case study: 955 ukiah st restaurant

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project overview

Web site redesign, Email Campaign and Optimized Copywriting and Content Management System.

challenge

955 Ukiah Street Restaurant is a family-owned restaurant in the historic Mendocino village on California’s North Coast. The 955 Web site presence was outdated and needed to be refreshed. It was time to convey the essence of the restaurant and atmosphere in an appealing way to reach a savvy audience from the Bay Area. The San Francisco Bay Area and Silicon Valley crowd are hip and technologically astute. Potential visitors to the restaurant do extensive research online to find places and things to do. The Web site needed to appeal to this market.

strategy

The restaurant had to stand out among a crowd of top drawer dining choices on the Mendocino Coast. The owners, dedicated to the Farm-to-Table movement, have always sourced ingredients form local purveyors, such as locally grown organic vegetables and humanely raised animals for the ingredients used in the restaurant. Their story: Their food philosophy, the atmosphere of the location and the rich restaurant history needed to be communicated in their Web presence.

design

Based on the brand positioning objectives of 955 Ukiah St Restaurant, Eye Design Studio provided two mood boards that set the overall brand and design direction for the 955 Web site design: Mendocino Local Artisan (PDF) (welcoming, organic, made from scratch, comfort food, soul-satisfying, relaxed, wood, local, crafted, family), and Contemporary (PDF) (elegant, food-focused, well-balanced, decorative illustrations details). The client chose the Mendocino Local Artisan mood board as the creative direction for the development of the handcrafted Web site design.

message

Great food in old Mendocino with a casual elegant atmosphere.

web site

The Web site needed to be refreshed to convey a more contemporary tone while also keeping the essence of their story. The restaurant is family owned and has a very “Mendo feel” with a casual elegance in spacious yet cozy rooms. Key terms were: comfort food made from scratch, soul satisfying, relaxed, funky, wood, earthy. Graciousness, warmth and excellent service where patrons feel like guests, not customers, are essential to the brand identity. It was important that the Web site reflects a welcoming friendly tone and is unpretentious. We also advised that new photos to be taken as the original Web site did not have many good images of the plated food which was a crucial element.

digital marketing

Internet searches are an important source for potential clients so 955 needed to have a strong Web presence. Eye Design Studio worked with Hoi Moon marketing to help with writing key word rich optimized copy to increase search engine visibility. We also designed an Email Campaign template that is consistent with the Web site branding look and feel. Having a custom designed email template allows the client to stay top-of-mind with the Restaurant’s guests.

solution and competitive positioning:

955 Ukiah Street Restaurant has many competitors in the restaurant community. The new Web site conveys the warmth of a family owned restaurant with great food and service in a cozy atmosphere. The Web site emphasizes the history of the building restaurant occupies where artist Emmy Lou Packard established her art studio in the 1960s. This history provides a competitive advantage to 955 as the restaurant gives you a taste of the “old Mendocino” character and charm. The "Old Mendocino” bring ups images of a bohemian artist community that goes back to the roots and soul of Mendocino.

results

A new redesigned Web site that showcases the restaurant commitment to local food and casual elegant atmosphere.

Client Testimonial

"As owners of a restaurant in the destination village of Mendocino, we had a Web presence and it was time to update it. Although most of our business is from loyal repeat customers and word-of-mouth, we have found diners search online more frequently before making reservations, especially our out-of-town clientele. It was very important for us to convey the casual elegance of our chef-owned family restaurant and fine dining in an “old Mendocino” atmosphere.

Shona blended this village charm with the sophistication of design that our discerning Bay Area diners expect.
Her design focused the site on our brand values, fresh local cuisine prepared deliciously and served in a garden-like setting. She brought in a team of optimization specialists who helped us create key-word rich optimized Web site copy that perfectly reflects our voice and philosophy.

We are very happy with the new Web site and we will send business her way when someone needs design work or a Web site."

— Peggy and Jamie Grifith, Owners, 955 Ukiah Street Restaurant

Credits: Web site Design and Production: Eye Design Studio Web site development : Sara Citrenbaum
Photography: Rita Crane Photography
Optimized Copywriting Hoi Moon Marketing