Showcase WebsiteRestaurant & Hospitality
Cedar & Ash
A design study treating the website as the first table in the room — the decision is made on mood long before the menu is read.
This is a Northbound showcase. Cedar & Ash is a fictional business created by Northbound Studio to study this problem. It is not a client and has never engaged the studio.
cedarandash.com
Showcase website — fully explorable inside Northbound Studio.
The problem
Restaurant sites hide the menu behind a download, bury hours in a footer, and open on a slideshow that delays the page for the exact visitor deciding right now.
Design approach
Mood-first. A dark, warm palette, an editorial serif face and a full-bleed opening frame, with the menu as readable text rather than a PDF.
What we did
- Menu rendered as real text — readable, searchable, instantly available.
- Hours, address and reservation state pinned high in the layout.
- A single hero frame instead of a carousel, so nothing blocks first paint.
- Private dining given its own conversion path.
Conversion structure
Reservation as the primary action with hours and location treated as equally important.
What the study demonstrates
- Menu and hours reachable without a single tap.
- Atmosphere communicated without a heavy media payload.
- Transfers to wine bars, cafés and tasting rooms.