There’s a saying “we eat with our eyes!”… So, when your business is food, your website has to be a mouth-watering visual delight!

An unexpected change to doing business

When COVID-19 hit, bookings erased from our event calendars literally overnight! Anniversary celebrations, 21st birthday parties, weddings, corporate engagements, formal dinners were no longer allowed.

Food FX Catering’s business landscape changed significantly due to the pandemic – business lunches were no longer a thing, formal gatherings were reduced to six close contacts, large parties were considered potential health risks.

When word-of-mouth is the modus operandi for new business generation, how do you source new work and new clients?

As a small boutique business, working both in and on the business can be challenging. For Food FX Catering, there never seemed to be enough time to do it all. Sadly, their existing website reflected this – outdated, lacking information and presence.

The silver lining to catering cancellations meant there was time to address the website and ‘pivot’ the business to capture clients online.

Giving customers what they are searching for

People are known to ‘shop around’ for caterers, and websites provide a great starting point to learn the basics – what services are available? and for how much?

Visiting competitor sites provided us an insight into what information to include on the site. Assessing the various methods of promotion cemented the style and design approach we wanted to take. Our client was insistent that they did not want to look too expensive or out-of reach of many. Importantly, they wanted their website to reflect their experience and friendly, wholesome approach to catering.

We set about developing a website framework with a better platform for engagement with customers. We created a design layout which visually presents a showcase of our client’s menu and catering capabilities. And we composed content to provide people with the information they search for when choosing a caterer.

“Happiness is eating dessert before lunch!”

As a person-to-person business engagement, it was important to our client that the warm and friendly personality of Food FX Catering was conveyed throughout the site. To do this we used language with a hint of humour – a genuine reflection of our client and their approach.

Although we couldn’t alter the existing logo, we revitalised the brand through colour and typography. And including a tantalisingly tasty selection of images added an emotional response while still provided even more details of the catering services provided.

Catering information pack

So how do you convert a potential customer into an actual booking? Food FX Catering had a Word file which could be downloaded from their site, filled out and submitted for a quote. It was outdated, lacked so much information and missed the opportunity to connect and gather contact information from prospective customers.

We replaced this file with an interactive PDF information kit. The new file provides detailed menus and package options, answers common questions around hiring a caterer, and is easier to submit. The new information kit also saves time for our client to collect booking details, customer information, and gives them a bridge to an initial consultation.

The pandemic was not an experience we want anyone to go through again! However, it has given some businesses the opportunity to reflect, address and reinvigorate their brand and approach to doing business.

As we head toward ‘normal’ life again, we’re glad to see catering events are happening even bigger and better for Food FX Catering! We may be bias, but we think it’s thanks to their website being ‘well-seasoned with Salt!’

Because everything is better with a sprinkle of salt!
SALT.Shaker