What's wrong with 25 restaurant websites
We reviewed 25 restaurant and bar websites in Málaga and the Costa del Sol in October 2026. The faults, counted one by one and ordered by frequency, what they cost the owner and what to do about each.
The sample: 25 venues, picked, not random
Between 15 and 21 October 2026 we looked at how 25 restaurants and bars in Málaga and the Costa del Sol show up online. We chose them ourselves; they didn't come from chance: we looked for venues with a good Google rating and something visibly wrong on a phone. That's why the faults weigh more here than across hospitality as a whole, and why we always say “of the 25 websites we reviewed”, never “X% of restaurants”.
more than 26,000 reviews
on Google between the 25 venues, with a median rating of 4.6 out of 5 across the 23 with a single rating (from 4.1 to 4.8). Customers are happy with what they eat; what fails is what they find when they look the place up.
We don't name any of them. The figures are aggregated and each one says how many venues it covers. If you want to quote them, there's a line ready to copy at the end.
How we measured it
- By hand, on a phone: the website (where there is one), the Google profile, Tripadvisor, Instagram and Facebook, the guides that link to the venue and, where there was one, the menu by the door. We noted what each source says about opening hours, address, phone, email, menu and booking.
- With Lighthouse, Google's free testing tool, on a simulated phone with a slow connection, once per website, from a computer. It's a lab test, not real visitors. Only 14 of the 25 websites could be measured: the other 11 have no site, don't open or show an error.
- “Say different things” doesn't mean “wrong”: when the hours on the website and on Google don't match, we don't know which one is right. Neither does the customer.
- “The middle website” is the median: half the sites are above it and half below.
The faults, by frequency
Every fault comes with its count (how many of the 25 venues), what it means, what it costs the owner and what to do. We don't put euros on what's lost because we haven't measured it.
25 of 25
The opening hours don't add up, or aren't there
Between the website, the Google profile, Tripadvisor, Facebook, the guides and the printed menu, the hours say different things in 22 venues, and in another 3 the website doesn't give them at all. In 15 there are three versions or more.
- What it costs you
- Someone who checks the profile mid-afternoon and reads “open” can arrive at a closed shutter; someone who reads “closed” by mistake doesn't come. And the phone rings with people asking what time you open.
- What to do
- Decide on one set of hours, put it on the website as text and copy it word for word into the Google profile and the guides. Check it when the season changes. A website can work out “open now” by itself from those hours.
21 of 25
The menu isn't text on the website
In 9 venues the menu is a PDF (6) or photos (3); the rest have no website or one that doesn't open. Only 4 of the 25 have it as text, and one of those without a single price.
- What it costs you
- On a weak signal a PDF is slow to open; on a phone it needs pinch-zooming; and when a price changes it rarely gets updated. Google doesn't read it as a menu: someone searching for “paella” or “gluten-free” nearby is unlikely to find you.
- What to do
- Put the menu on your own website as text, with prices and allergens. It's the first thing we'd do on most of these 25 sites.
18 of 25
The language is badly handled
14 venues have no English version even though their reviews show foreign customers, 2 are in English only and 2 have machine-translated English.
- What it costs you
- A customer who doesn't read Spanish doesn't know what's served or how to book; and in the 2 English-only venues, one who doesn't read English doesn't either.
- What to do
- Spanish and English, both written by a person. You don't need to translate the whole site: the menu, the hours, the address and how to book are what matter.
16 of 25
The front door doesn't open
No working website, or a published link that doesn't work. 13 venues have no website of their own that works (7 have none and 6 have one that doesn't open or shows an error), and in 13 the web address published on Google, Instagram, Tripadvisor or the guides doesn't open, shows an error or leads to someone else's site. 10 are in both groups; 16 in total. Some have been down for years.
- What it costs you
- More than 13,000 Google reviews point to websites that don't exist or don't open. The customer taps “website” and gets an error, another business's page, or nothing.
- What to do
- Today, on your phone, open the link on your Google profile and on your Instagram. If they don't open, remove or fix them before anything else: it takes a minute.
14 of 25
The menu doesn't show allergens, or shows them badly
The menu doesn't list allergens, or does it with icons without a key, the wrong icons, or a loose table that doesn't relate to the dishes.
