How to Create a Restaurant Website with Accessibility in Mind

Opening up your QSR website to a wider audience is key to driving more orders, and understanding how to create a restaurant website with accessibility in mind is where it all begins.

A whopping 25 percent of all U.S adults live with some form of disability. This is 66 million people, and 1 in 4 of your customers. 

If only two-thirds of your customer base can place an order on your website, you’re missing a serious opportunity when learning how to create a restaurant website for modern audiences.

In 2026, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires quick service restaurants and other public-facing businesses to provide accessible environments for people with disabilities. However, digital accessibility is often overlooked when businesses are learning how to create a restaurant website that complies with modern standards.

If you want to capture more orders, investing in accessible web design is crucial. In a competitive QSR marketplace, restaurants that prioritize UX accessibility will be the ones selling out night after night.

Let’s jump right into why accessible web design matters for QSR owners in 2026, as we reveal some of the quick changes you can make to widen your ordering pool.

Why Accessible Web Design Matters When You Create a QSR Website

Accessible website design plays a key role in the success of your quick-service restaurant. 

Research shows that as many as 80 percent of disabilities are hidden, and account for a number of conditions that could affect a customer’s experience with your QSR. From visual impairments to neurodivergent traits such as dyslexia or ADHD, these hidden disabilities are often forgotten about during restaurant website creation.

The key here is not to assume that anyone who can access the internet can instantly use your restaurant website.

Even customers without a disability benefit from an accessible website. Online orders seek a fast, friction-free experience, especially when they choose to bypass QSR giants like Uber Eats and DoorDash.

“It’s not just about disabled users being able to access your website — it’s about everyone being able to access your website,” says Trenton Moss, Webcredible.

Making inclusive improvements to your online ordering system and learning how to make a website accessible are the easiest ways to please every single website visitor.

How to Create a Restaurant Website That’s Accessible for Your QSR

Accessible web design could be the key to increasing your online order count when creating a restaurant website for a quick-service environment.

Building a website for a restaurant involves more interactive elements than for the average business. With additional menus, online ordering portals, and reservation systems to consider, accessibility is essential and shouldn’t be overlooked when learning how to build a restaurant website.

If you want to learn how to make a website accessible for more QSR conversions, stick with us as we walk you through the key components of QSR-focused accessible web design in 2026.

1. Start With an Accessible Website Template

For most quick-service restaurants, using a website builder is the fastest way to build a website optimised for all audiences.

Many QSR website builders offer click-to-build features, embeddable booking forms, and pre-designed restaurant templates that support those learning how to create a restaurant website efficiently.

When choosing a restaurant website creator for your QSR, consider a tool that prioritizes accessibility from the get-go. Check that your chosen builder adheres to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and offers you a choice of pre-built restaurant templates that are responsive and already optimized for accessibility.

A few elements to look out for when choosing a website builder and accessible website template include:

• Screen Reader Support: Does your template have a logical content order? Are there H1-H6 heading levels and semantic HTML that can be read digitally by a screen reader? This is essential for customers with visual impairments and a foundational part of restaurant website design.
• Accessible Forms: If your template includes a form, can you add clear labels to each field that screen readers can detect?
• Built-In Color Contrast: Does your theme meet a 4.5:1 color contrast ratio per accessibility guidelines? This helps improve the readability of your content.
• ALT Text: Does your chosen template allow you to add ALT text to images and videos? These captions are key for customers who use audio descriptions to learn about a picture on your menu, for example. 

Prioritizing accessible web design from the template up will make it easier to craft an inclusive website for your customers. Look out for simplistic content designs that focus on usability over visual aesthetics.

The heart of any QSR website is the menu. If you want to drive online orders while creating a restaurant website, embedding a responsive menu makes all the difference.

To improve screen reader access, move away from menu screenshots and ensure that all items are typed out properly on the site with labelled headings.

For accessible buttons and links, ensure that your code includes a description of their function, or choose an accessible website template that does so.

Next, think about the visual elements of your menu. Do all images of dishes feature alt text? Is the color contrast on your menu appropriate for all users? Brightly colored menus full of slow-loading images make the ordering process clunky and inaccessible for those with disabilities. 

(Image Source: Mcdonalds)

McDonald’s has a brilliant example of accessible website design in its online menu.

Instead of adding a singular photo of their physical menu, each element is typed out and accompanied by an alt-text captioned image that can be described by a screen reader.

Using a white background and plenty of negative space, this accessible menu is easy to navigate and will undoubtedly drive orders from online users. 

3. Prioritize an Accessible Online Ordering System 

When working on accessible web design, it’s crucial to remember that many QSR customers use assistive technology to place online orders, an important consideration when building a restaurant website that prioritizes accessibility and usability.

In order to be in the running for service, make sure that your online ordering system is set up to accommodate these users.

Ensure that your entire ordering system can be navigated with a keyboard alone and that all form fields have accurate input labels for screen readers.

Another factor to consider is ordering time. If you want to prioritize accessible website design while creating a restaurant website, it could be time to scrap that ‘time limit’ and provide users with enough time to complete their order.

Lastly, don’t forget to offer an alternative way to order food, such as a phone number for the front of house. If a user is struggling to navigate your online ordering system, this provides them with an option to place their order over the phone.

4. Don’t Rely on Images 

While images of your food may look fantastic, they could actually be harming the success of your QSR website.

To achieve a truly accessible web design, it’s important to use images and color thoughtfully on your website when creating a restaurant website.

Adding images is encouraged, as long as they are not a replacement for text. If any text appears in your image, such as a screenshot of a menu, ensure it is also included in your alt text.

Try not to use visual elements to convey information. If you’re asking users to click on ‘the hamburger’ to place their order or ‘the green button’ to select a veggie meal, you make it twice as difficult for screen readers to interpret your navigation.

(Image Source: Starbucks)

Take a look at this example of accessible web design from Starbucks. To accompany their images of pistachio drinks, they have attached alt text that actively describes their visuals:

“A photo of our pistachio velvet lattes, and new pistachio matcha lattes – both hot and iced, on a background of green.” 

This makes it easy for audio describers to interpret the visuals and relay these details to customers browsing their next drink order.                           

Accessible Website Design in 2026

As accessible website design evolves, so should your approach to creating a restaurant website for a modern quick-service restaurant.

If you want to drive orders and build loyal customers, offering an inclusive online ordering experience is key to success.

In 2026, the best QSR websites adhere to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and prioritize each and every customer. Those who leave their website design in the past will fall through the cracks and become one of many who lose customers to QSR giants.

Rebecca Barnatt-Smith talks about all things technology. Writing for popular publications like Real Business and Maddyness, she writes on the power of growing your business using the latest tech innovations and how the digital world continues to change hospitality strategies across the globe.