Restaurant improves website publishing with JAMstack

When Chris Oppewall, the President of Cru Uncorked, a French restaurant near Cleveland, Ohio, reached out to me, he expressed the need for website updates. Although the website boasted the advantage of being static, ensuring rapid loading times without server processing, it lacked the convenience of easy updates and required expertise in front-end development for any modifications.

The Problem

The restaurant frequently updated their menu and hosted various events throughout the year. However, managing their website through an agency became a hassle, requiring constant back-and-forth communication. To streamline the process and save time, the restaurant decided to bring the updates in-house. Unfortunately, updating the site required web development skills, and the employee who possessed this knowledge was no longer with the restaurant. As a result, in-house updates became slow, leading to outdated content. Months passed between updates, hindering effective communication of new menu offerings to patrons.

The Solution

I identified the primary problem as publishing bottlenecks, and it became clear that integrating a content management system (CMS) was necessary to facilitate fast updates and eliminate the reliance on web development expertise. Considering the website’s original static architecture, I opted for a JAMstack solution to maintain site speed and efficiency. The challenge was to find a suitable CMS that met the client’s needs.

The restaurant required a publishing solution to handle news, events, and menu changes. To achieve this, a visual editor was crucial. A visual editor allows updates to be made and viewed in real time without the need for publishing or saving to preview changes.

After thoroughly evaluating various CMS options, I decided that Cloud Cannon was the ideal solution. Cloud Cannon offers visual editing capabilities, static website hosting, builds, and seamless integration with a wide range of frameworks—an invaluable feature of a headless CMS.

I selected Eleventy (11ty) as the framework to complement the current website architecture. Its seamless integration with the existing setup allowed for the creation of reusable components, enabling the construction of page layouts like building blocks. Cloud Cannon’s support for component-based page building further expanded the restaurant’s options for publishing and editing pages.

By combining Cloud Cannon as the CMS and Eleventy as the framework, the solution provided an efficient and user-friendly environment for the restaurant to manage content updates and streamline the publishing process.

The Results

In the first 60 days following the launch, Cru Uncorked made significant progress in updating its website. They successfully published multiple updates featuring a fresh menu, a variety of exciting new events, and updates to the team section of the site. These updates kept the website current, ensuring customers were informed about the latest offerings, enhancing engagement, and fostering a dynamic online presence.

Conclusion

Cru Uncorked is now equipped to swiftly make updates and effortlessly publish them on the web, ensuring patrons are always in the loop regarding the latest menu offerings and events. Chris expresses his utmost satisfaction with the results. He can now shift his focus to other critical tasks, no longer burdened with concerns about website updates.