Rc june 2015

Technology

These days, if you don’t have a website, you almost don’t exist. For the hospitality industry, this key customer driver is crucial, explains Ilona Varga

In plain site I

t used to be a phone number, street address and friendly maître d’ were all you needed to be found by the hungry masses. But today’s smartphone-toting diner requires mobile rendering, widgets and points of engagement. If that all sounds like a different language, fear not—your translators are here to help.

“Websites are an extension of the restaurant itself,” says Kate Johnstone of Ascender, an agency specialising in brand strategy and digital design. The firm worked closely with restaurateur Sam Christie of Longrain. “I think we actually used our managing director’s handwriting,” recalls Johnstone, who’s also worked with Christie on his other

venues, The Apollo in Sydney’s Potts Point and the newly launched Surry Hills Indian restaurant, Subcontinental.

“The art direction, the photography— all of it should be designed to embody the experience of being at the restaurant, thus creating the desire to go,” says Johnstone. “With Longrain, we decided to let beautiful food photography do all the talking—and selling. People are looking to experience the food, and if there’s no photography or the site’s not art directed very well, you lose traction.”

For Sam Christie, that was the clear objective. “When you’re looking at the website, you have to get a real feeling for the restaurant. It’s the first impression of what the restaurant’s going to be like.”

That said, it’s not all extreme closeups of artfully draped shallots. Nial Phillimore is a managing consultant with IMExpert, an internet marketing agency whose sole purpose is to get businesses found online.

Yes, original and relevant images are good, he says, but equally important is that the website is easy to navigate with clear headings or tabs, and an obvious and easily accessible ‘point of engagement’—phone number, email link or contact form.

“A lot of websites try to be too focused on the aesthetic, and neglect functionality, which lends itself to a poor user experience. There’s a fine balance between something beautiful and something functional—and often it’s

RESTAURANT & CATERING 41

Technology

Let the the beautiful ones that fail. Huge hero customer pictures taking up the full screen, with book their no real information on there; nothing to own table engage the incredibly fickle and very busy online. internet audience whose basic attitude is, ‘We want to know now, or bollocks to you’. The most important thing is finding that balance of style and substance.”

Johnstone agrees that just as you entice a user via sensory means, it’s important to deliver the nitty-gritty, too.

“Contact details and operating hours up front—people want to know when you’re open. And a menu,” she says.

“It’s another arm, looking at a website,” says Christie. “It’s more about getting information—menu, address, phone number—immediately than anything else.”

Johnstone suggests to her clients that rather than creating a desktop website and a bespoke mobile one, a responsive “It’s more about site is best; one that can getting information— ‘snap down’, as she calls menu, address, phone it, to a mobile device. number—immediately “Across the hospitality industry especially, people than anything else.” tend to browse on their Sam Christie, Longrain phones,” she says.

Phillimore also points out that Google recently announced table, making that all websites not optimised, or it even easier for rendered, for mobile devices will drop them, and you. in rankings, though Christie didn’t need “Longrain has recently added the Google to point this out. ability to book a table, which was a “The whole mobile thing is important function that it hadn’t had until then,” now. A lot of people are scrolling says Johnstone, admitting that though it’s through their phones to call the been a great addition, it’s not a solution restaurant or see the address. That for every restaurant. “Part of The Apollo’s was way up there for me in terms of ethos, for example, is wanting a phone importance,” he stresses. call—a receptive contact rather than The other thing Christie was keen a faceless online one.” to implement was the ability to book However, she continues, you can still a table online. “People are time poor show a restaurant’s personality online, and tech-savvy,” he says. “A lot of people by harnessing social media. “Instagram work from their desks and contact is really important,” she says. online. Plus they might want to book a “You can’t change a website’s look restaurant at 1am when no-one’s there too often, or directly connect with to answer the phone.” consumers through it, but a good, This can be as simple as an email consistent, regular social-media address for customers to click that strategy can. People want to see takes them to their own mail server, or food stuff, and want to get excited.” a simple ‘widget’—a web application As each restaurant is different, allowing the customer to book a different approaches will apply. For

42 RESTAURANT & CATERING

example, Christie’s new establishment, Subcontinental, feels very different from his other two, and this is reflected in the website. “It’s a little bit simpler than Longrain and The Apollo—a little less information; more succinct and cleaner.

Sometimes less is more.”

This is a thought echoed by Phillimore, who often advises clients to pare back erroneous information and only include what is actually relevant.

“Make it really, really obvious what the website’s about, and only that. Ensure yours loads quickly, and is succinct— not pages and pages and pages of blurb.

Don’t go talking about your suppliers or providers; this is your shop window.”

“Less really is more, in some instances,” agrees Johnstone. “Stay true to what it’s like to dine there. Treat it as an extension of the restaurant itself.

One big image, phone number, opening hours and that’s it,” she says.

Really? “It can be that easy.” 