How to write opening hours customers understand

Write your hours the way you would say them, include the days you are closed, and name the exceptions. Vague hours generate more messages than no hours at all.

Say the closed days out loud

"Monday to Saturday" leaves someone wondering about Sunday. "Closed Sundays" answers it. The absence of information is what makes people message you.

Use times people actually use

Round, plain times read faster than precise ones. If you close at half past nine but stop serving at nine, say when you stop serving, because that is the thing that affects them.

Name the exceptions

• Days you close early
• A midday break, if you take one
• Public holidays, which is when people check most and are most likely to have a wasted journey

A live open or closed status beats a table

A page that says whether you are open right now answers the question without anyone reading anything. A table of times makes them do the work.

Update it once, not everywhere

The reason to keep hours in one place is that they change. Holidays, seasons and staffing all move them, and updating one page beats updating a profile, a listing and a printed sign.