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Number 11 restaurant & bar
Introduction
- New website helps to quadruple the turnover
- More staff are taken on
- Customers now travel from far afield to visit
Summary
Onita Harrison opened her restaurant and bar in 2006, serving an eclectic selection of English, Mediterranean and Caribbean food in an 18th-century building stripped back to wood and stone.
“Since we’re located in the rural village of Holmfirth, I knew we couldn’t depend entirely on local trade for our long-term success,” said Onita. “Adverts in the local paper and word of mouth wouldn’t be enough to generate custom. I needed to find a way to showcase the business to prospective customers.”
Onita got in touch with Business Link and received an ICT grant. Business Link arranged for several designers to tender for the contract, and Onita worked closely with the chosen company to ensure all her requirements were met.
“A lot of people think they can design a website themselves, but having a professional person’s input and technical knowledge was invaluable," explained Onita. “We now have an attractive and effective website which reflects the atmosphere of the restaurant and bar and gives customers a taste of what to expect when they visit.
“Our turnover has since quadrupled. This has given me the confidence to take on extra staff. At peak times we employ seven people and at long last I’m able to pay myself a salary! We now attract customers from far and wide, and during Christmas and New Year the site really helped to put us on the ‘culinary map’.
In Detail
Onita Harrison opened her restaurant and bar in 2006. With a history dating back to the 18th century, the interior of the attractive beamed building is now stripped back to wood and stone. The restaurant serves an eclectic selection of English, Mediterranean and Caribbean food whilst the bar offers customers a relaxing atmosphere. The business caters for all ages and also runs events on a regular basis.
The problem:
Onita recognised at an early stage that, as the business is located in rural Holmfirth (best known for its connections with the TV show ‘Last of the Summer Wine’), she could not depend wholly on local trade for the long term success of the business. The purchase and refurbishment of the bar and restaurant had been a major investment and Onita was fully aware that she would have to market the business to as wide an audience as possible, in order for it to grow and develop. “I knew that placing an advert in the local paper or relying on ‘word of mouth’ to generate custom would not be enough. I needed to find a way to showcase the business to prospective customers and also project a friendly and professional image.”
The solution:
Contacting Business Link (BL) resulted in the business being awarded an ICT grant through Yorkshire Forward to fund the cost of the design and development of a dedicated website. Business Link arranged for several website designers to tender for the contract and Onita worked closely with the chosen company for almost a year to ensure that Number 11’s online presence met all her requirements. “Reaching the point where the site went ‘live’ was a long process, but well worthwhile. A lot of people think they can design a website themselves, but having a professional person’s input and technical knowledge was invaluable. The designer gave me expert advice and made sure the site would be easy to navigate,” explained Onita. “We now have an attractive and effective website which reflects the atmosphere of the restaurant and bar and gives customers a taste of what to expect when they visit,” she added.
Benefits:
The site has proved to be an excellent marketing tool to promote Number 11 to a wider audience, including potential regional and national customers. The website presence also enables overseas tourists to view the facilities of the bar and restaurant.
Visitors to the site can:
- view the exterior and interior dining and lounge areas (including the original atmospheric 18th century cellar)
- find out about forthcoming events
- check out the wide range of dishes on offer
- use the email link on the site to contact the restaurant to arrange reservations
“These days you really need to show your prospective customers every aspect of what you can offer and the website fulfils a large part of that need. It has given us a presence, which would have been extremely difficult and expensive to achieve in any other way. As a result, we have attracted customers from far and wide and now have regular clientele from across the region who visit us on a regular basis to eat in the restaurant. During holiday periods, such as Christmas and New Year, the site proved popular and has really helped to put us on the ‘culinary map’,” said Onita.
She added: “Having a dedicated website has made a huge difference to the business and has resulted in the turnover quadrupling. This has given me the confidence to take on extra staff. At peak times we now employ seven people and at long last I am able to pay myself a salary.”
