About us
Hi, I’m Karen.
I’m Karen Smith, and I’m on a mission to help independent restaurants stay independent — because there’s a better way to do this that doesn’t tie you to delivery platforms.
Early in 2026 I had friends visiting and we wanted Chinese. I went looking for a family pack online and kept hitting broken links and old menu photos on Tripadvisor. I rang a restaurant directly — the prices were out of date, but they had the pack. When I asked the owner why she didn’t have a website, she said she barely knows how to send an email; her son usually handles “that sort of thing.”
The platform squeeze
That sent me down a rabbit hole. A GoDaddy study found 59% of Australian small businesses have no website at all — restaurants included. It’s not hard to see why: delivery platforms take anywhere from 25% to 35% of every order — most independents land around 30% — plus extra fees for promoted listings and marketing on top, and the sites some delivery apps build for you can cost up to $199/month — with your web address just tacked onto the end of theirs. You don’t really own it, and it can disappear overnight. Just look at Menulog: it held close to a quarter of the Australian market and vanished in November 2025, taking a lot of restaurants’ online presence with it.
A website you actually own
Your own website — one you actually own, paired with a Google Business Profile — is still the best way to be found. A menu with specials and new dishes keeps regulars coming back, and it means letting your chefs play with new ideas and see what sticks. All it takes is a call, text or email to me with your changes (menu updates go out monthly — in by the 25th, live on the 1st; anything urgent, I’ll sort same-day for $30).
I grew up around small businesses, trained as an accountant, moved into software, and spent most of my career at a large software development company, implementing financial systems and running support and development teams. These days I live on the Gold Coast, work for myself, and build software for a few different industries — restaurant websites being the one I’m most fired up about. I’m genuinely bothered by how much the big platforms take from small operators, and how little control owners are left with.
Right now, I’ll get your website live for $299, and look after it for $79/month — no commissions, no lock-in, cancel any time. It’s your domain, registered in your name, forever. I’m just looking after it for you.
I’m focused on getting local Gold Coast restaurants online before the Christmas tourist season hits — menu and phone ordering first, done properly, before we talk about anything more complex.
Curious what your own site could look like? Get in touch and let’s have a chat. (And yes, I’ll always push for more duck on the menu. That one’s just for me.)
Want the full story — including my very unfortunate wonton soup incident? Read it here →
Want a simple website for your restaurant?
A$299 setup, then A$79/month. Web address registration is separate, at cost.