Ember & Oak, a high-end steakhouse approached ChromaWave with the need for a complete website overhaul. Their existing website was outdated, difficult to update, and failed to convey the premium dining experience they offered.

The client required a sophisticated yet user-friendly website that would showcase their menu, ambiance, and private dining options while making it easy for staff to update content regularly.

The restaurant faced several challenges with their digital presence:

• An outdated website that didn't reflect their upscale brand image
• Menu updates required technical assistance, causing delays
• Poor mobile experience with non-responsive design
• Inefficient reservation system that led to booking confusion
• Lack of integration with social media and review platforms

Additionally, the restaurant had recently updated their seasonal menu offerings and expanded their wine list, but struggled to effectively communicate these changes to their customer base through their existing digital channels.

ChromaWave developed a custom SquareSpace website that balanced sophisticated design with practical functionality, empowering the restaurant staff to manage their digital presence independently.

Key Features

Technical Implementation

The website was built using modern technologies and best practices:

• Theme development with mobile-first approach
• Advanced Custom Fields for flexible content management
• Optimized image handling with lazy loading and WebP support
• Social media integration with Instagram feed and review platforms
• Server-side caching and performance optimization

We provided comprehensive training for the restaurant staff, creating custom video tutorials and documentation to ensure they could confidently manage all aspects of the website without ongoing technical support.

The new website delivered significant improvements across key performance metrics:

The restaurant saw immediate benefits from the new website, with increased bookings and positive feedback from customers on the improved user experience. Staff members were able to update menus and content within the first day of training, eliminating previous bottlenecks.

Special event promotions became significantly more effective, with the wine tasting events consistently selling out within 48 hours of being published on the website.

Perhaps most importantly, the website now successfully communicates the premium dining experience offered by Ember & Oak, with high-quality imagery and content that reflects their sophisticated brand positioning in the competitive Austin restaurant scene.