Studio exploration: concept, not client work
Restaurant and private dining
A concept for an independent restaurant that keeps the atmosphere of the room while putting menus, hours and reservations within one tap.
- Type
- Studio exploration
- Services explored
- Design, Development, Booking
- Status
- Concept, not launched
- 01The subject
The brief
Restaurant websites are mostly used on phones, often in a hurry: is it open, what's on the menu, can I book? We wanted to answer those questions instantly without losing the feeling of the place.
The exploration also covered private dining enquiries, which need more detail than a standard booking.
- 02Palette and type
Design direction
A dark, candle-lit palette taken from the room itself, with photography of the table rather than the chef or the dining room.
Opening hours, the current menu and a reservation button stay within one tap on every page.
Private dining gets its own page with a short form that asks the questions the restaurant would otherwise ask by email.
- 03Structure
Implementation
So far the exploration is a visual direction and the home page mockup shown on this page; the menu and private dining pages are planned, not designed.
If built, menus would be edited as structured content so the team can update dishes and prices without a designer.
Reservations would connect to the restaurant's existing booking system rather than replacing it.
- 04The concept
Outcome
This is a studio exploration, not a client project. It hasn't been launched, so there are no results to report.
The main lesson was about priorities: atmosphere matters, but only after the three practical questions have been answered.
A dark, candle-lit palette taken from the room itself, with photography of the table rather than the chef or the dining room.
The main lesson was about priorities: atmosphere matters, but only after the three practical questions have been answered.
