Of course when you ask a question like this, there will be several questions coming back at you...
:tongue
Here are some short (very short) answers for you, from someone who has both done Websites and paid people to help get one going. My take on your situation is that you need a simple Website showing the basic look and flavor of the restaurant, perhaps a nice menu page, location/map directions, and maybe some other pages, but doesn't seem that those things are often seen in restaurant sites. Therefore, to do say a 4-5 page Website that won't require much traffic hosting...
1) best place to buy a domain?
I agree, GoDaddy is good, I have used them for two sites and they have been great (cost and support-wise). There are others that are good, too, but go with the top sites, and not a fly by night operation. The top sites have to be cost-effective now due to competition.
2) how much would it cost to have someone do a simple website for her?
Some of the main registries have the ability for even the novice to set up a Web site as part of a package. Basic Web page design work can run anywhere from $20 - $200 an hour, much like any other profession. There are freelance web service sites where you can post a project and negotiate a price and specifics and get the job done for you. There are plenty of Website design companies out there on the Web, too. I would say that a basic cost of a simple Website like this for a freelancer should be about $200. You can definitely find it for less, and more. Just giving you a ballpark. Anything more is kind of a reach, unless you want someone to design a corporate image or logo, then it should cost more.
3) how much approx. would everything cost to run it per year?
You need to find a decent Web host that will guarantee you 99% or more up time. You should not need too much server space or attention, so I would say you could get good Web hosting for $5 per month, $10 might be better. Plenty in all of those ranges. I can't imagine you need much (if any) upkeep on the site, unless you want to change menu items, events, hours, for the restaurant online each week/month. So, you should be able to easily get by with under $100 a year hosting and maintenance fees if you just want to get a site up and running and not dink with it. You could get by with half that, probably.
One thing...you need to have the ability to answer contact e-mails from the Web to answer questions. Somebody should be around to monitor that - it's just another form of customer service and is important.
Hope some of this helps. I'll gladly talk to you about this if you need more help. Good luck to you. Sounds like a great gift!
