Driftpcola

Restaurant Website Redesign for Drift Modern Coastal Cuisine

Description

The project was a complete website redesign for Drift Modern Coastal Cuisine, a casual fine dining restaurant located directly above the Gulf of Mexico on Pensacola Beach. The project involved creating a visually stunning, mobile-first website that showcases their modern coastal cuisine and oceanfront dining experience while integrating seamless reservation functionality.

Client

Drift Modern Coastal Cuisine, a premier beachfront restaurant specializing in modern coastal cuisine, seafood, steaks, pasta, small plates, crudos, and handcrafted cocktails.

Client Industry

The client industry was hospitality and fine dining, specifically casual fine dining with a focus on modern coastal cuisine and oceanfront dining experiences.

Project Type

The project type was a complete restaurant website redesign with links to a third-party reservation system, mobile optimization, and content management system for menu updates and seasonal promotions.

Goals

Client Problems Solved

The client problems solved included poor mobile performance during peak tourist seasons, missed reservation opportunities due to links to the reservation system not functioning properly, and a website that failed to capture the upscale beachside dining experience that Drift offers to potential guests.

Key Objectives

The key objectives were to create a visually stunning website that reflects the restaurant's oceanfront location and modern coastal cuisine, implement links to the third-party reservation system to reduce phone call volume during busy periods, optimize for mobile users (80% of beach visitors browse on mobile), showcase signature dishes like crudo and prime steaks through compelling food photography, and implement a content management system for easy updates to menus and seasonal promotions.

Challenges

The challenges faced included a tight 4-week timeline to launch before summer tourist season, need to maintain existing SEO rankings for local search terms, integration with existing an existing third-party reservation system, and creating a design that captures the sunset dining experience digitally.

Approach

Stack Used

The stack used for the project included WordPress with custom theme development for easy content management by restaurant staff, integrated with an API of the restaurant menu which was developed using Google Sheets for easy updates by the client together with NodeJS as the backend. Also, the website was made with advanced image optimization for food photography, and responsive design using HTML5, CSS3, SCSS, and JavaScript with jQuery for interactive elements.

Process Highlights

The process highlights included collaborating with the restaurant's marketing team to gather requirements, designing wireframes and prototypes in Figma. The design process involved creating a visually appealing layout that showcased the restaurant's unique offerings, such as their crudo dishes and modern coastal cuisine. The API I developed allowed the restaurant to easily update their menu items, descriptions, order, prices, and images directly from Google Sheets, which streamlined the content management process. The website was optimized for mobile devices to ensure a seamless user experience for beach visitors browsing on their phones.

Collaboration

The collaboration involved working closely with the restaurant's marketing team to ensure menu descriptions captured the artisanal nature of their crudo dishes and modern coastal cuisine approach. Regular meetings were held with restaurant management to gather feedback on design concepts and functionality requirements. I also collaborated with the account manager to ensure the website met the client's expectations and aligned with their brand vision. The client provided input on the design and functionality of the website, which helped shape the final product.

Unusual Decisions

Some unusual decisions where made after the website was launched, such as moving the main WordPress website location to a subfolder to allow the restaurant to show the Drifpcola website and the Casino Beach Bar & Grille website on the same domain. This decision was made to streamline the user experience and provide a cohesive brand presence across both restaurant websites.

Outcome

Results

The outcome of the project was a fully functional and visually stunning restaurant website that significantly improved business metrics. Online reservations increased by 180% within the first month, mobile bounce rate decreased from 68% to 23%, average session duration increased by 150% due to engaging food photography and location imagery, and local SEO rankings improved for 'Pensacola Beach restaurants' and 'Gulf front dining'.

Client Feedback

The client feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with restaurant management stating: 'The new website perfectly captures the Drift experience before guests even arrive. Our staff loves how easy it is to update seasonal menus, and the reservation system has streamlined our operations significantly.' Customers also praised the visual storytelling and ease of booking.

Personal Takeaways

Some personal takeaways from the project included reinforcing the importance of storytelling in restaurant websites—visitors don't just want to see a menu, they want to envision the complete dining experience from the moment they discover the restaurant online. Additionally, the project highlighted how crucial mobile optimization is for hospitality businesses, and the value of integrating real-time systems like reservation management.

My Role

My role in the project was as a full-stack developer, responsible for implementing the development and functionality of the restaurant website. I worked closely with the client to gather requirements, collaborated with the UX designers to develop the user interface, and ensured that the website was responsive and user-friendly. I also handled the integration with WordPress, ensuring that the restaurant could easily manage and update their menu items, descriptions, prices, and images through a custom API developed using Google Sheets. For the SEO aspect, I implemented strategies to ensure that the website was optimized for search engines, making it easier for potential customers to find the restaurant online.