Hillstone

Some quick initial thoughts:

While the Alimentum homepage is cluttered and doesn’t present a clear path through the information, we like how their rotating ‘food for thought’ feature introduces visitors to their values and vision in an informative and attractive way.

The Andrew Fairlie site is sexy but has some slightly confusing navigation elements and is sure to drive visitors completely bananas with its looong intro and soundtrack.  Then again, maybe it loads more quickly if you’re in Scotland.  A general comment to web designers around the world:  Spare me the closeup photos of a napkin rings.   They’re just silly.

We thought Sam’s video piece on the homepage gave a really nice feel for the restaurant and took no time to load.   We also liked their use of quotes and the prominent contact/map information at the top of the page.

Who do you think should win?

Looking at the group of websites, one thing I find baffling is the way some restaurants choose to use their homepage to talk about themselves as if they are writing a press release for I-don’t-know-what. I’m referring to phrases like “the food, service and atmosphere reflect and compliment today’s lifestyles where balance and experiences coexist.” Seriously? This type of writing is hardly unique to this website, but it must be stopped.

While it makes me a little sick to say it, the Red Lobster homepage does the best job of promoting content of interest to users. First, they show photographs of actual meals. Secondly, they talk about “choice” and “value” – two things of great importance to diners. Finally, they incorporate action-oriented language into each of their feature areas. Phrases like “Enjoy a Taste,” “Watch How,” “Indulge in,” and “Check Out” make the page sound as if the restaurant is addressing customers directly, encouraging them to take action.

While these things may initially seem small or subtle, they can make an enormous difference in whether a user decides to explore a website or not. Failing to write copy that quickly engages visitors is guaranteed to reduce website traffic and undermine your brand.

Some questions to consider and discuss:

1. Notice how each website uses photography differently to represent their restaurant. Which subject do you think is of the most interest to the potential customer visiting the website? Is it the outside of the restaurant? The dining room? A shot of a single table? A close up of menu items? Images of customers at the restaurant? Or, an evocative image that is only tangentially related to the restaurant?

2. From an information standpoint, which homepage gives you the best sense of what the restaurant is about?

3. Each homepage provides multiple options of where to click first. Which one makes it obvious where to click first? Which one would make the visitor unsure about where to click?

4. Based on these homepage designs, which site do you think customers are most likely to come back and visit? Why?

5. If you saw each website design from across the room, would you necessarily know they were restaurant websites? What else do they resemble? [Without naming names, I think one looks like a site for a modern furniture store, another like a personal blog.]

Web Design: Restaurant Sites [Abduzeedo]

Dessert Truck

DessertTruck serves high-quality, low-pretense desserts from its mobile New York City headquarters.  Their website, as straightforward as they come, provides all key information in one click or less.   Still, they manage to integrate with Facebook, offer online ordering, keep the site regularly updated and are building an email list.  We find DessertTruck’s website almost as fabulous as their chocolate mousse!

DessertTruck

Vindalho Restaurant Website

It is a rare occasion indeed that I come across a successful restaurant email newsletter.  We liked the Portland, Oregon-based Vindalho’s straightforward, informative and sometimes funny (”Love me Tandoor”) email newsletter that they have managed to publish seasonally over the past couple of years.  Every issue contains information about holiday specials, cooking classes, new cocktails and their Jazz series, not to mention some recent great press from Gourmet Magazine!  With such valuable information packaged clearly and simply, Vindalho’s newsletter stands to appeal to both existing and potential customers.  In addition, the newsletter link is prominently displayed in the main website navigation.  We approve!

Vindalho