Maple Street Bistro Website Redesign
Cain A.
Maple Street Bistro (Demo Project)
Note: This is a capability demo based on a fictional local restaurant. It showcases how thoughtful design and performance-oriented development can elevate a small business’s web presence.
🥖 Project Concept
Maple Street Bistro represents the kind of client I love working with: a high-quality local restaurant with a strong in-person presence but an outdated and underperforming website. This redesign focused on mobile-first performance, streamlined content, and a warm aesthetic to match the bistro’s hospitality.
🎯 Project Goals
Redesign the outdated website into a clean, responsive 3-page site
Integrate reservation functionality via OpenTable
Improve performance and reduce load time
Make seasonal menu updates easy for non-technical staff
Enhance discoverability with local SEO techniques
✍️ Design Approach
Visual Identity:
Warm, neutral background tones paired with rich imagery to evoke comfort and quality
Typography:
Playfair Display for elegant serif headers; Source Sans Pro for easy readability
Branding:
Minimalist layout with emphasis on photography and content clarity
UX:
Clear navigation with quick access to hours, menu, and reservations
💡 Key Features
Modernized Layout:
Built with semantic HTML5 and CSS Grid for structure and clarity
Reservation Integration:
OpenTable embed with subtle styling for cohesion
Menu System:
Simple markup structure allowing for easy content edits (markdown-like)
Mobile Optimization:
Designed mobile-first with collapsible menus and image lazy loading
📐 User Journey
Home → Menu → Reserve Table
Focused UX encourages immediate engagement, with content tailored to what mobile users are most likely looking for: what’s on the menu, and how to book a table.
🎨 Typography System
Headings: Playfair Display
Body: Source Sans Pro
This pairing delivers a tone of casual elegance—ideal for a business that values quality over flash.
⚙️ Technical Implementation
Critical CSS inlined for fast render
Lazy loading for all media
CSS Grid layout with fallbacks for older browsers
Schema.org markup for hours, menu, and reviews
Clean class naming for easy client updates
📈 Performance Highlights
<1.5s First Contentful Paint
<1MB Total Page Weight
100% Mobile Usability Score
+60 PageSpeed Improvement (from 43 to 97)
🔑 Takeaways
Form Follows Purpose: A local restaurant doesn’t need a flashy website—it needs clarity, performance, and credibility
Empowered Clients: Simple structure and clean code allows even non-tech-savvy clients to update key content
Performance is UX: Fast-loading, responsive pages directly improve business outcomes in mobile-heavy industries
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Posted May 8, 2025
Redesigned Maple Street Bistro's website for better performance and usability.
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