Your restaurant should retain direct access to the account that controls its domain, even when a website vendor handles day-to-day changes. At minimum, know who the registrant is, which registrar holds the domain, how to sign in or recover access, and who is responsible for renewal. Put the exit process in writing before launch.
A domain is the address guests type to find you. It can also be tied to staff email and other services. Paying a vendor’s website invoice does not by itself establish who controls that address or who can move it. Check the accounts and the agreement rather than assuming the person who built the site can hand everything over quickly.
Use the checklist below whether you are commissioning a new site or reviewing an existing one. If you are still deciding what your site needs, the restaurant website creation guide covers the broader setup.
Identify the registrant and renewal contact
Start by asking who is listed as the domain’s registrant: the restaurant, its owner, or the website vendor. The answer matters when you need to recover an account or make a change. Ask the registrar what documentation it would require if the listed information needs to be corrected. For questions about contractual rights, consult a qualified adviser.
Next, identify the registrar, the company where the domain is registered. The registrar may be different from the company hosting your website and different again from the vendor that designed it. A vendor may manage all three on your behalf, but you still need to know which account does what.
Billing and administration are separate jobs. A restaurant employee might pay a renewal invoice without being able to sign in and change domain settings. Conversely, a vendor might have account access while renewal notices go to an old restaurant email address. Neither arrangement is enough on its own.
- Registrant: Confirm the name and contact details on the registration and who is authorized to represent the restaurant.
- Account administrator: Identify the person who can sign in, manage access, and request account changes.
- Renewal contact: Record who receives notices, who pays, the renewal date, and whether automatic renewal is enabled.
- Backup contact: Name someone at the restaurant who can act if the primary contact leaves or is unavailable.
Use a monitored contact address that the restaurant can access independently. If renewal notices go only to an employee’s personal inbox or an outside vendor, the restaurant may miss a warning when that relationship ends. Check the payment method’s expiration date too; automatic renewal still depends on a working payment method and current contact information.
Map the accounts and assign access
Make a short account inventory and keep it in a secure place that authorized restaurant staff can reach. A password manager or other controlled company record is more useful than a shared spreadsheet containing passwords. Store recovery codes securely and limit access to people who need it.
The table separates the decisions that often get lumped together. Fill it with actual names and account details for your restaurant; the examples show what each role should be able to verify.
| Item | Restaurant responsibility | Vendor responsibility to agree on |
|---|---|---|
| Registrar account | Maintain an authorized administrator and a recovery method | Explain any delegated access used for routine work |
| Renewal | Receive notices and confirm payment arrangements | State whether renewal is included in its service and when it will act |
| DNS records | Know where records are managed and who can approve changes | Document the records it manages and the change process |
| Website and ordering | Identify the site and ordering accounts and their contacts | Explain what stays active or changes at exit |
DNS records direct requests for your domain to services such as your website and email. They may be managed at the registrar or in a separate account. Ask where the current records live, who can edit them, and how you can obtain a current copy. A copy is useful for planning a move, but it is not a substitute for access to the account that controls the records.
Also record the website hosting account, site editing account, and any separate account used for online ordering. Access to a domain does not automatically give you access to the site’s content, ordering settings, or customer data. Ask each provider how an authorized restaurant user can access or export the information needed for a transition.
Set permissions deliberately. The restaurant might keep the main administrator account while granting a vendor its own authorized access, if the service supports that arrangement. Avoid passing around one owner login when individual access is available. Decide who can approve changes, who carries them out, and who checks the result.
Include recovery in the inventory: the account email, the person who controls it, the second-factor method, and where recovery codes are stored. If the only sign-in code goes to a former manager’s phone, knowing the password will not solve the problem.
Agree on the vendor exit before signing
Ask for a written handoff process, not just a promise that you can leave. A useful agreement identifies the domain, the responsible accounts, the people authorized to request changes, and the steps each party will take. Have a qualified adviser review contract terms when needed.
