Maple Street Bistro Website Redesign

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the kind of client I love working with: a high-quality local restaurant with a strong in-person presence but an outdated and underperforming website.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.

Redesign the outdated website into a clean, responsive 3-page site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

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

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

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.

Headings: Playfair Display

Body: Source Sans Pro

This pairing delivers a tone of casual elegance—ideal for a business that values quality over flash.

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

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