- What it costs you
- A customer with an allergy or intolerance can't decide from their phone: they call, ask at the table or go somewhere else. (This isn't legal advice: it's what the customer is looking for.)
- What to do
- Allergens on every dish, exactly as the restaurant confirms them, in the same text menu. A filter that hides dishes with what the customer wants to avoid helps, but the essential thing is that they're there.
12 of 25
The important things are only on Instagram or Facebook
Events, company menus, home delivery, holiday closures or the whole menu are published only on social media.
- What it costs you
- Anyone without the app or not following the account doesn't find out, and Google doesn't read it either. A holiday closure announced only on Instagram is a customer at the door.
- What to do
- Put it on the website too, even as a single line, and link from social media to the website, not the other way round.
12 of 25
No working email address
6 venues publish no email at all, on the website, on Google or on social media, and another 6 publish one that bounces (dead domain), an old address that no longer arrives, or one with a typo.
- What it costs you
- If a request from a group, a celebration or a company arrives by email and bounces, nobody knows it was lost.
- What to do
- An email address on your own domain, tested by sending yourself a message, and the same one on the website, the Google profile and the guides.
11 of 25
Booking isn't easy
In 5 venues booking is hidden on the phone, switched off, points to an old copy of the website or is text without a link; in another 6 the only way to book is by calling.
- What it costs you
- Phone-only booking leaves out the person searching at eleven at night, the one who doesn't speak Spanish and the one who doesn't want to call.
- What to do
- A WhatsApp booking button in plain sight, with the message already written (day, time and party size), and a phone number you can tap. No commission per booking.
11 of 25
The address changes, or isn't written out
In 7 venues the address differs between the website, Google, Tripadvisor, the signs or the legal notice; in 5 the website doesn't write the street out (there's only a map) or doesn't give it on the home page.
- What it costs you
- “Get directions” fails and the sat-nav or the taxi goes somewhere else. A map without the street written out can't be copied or read aloud.
- What to do
- The street written on the home page, with a directions link, and the same address, letter for letter, on Google and in the guides.
11 of 25
No structured data for Google
The address, hours and menu aren't marked up so that Google can read them as a restaurant's data. A Lighthouse SEO score of 100 doesn't guarantee it: several sites scored 100 and Google still couldn't read their menu.
- What it costs you
- Google may show any page instead of the hours, the phone number or the menu, and doesn't know which dishes you serve.
- What to do
- Mark up the restaurant, its hours, its address and its menu with structured data (schema.org). That's the website builder's job, not yours.
9 of 25
The cookie notice covers the phone screen
The website's cookie notice, or the one from the link-in-bio platform behind its Instagram, covers between a fifth and almost half of the first screen on a phone.
- What it costs you
- The first thing the customer sees is a notice, not the restaurant. And they have to hit a small button before seeing anything.
- What to do
- If the site sets no tracking cookies, the notice may not be needed; check with whoever handles your data protection. If it does, keep the notice small and off the home screen.
8 of 25
The home page doesn't say the essentials
The home page doesn't say what the place is, where it is, when it opens or how to call; you have to dig for it.
- What it costs you
- A customer arriving from Google has three questions and little time. If the home page doesn't answer them, they go back to Google.
- What to do
- What it is, where it is, whether it's open and how to book, on the first phone screen. Everything else can go below.
7 of 25
Different prices depending on where you look
The price of the same dish changes between the website, a PDF, the menu by the door, home delivery or social media.
- What it costs you
- An argument at the table over a price the website no longer showed, or a review saying “they charged me more than it said”.
- What to do
- One menu, as text and on the website, and change the price in that one place when it changes.
5 of 25
The phone number can't be tapped
The number is written but isn't a link (3), there's only an icon with no number (1), or it isn't anywhere on the site (1).
- What it costs you
- On a phone it has to be memorised or copied: one more step between the customer and the call.
- What to do
- The phone number as a call link, visible on the home page and in the footer, and the same number on Google.
4 of 25
Someone else owns the old domain
The domain the restaurant once had expired and now belongs to someone else: an ad page, a betting site or, in two cases, cryptocurrency pages. Guides, signs and sometimes the Google profile itself still link to it.