Get clear answers to these questions:
- Will the restaurant have direct administrator access during the relationship, or what access will it receive?
- Who can update registrant and contact information, and how are those changes approved?
- If the restaurant wants to move the domain to another registrar or account, who initiates the request and what information is needed?
- Who handles renewal if the service ends close to the renewal date?
- Who supplies the current DNS records, and who coordinates changes with the website, email, and ordering providers?
- What happens to the website content, hosting, ordering links, and accounts after termination?
- Are there notice periods, handoff charges, or other exit costs in the written quote or agreement?
Moving a domain registration and moving a website are related but separate tasks. You might keep the domain at the same registrar and point it to a new site. Or you might move the registration as well. Ask the new provider what it needs, and do not cancel the old service until the relevant parties have agreed on the sequence and verified the new setup.
Hypothetical exit example: A restaurant’s domain renews in six weeks, and its website vendor is scheduled to finish work in four. The owner confirms that the restaurant is the listed registrant and can sign in to the registrar account. The vendor provides the current DNS records and identifies the website host. The owner asks the incoming provider to review the planned website change and asks the email provider which records must remain in place.
They agree in writing that the restaurant will handle the upcoming renewal and that the existing vendor will keep its service active until the new site is checked. The owner also asks for a written handoff quote. If the domain renewal is quoted at $20 and the handoff work at $60, the identified total is $80. That total includes only those two quoted charges; website hosting, the new provider’s work, payment processing, and any other charges are excluded. Confirm the actual amounts and terms before authorizing work.
This plan does not make a transition risk-free. It does give each party a named task and a chance to spot a conflict before the old service stops. If the vendor will not explain the handoff or the restaurant cannot obtain needed access, resolve that before relying on the vendor for a new launch.
Verify access without changing the live site
Before launch, schedule an access check with the restaurant administrator and the vendor. The goal is to prove that the restaurant can reach the right accounts and understand the handoff path, not to experiment with live settings.
- Sign in to the registrar account using the restaurant’s authorized login. Confirm the domain name and registrant contact shown in the account.
- Locate the renewal date, notice address, automatic-renewal setting, and payment arrangement. Ask the responsible person to confirm each item.
- Locate the DNS management screen and confirm who has permission to edit it. Do not change or delete records for this check.
- Confirm that the restaurant controls the recovery email and second-factor method. Review the recovery instructions without triggering an unnecessary account reset.
- Ask the vendor to walk through a hypothetical handoff: who requests it, who approves it, what records are shared, and when each service can be canceled. Keep this a discussion; do not initiate a live transfer.
- Record any access gaps, assign an owner and a deadline to each one, and repeat the relevant check after it is resolved.
Check the website and ordering accounts separately. For a practice walkthrough, review screens and written procedures without placing a real order, charging a card, sending a guest message, or dispatching a courier. If you later run a live service pilot, plan it separately with the people involved and agree in advance on any real transactions or communications.
Repeat the access review when a manager leaves, your vendor changes, or the renewal contact changes. The goal is not to have every employee manage the domain. It is to ensure that the restaurant has an authorized person and a workable backup when a decision is needed.
Ready to discuss a site? Review Fleksa’s restaurant website page and, if it fits your needs, ask for a demonstration. Bring your domain inventory and ask how access, renewal, DNS changes, and an eventual handoff would work for your setup.
Frequently asked questions
Can my website vendor manage my domain while I keep control?
Yes. Ask for direct restaurant access and define the vendor’s authorized role. Confirm who can approve changes, receive renewal notices, and recover the account.
Does paying for my website mean I own the domain?
Not necessarily. Check the registrant information, registrar account access, and your agreement. A website invoice alone does not establish who can administer or move the domain.
Should I change DNS records during an access check?
No. Verify that the authorized person can find the records and understands who manages them. Plan and approve any live changes separately, with the affected website and email providers involved.
