When running a restaurant, you may feel that having a social media presence is enough and that you do not really need a website. However, as much as social media has its strengths, a website has its own advantages that could help improve your restaurant’s bottom line. A case in point is that of SushiBa, a family run, Japanese cuisine restaurant in Malta, serving the finest sushi using handmade, traditional methods.
Before SushiBa engaged Napkin, they were solely relying on Facebook to showcase their restaurant and menu. Undoubtedly, Facebook has features that allowed them to display their menu and other offers. However, Napkin designed a website for them that helped the restaurateurs to better portray the essence of their business.
Style
Napkin created the website to not only capture the atmosphere of the restaurant but to also match the brand style while telling the brand story. This was possible through effective use of images, fonts and colours that tied in with the restaurant’s personality.
As more people look at a restaurant’s site before making their dining decision, it is critical that the restaurant website shows clarity and professionalism. It needs to let potential customers get a feel for the sort of ambience to expect, and that is what theSushiBa website portrays.
Functionality
Another area that a website does better than social media pages, is in the design and accessibility of the restaurant’s menu. Napkin designed the SushiBa website in such a manner that the menu is accessible from every page. In addition, the menu has been organised into categories which are easy to understand and get to.
SushiBa owners, Donna and Nick Camilleri, are open and transparent about their business, and Napkin wanted to reflect this transparency through the website. Hence, the menu displays the pricing as well as the ingredients used, making it easy for potential customers to make informed decisions regarding their meals.
In keeping with the authenticity and simplicity of the restaurant, the website itself is uncluttered, and easy to navigate, making for seamless user experience.
Analytics
Through Google Analytics and other third-party tracking software, traffic that comes into the website can be monitored. At the moment the highest traffic is from international guests, living or staying for a short time in the country. The website is designed to fit international standards and thus allows people from different cultures to easily navigate through and get to the information they require.
TheSushiBa website shows how businesses can increase their marketing reach by using more than one channel to attract customers online. Relying only on social media is limiting while having a well-designed, user-friendly website that reflects the brand can help draw in more customers to the restaurant.
