Bistro My Way

A website for Bistro My Way, a family-run bistro, built to feel as welcoming online as it is in person.

The brief

When Bistro My Way opened in 2019, they had no website, brand identity or social media presence. They needed a simple way for people to find them, view the menu, and book a table — built from nothing, since there was no existing digital identity to work from.

How the site's evolved

The first version of the site kept things simple: what's on offer, how to get in touch, and a table booking form — coded by hand, limited to a fixed set of available dates, and handled entirely over email with no live confirmation.

As the business grew, I grew the site with it rather than treating it as a one-off. When the bistro refreshed its interior with a new colour palette, the website followed, balancing a more modern look with the traditional feel that keeps regulars coming back.

Bookings later moved onto ResDiary, a proper booking platform. I configured this end to end from a web architect's perspective — email notifications, embedding the booking pages on the site, and the domain configuration behind it — so it felt like part of the site rather than a bolted-on third-party tool.

I've continued to iterate on the site using the analytics gathered since, which showed high mobile usage. That led to optimising the navigation bar and calls to action for people booking from their phones.

Outcome

The site now brings in more than 1,000 unique visitors a month, and accounts for more than 80% of bookings at their intimate restaurant in Highcliffe.