The restaurant I selected is Sanamluang Thai Cuisine located at 710 S. Indian Hill Blvd in Claremont. I've never been there, but they have a lot of good reviews on Trip Advisor and yelp!. On Facebook, they have a 4.7 rating from almost 300 reviews.
The restaurant puts the menu on the front page, so if someone is looking for the it, it's easy to find. It's also great to have the hours, location, and phone number where it's easy to find (unless you're using a screen reader). They include photos of some of the food, which is important for a restaurant website. There are links to their social media profiles and the yelp! website, where they have good reviews.
The location page includes a Google map that users can use to get directions. This page also includes hours, location and phone number as text so it's more accessible for those with screen readers.
The site is easy to navigate, with navigation at the top and bottom of the page. The menu navigation is on the left side of the page, on every page.
As mentioned above, the restaurant has many good reviews on social media, and they have links to some of their social accounts on the website.
While it seems like a great restaurant, their website has multiple issues related to design, content, usability, and more.
There are some design issues that reduce the usability of the site:
Content is lacking on many pages. There is a lot of opportunity to improve it.
This restaurant's website is responsive, but the design needs improvement. There is no call to action on the homepage, navigation is located on the top, right and is easy to find. hey also include a (brief) description on the homepage so users know what to expect when they visit. The menu is image based so it's not helpful for those with screen readers. It's a very simple site. There is no community building on this website. There is a short description on the homepage to help customers know what to expect. But as for functionality, it needs work. The menu is image-based, the map doesn't work, and there's no online ordering or reservations, and there's no information about either of these. The phone number is not clickable.
Panvimarn's website is responsive, and it's visual design is very good. It features high-quality photography of their interior as well as their food. There is a gallery page with even more beautiful photos. The homepage features a video of their chef and bartender which gives users a lot of information about the restuarant and its story. There is a phone clickable phone number when you hover over the video to call for reservations. There is also a link in the main nav bar for online ordering. There is also a link in the main nave bar called "restaurant info," which gives users a lot of in-depth inforamation to answer questions they may have. There is a map, but it's not working properly. As for social media, there are links to Facebook and Twitter, but nothing else.
This website is not responsive and the visual design dated. They feature a prominent link on the homepage to order online. There is a short description with a link to view their location on a map or view the menu. They also have links to Facebook and yelp. Navigation is prominent, at the top of the page. There are links to the menu, their location and a contact us link. Their homepage also has a clickable phone number and address. Everything is easy to find. The menu is image based. If you click on it, a popup appears with a smaller image of the menu, so it's not particularly useful, especially for disabled individuals using screen readers.
The target audience consists of individuals in and around Claremont, some who enjoy Thai food or possibly others who may want to try it. Claremont is, for the most part, an upper middle-class, residential area. It's also a college town. There are a lot of trendy, upscale restaurants and bars in the Claremont Village that attract locals, students from the Claremont Colleges, and others in nearby cities. However, this restaurant is not located in the crowded Village. It's near the 10 freeway, still in a nice area. So, aside from locals and college students, it may also attract commuters who want to meet up with friends after work.
The reviews indicate that the Sanamluang is a popular, busy place, catering to casually-dressed diners who want a great meal at a reasonable price. They seem to have a reputation for good service as well. This makes it attractive to a wide range of potential customers, including college students, local families, couples, and friends who want to have a meal together.
The website redesign will be completed by Monday, December 16. Below is the schedule: