The Manchester Diner, a new establishment in the Upper West Side of Manhattan, wanted a clean website that they could log into and update easily. It was to convey a trendy feel, but play a fine balance with the comfort of the diner atmosphere.

As with most restaurant websites, the initial request suggested a Flash solution, to drive home the trendy look and feel that is often portrayed on other restaurant sites. Working with the client, I was able to talk him into an HTML/CSS solution, and promised that we could deliver the look and feel he was hoping to achieve purely through visual design. In addition, with the increase in mobile searches for restaurants, it would be a step in the wrong direction to use flash, which isn't widely supported on mobile devices.

The client supplied a list of similar restaurants that he felt achieved what he was looking for, and from those, I worked up a list of mandatory requirements for this site.

1. While not building a mobile site, the site should accommodate a layout suitable for easily reading the menu, without implementing a PDF download as a solution.
2. There should be an immediate and clear call-to-action to order online.
3. The user should be able to get the location of the restaurant as quickly as possible.
4. From a look and feel standpoint, there should be a clear emphasis on delicious and comforting food.
5. The client needs to be able to easily adjust the menu on his own.

The requirements were eventually considered in all wireframe concepts, and were eventually passed to a visual designer, who completed the design. I developed the project on Expression Engine, with a customized layout and a few customized features that catered to updating the menu. The client was thrilled with the final deliverables, and the site has provided a great online face for the restaurant since.