Client Overview: Hawaiian Poke & More is a beloved, locally owned spot known for serving authentic island flavors to the Edmonton community. With two bustling locations in Central Edmonton and Terwillegar, they have built a loyal following thanks to their fresh food and the genuine warmth of the owners. However, their digital presence was lagging behind their physical growth. Operating on a rigid static website, the owners were unable to update menus or communicate with their customers across both locations.
My Role: I was brought on to modernize their digital storefront and give the owners full control over their content. Beyond the technical build, I was responsible for capturing the visual essence of their menu. The goal was to build a platform that could manage the needs of a multi-location business while utilizing custom photography to reflect the freshness and quality they are known for.
Project Highlights:
WordPress Migration & Multi-Location Management: I rebuilt the site from the ground up on WordPress, moving away from a restrictive static HTML framework. This transition was critical for a growing local business. It empowered the owners to easily update hours, prices, and menu items for both the Central and Terwillegar locations without needing to write a single line of code.
Professional Food Photography: To ensure the website looked as good as the food tastes, I staged and photographed their key menu items. Replacing stock or low-quality images with vibrant, custom photography allowed us to showcase the fresh ingredients and textures that set their poke bowls apart. These visuals became the centerpiece of the new design, driving appetite and engagement.
Brand-Centric Redesign: The previous site didn’t capture the vibrant personality of the business. I developed a new visual strategy by extracting the primary and accent colors directly from their logo. This created a cheerful, cohesive palette that makes the website feel like a true extension of their physical restaurants.
Enhanced User Experience:I redesigned the user journey to ensure that hungry customers could quickly find the specific information they needed for their nearest location, whether they were looking for the Central spot or the Terwillegar shop.
The Impact: By handing the keys back to the owners, I transformed their website from a static brochure into a dynamic business tool. Hawaiian Poke & More now has a digital presence that is as fresh and inviting as their food, allowing them to focus on what they do best which is serving the community.
