The problem
Carriages is a restaurant and bar in Knaresborough that serves Sunday roasts, tapas and pizza. John Dixon, who runs it, had a website that no longer matched the business. The old site was dated. It didn’t show the quality of the food or the venue. Customers searching for somewhere to eat in Knaresborough landed on a site that told the wrong story.
This was more than a design issue. It was a business problem. A weak online presence meant potential customers couldn’t find what they needed, and the site actively undermined the quality of the actual experience inside the restaurant.
What we set out to achieve
The brief was clear but challenging. The site needed two things:
First, it had to feel warm, thoughtful and special. It needed to match a venue that takes its food seriously. This wasn’t about flash or trends. It was about creating a feeling of quality and care.
Second, it had to work. Customers needed to find menus easily. Contact details had to be obvious. The layout had to work just as well on a phone as on a desktop. This was about removing friction from the user journey.
The design approach
I started by understanding what customers actually needed to do on the site. They come looking for three things: what’s on the menu, how to book a table, and how to get in touch. Everything else was secondary.
For typography, I chose Oswald Semi Bold for headings and Archivo Narrow for body text. Oswald has a confident, structured quality that suits a food business. Archivo Narrow keeps the reading experience clean and unpretentious. This wasn’t decoration. These choices shaped how users would experience and feel about the brand.
I prioritised the food photography and images of the heated garden. This content does the real work. It shows what the experience is actually like. The design got out of the way and let those images speak.
On mobile, I made sure nothing got cramped or lost. The layout adapts smoothly between phone, tablet and desktop. A customer searching for opening times on their phone gets the same clarity and warmth as someone browsing on a laptop.
Technical foundations
I built the site in WordPress using Divi 5. This gave me flexibility with layout and design while keeping the editing experience straightforward for John. He can update the menu or add new photos without needing a developer.
For search, I wrote SEO metadata for all the key pages using Rank Math. I focused on local search terms that matter to Knaresborough and the surrounding area. A customer searching for “where to eat in Knaresborough” or “Sunday roast near me” now finds this site.
What changed
The finished site gives Carriages a clear online presence that matches the quality of the venue. Users know what to expect. The design is confident without being pretentious. The layout makes it straightforward to find what you need.
The site launched in May 2026. It’s early for booking data or search rankings, but the foundations are solid. The site works for its users because it was built around what those users actually need to do.
