Describe useful restaurant images for their purpose

The decision this workflow supports

A photograph can carry practical information that is missing from the surrounding words. Decide what a guest needs from the image before writing alternative text, rather than filling every image description with decorative marketing language.

Put the review process in place

Identify informative, functional and decorative images during content review. Give meaningful alternatives to images that convey information or act as controls; avoid repeating nearby text unnecessarily. Put important menu or opening information in readable page content rather than relying on an image alone.

Worked example for your team

A fictional page includes a decorative dining-room photograph and a separate entrance image used to show where guests arrive. These images serve different purposes and should not receive interchangeable descriptions. Ask the content reviewer what information would be lost if each image were unavailable. The entrance image may need a concise alternative that explains the approved location detail, while decorative imagery should not interrupt the reading experience with unnecessary prose. If important opening or menu information appears inside an image, provide it as readable content rather than relying on the picture.

Sample wording to approve

“Editorial example: describe the entrance location when an image explains how to find it. Do not guess ingredients, accessibility features or current availability from a photograph; ask the content owner to confirm them.” This wording is a draft for the restaurant owner to approve before use.

Fields for the staff handoff

Staff need image purpose, surrounding text, proposed alternative, owner confirmation, and affected page. Mark uncertain details explicitly and keep the requested action separate from anything restaurant staff have already confirmed.

Acceptance tests before use

An entrance image conveys its intended information. Decorative imagery does not add distracting repetition. A menu image is not the only way to read essential information. Record the observed result, assign any mismatch, and repeat the affected scenario after correction.

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