- What it costs you
- Customers who follow an old link end up on someone else's site, with the restaurant's name in the address. As long as someone else holds it, that domain can't be recovered.
- What to do
- A new address and, above all, every published link changed: Google profile, Tripadvisor, social media, guides and signs. Then renew the new domain in your own name, with an expiry reminder.
2 of 25
The website asks Google not to show it
Two websites carry a “noindex” tag or have indexing blocked; in at least one, most likely by oversight when it was built. Their Lighthouse SEO scores: 54 and 50.
- What it costs you
- The website exists, it's been paid for, and Google shows it to no one.
- What to do
- Search Google for “site:” followed by your domain. If no page comes up, ask whoever built the site to remove the block.
We also saw
- 7 of 25 neglected listings: an unclaimed Tripadvisor page, a duplicate profile or the name spelled several ways
- 7 of 25 venues whose best photos on Google were uploaded by customers, with no photos of their own in sight
- 6 of 25 sites with template text, filler or placeholder pages showing
- 6 of 25 sites with all or nearly all photos lacking alternative text
- 5 of 25 sites living on a borrowed template address, not on their own domain
- 5 of 25 Google profiles whose “website” is a Facebook or an Instagram page
- 4 of 25 venues with different booking numbers on signs, website, Google and guides
- 2 of 25 sites that block pinch-zoom
- 2 of 25 sites that show a programming or server error to whoever opens them
Speed on a phone: 14 websites
Of the 25, only 14 could be measured with Lighthouse (the rest have no site, don't open or show an error). Lab test: simulated phone, slow connection, one run per site.
58 out of 100
speed score on a phone, the middle website (the best, 95; the worst, 38).
8.1 s
until the main content shows on a phone, the middle website (the fastest, 2.1 s; the slowest, 14.6 s).
13 of 14
took more than 4 seconds to show the main content, and 6 of the 14 took 10 seconds or more.
2.25 MB
is the weight of the middle home page; 8 of the 14 weigh 2 MB or more, and the heaviest, 14.6 MB.
11 of 12
sites measured on both do better on a computer than on a phone: 88 against 58 for the middle one. Your computer isn't your customer's phone.
What changes when it's fixed
96 out of 100
speed score on a phone for our demos for those 14 sites (from 92 to 99), with the main content showing in 2.7 s on the middle one.
The demos were measured on a local server, with no compression or CDN, not published: on real hosting expect a point or two less. Same method, same tool, same simulated phone.
What to fix first
If you run a restaurant and have little time, this is the order we'd follow. The first two don't need a new website.
- Make the door open: the link on your Google profile, Instagram and Tripadvisor leads to your website, and your website opens on a phone. If you once had another domain, make sure no link still points to it.
- One set of hours and one address everywhere, letter for letter.
- The menu as text, with prices and allergens, on your own website.
- Booking and calling one tap away: a WhatsApp button with the message written and a tappable phone number, on the first screen.
- Loading in a few seconds on a phone: optimised photos, no video on the home page, no notice covering the screen.
- Spanish and English, and the data marked up for Google.
If you'd rather we checked it for you, request your demo: we show you your website built and a PDF with what's wrong with yours today, point by point. It's free and there's no obligation.
What these figures don't say
- They don't represent hospitality in Málaga or in Spain: they're 25 venues picked for having something visibly wrong.
- “Say different things” isn't “wrong”: we don't know which version is the right one.
- The speed figures are from a lab, one run per site, on a given date. Another day, another connection or another tool would give other numbers.
- They're a snapshot of 15 to 21 October 2026. Some of these sites may have been fixed since; we hope so.
- This isn't legal advice: when we say a menu doesn't show allergens, we're describing what we saw, nothing more.
If you quote this study
“25 restaurant and bar websites in Málaga and the Costa del Sol reviewed by Pase in October 2026; picked sample, not random.” With a link to this page. If you need any figure in more detail, write to us.
Want to know what's wrong with yours?
Tell us what your restaurant or bar is like and we'll build the demo of your new website, plus a PDF with what's wrong with the one you have today. It's free and there's no obligation. If you like it, we send you a fixed quote.