chef has years of experience," try "our head chef trained under Marco Tamietti in Bologna before returning to Edinburgh to open Luca's." Specific details are harder to fake, which is exactly why they build trust.
Adding a Photo
An About page without a photo is a missed opportunity. A single photo of the team, the chef at work, or a candid kitchen moment does more to communicate character than anything you can write. It doesn't need to be a professional shoot — a well-lit, in-focus phone photo of real people in your space is more authentic than a stock image and more effective than no photo at all. If you do invest in professional photography, the About page is where a team portrait pays the highest return.
Keeping It Short
Two hundred and fifty to four hundred words is the right length for a restaurant About page. Long enough to tell a real story and give a sense of character; short enough that a guest who's deciding whether to book will actually read it rather than skim the first paragraph and close the tab. If you've written more than 400 words, ask yourself which paragraphs could be cut without losing anything essential. Brevity is not a compromise — it's a sign of editorial confidence.
Updating It When the Story Evolves
Your About page should be a living document. When you hit a milestone anniversary, when your chef changes, when you expand or relocate, when your sourcing approach evolves — update it. A page that was written at opening and never touched again starts to feel like a time capsule rather than a living business. A quick review once or twice a year, with small updates to keep the story current, is all it takes.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should a restaurant About Us page be? Between 250 and 400 words for most restaurants. That's long enough to tell a meaningful story and give guests a real sense of who you are, but short enough that a motivated reader will actually finish it. If your restaurant has a genuinely complex or interesting history, you can stretch to 500 words — but be honest with yourself about whether every sentence earns its place.
Should I write the About page in first person or third person? First person ("we opened Luca's because...") feels warmer and more direct for most restaurants, particularly independent ones. Third person ("Luca's was founded in 2018...") can work for more formal establishments or if the About page needs to double as a press bio. The key is consistency — don't switch between "I" and "the restaurant" within the same page.
What's the difference between an About Us page and a press bio? An About Us page is written for guests and should be warm, conversational, and focused on why someone would want to visit. A press bio is written for journalists and media contacts; it should be factual, third person, and include specific details that a journalist can quote — founding year, notable accolades, key facts about the chef or concept. You need both, and they should be different documents.
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