Build Your Café's Website with One Prompt (Copy, Paste, Done)
Half your phone calls are the same three questions: are you open, what do you have today, can I order a cake for Saturday. And the person who didn't call? They Googled you, found an unclaimed map listing with someone else's photo, and went to the café that showed its menu. For bakeries it's worse — custom orders live in a WhatsApp thread that loses details exactly when it matters (spelling on the cake, allergies, pickup time).
One afternoon with your menu in hand: a complete, ready-made prompt below builds your café site — menu, hours, story, and a custom-order form that captures every detail — in about 3 minutes. Free to start, no credit card.
Step 1 — Pick your platform
| Platform | Best for | Price | Our take |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base44 | Most cafés — editable menu & order forms built in | Free trial; from $16/mo | The custom-cake order form with photo reference is exactly its kind of magic. |
| Lovable | Cafés where the vibe is the product | Free trial; $25/mo | The warmest design output — right for specialty coffee and brunch spots. |
| v0 by Vercel | Design-fluent owners | Free tier; $30/mo | Pixel-level control; more hands-on. |
The master prompt below works on all three. Not sure? Take the 60-second quiz →
Our Top 3 Picks
All three let you start building for free. Pick one, copy the prompt below and see your own first version.
Base44
· FreeThe custom-cake order form with photo reference is exactly its kind of magic.
Lovable
· FreeThe warmest design output — right for specialty coffee and brunch spots.
v0 by Vercel
· FreePixel-level control; more hands-on.
Step 2 — Copy the master prompt
Replace every [BRACKET] with your own details before pasting.
Build a complete, professional website for my café / bakery.
ABOUT THE PLACE
- Name: [CORNER CRUMB BAKERY & COFFEE]
- What we are: [ARTISAN BAKERY + SPECIALTY COFFEE / NEIGHBORHOOD CAFÉ /
PATISSERIE]
- Address: [ADDRESS, CITY] | Phone: [PHONE] | Instagram: [URL]
- Hours: [SUN-FRI 7-16, SAT CLOSED] — display prominently everywhere
- Our one-line story: [EVERYTHING BAKED AT 5AM, SOURDOUGH SINCE 2019]
- MENU (editable data with an admin screen — I update it myself):
[COFFEE: ESPRESSO $X, FLAT WHITE $X... / PASTRIES: CROISSANT $X... /
SANDWICHES: ... / CAKES BY SLICE: ...]
Mark: [VEGAN / GLUTEN-FREE] options, and "until we run out" items
- Custom orders: [BIRTHDAY CAKES, EVENT TRAYS, CATERING — FROM $X,
ORDER [3] DAYS AHEAD]
- Wholesale: [YES/NO — WE SUPPLY CAFÉS AND RESTAURANTS]
DESIGN
- Tone: warm, buttery, unpretentious — the site should smell like the
morning bake
- Colors: [CREAM, WARM BROWN, BUTTER YELLOW — OR MY BRAND]
- Real photo placeholders (the food, the room, the process) — do NOT
generate fake food photos
- Mobile-first: people check us standing outside or from bed
PAGES & STRUCTURE
1. Home — name, one-liner, TODAY'S HOURS front and center, "Order a Cake"
+ "See the Menu" buttons, 4-6 signature items with photos, the story
teaser, map + directions, Instagram strip
2. Menu — full menu from the database, grouped, with dietary icons and
prices; a note that specials change daily
3. Custom Orders — the star for bakeries: what we make, price ranges,
lead time, and the ORDER FORM: name, phone, pickup date (blocks dates
closer than my lead time), occasion, size/servings, flavor (dropdown of
my flavors), inscription text, allergies (explicit field), reference
photo upload ("show us the style you like"), budget range → stored in
my database with everything attached, notify me, confirm: "We'll call
to confirm details and take a deposit."
4. Our Story — the people, the process, the 5am photos
5. Wholesale/Catering [IF RELEVANT] — what we offer + inquiry form
6. Visit — map, hours, parking, contact
TRUST & LEGAL
- Footer: name, address, hours, Instagram, allergen note ("our kitchen
handles nuts and gluten — ask us about allergies"), Privacy Policy
(draft)
SEO BASICS
- Titles with city + type ("Sourdough Bakery in [CITY] | [NAME]"); the
custom-cakes page gets its own ("Custom Birthday Cakes in [CITY]")Step 3 — Refine with follow-up prompts
Paste these one at a time, in any order. Each takes seconds.
Build the business behind the website
Build a Menu & Venue Site
Today's hours and menu, plus the sold-out banner you update in ten seconds.
Build an Online Store
Pickup pre-orders capped per slot, so the kitchen still breathes.
Build a Mailing List You Own
The morning list — weekly specials and first call on a limited bake.
Build a CRM & Lead Tracker
Custom cake orders as a pipeline: new, deposit taken, in progress, ready.
How much does a café or bakery website cost in 2026?
Direct answer: $16–30/month with the menu, custom-order system and pre-orders included — versus $3,000+ agency sites, or delivery apps taking 15–30% of orders that could have been direct.
| Path | Cost | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| Agency website | $3,000+ | The menu PDF is outdated by week two |
| Delivery apps for pickup too | 15–30% per order | Your regulars, their commission |
| AI builder (this page) | $16–30/mo | One afternoon with the menu in hand |
For bakeries, the custom-order form alone justifies it: every detail captured (spelling! allergies! date!), nothing lost in a chat thread. Add ~$15/year for the domain. Pricing verified July 2026.
Start free — see your café's site before paying anything
Paste the master prompt with your menu into a free tier (Base44: 25 messages/month, no credit card) and see your place online today — menu, hours, the cake form with your flavors. Typing the menu is the longest part; the coffee's on you.
The honest boundary: your own domain starts at $16/month — a tray of croissants. The first cake order that doesn't get lost in WhatsApp pays for the quarter.
Two honest warnings
- Hours and sold-out status are sacred. Wrong hours cost a customer permanently; "showed up for the famous babka, it was gone" costs a review. The banner and menu update from your phone in seconds — make it the closing-time ritual.
- Allergies are a required field, not fine print. The form makes allergy info explicit and the footer states what your kitchen handles — keep both accurate; this is the one place where honest beats charming.
FAQ
See what you can build with Base44.
Start on the free plan, paste your prompt and explore your first version.
Start free with Base44Not sure? Take our 60-second quiz →