Star Taco (McSono, LLC)

eCommerce, Latino Food, Mexican Food, Restaurant Sites

Status:
Online
Client:
PopMenu
Established:
2025
URL:
startacownc.com
Location:
NC, USA
Project Scope:
Emergency Web Dev & Design, Rebranding Strategy, Domain Consulting, Local SEO

Project Overview

Rising from the Storm

In the wake of Hurricane Helene, the beloved Star Diner in Asheville was forced to close its doors. Facing adversity with innovation, owner Kate McSono decided to pivot the business into a more approachable fast-casual concept: Star Taco. However, the transition needed to happen at breakneck speed. Kate needed to launch a fully functional brand presence in under six weeks to capture critical seasonal traffic around the Super Bowl and Valentine’s Day.

The mission was to execute a high-speed digital pivot. We needed to craft a single-page site that successfully migrated the loyal following of the old diner to the new taco concept, while establishing a fresh visual identity and providing immediate clarity on the new location and hours to a confused local community.

Challenges & Goals

The Challenges

Accelerated Timeline: We had to condense a typical 60-day build into 28 days to meet the strict February 15th launch deadline.

Identity Crisis: The client's initial domain idea (StarTacosWNC.com) had an unfortunate "Start a Cow" readability issue, and there were no new photos to support the rebrand—only legacy diner assets.

Technical Ambiguity: The Point of Sale (POS) system was still being finalized, requiring a site architecture that could handle a future Square integration without a code rebuild.

The Goals

Strategic Naming: Secure a clean, memorable domain (startacownc.com) that reinforced the regional connection without typographical confusion.

Visual Transformation: Implement a Navy (#172f44) and Orange (#f36c3b) palette, using color-correction techniques to repurpose legacy photos for the new brand.

Community Continuity: Execute a seamless migration plan to transfer 4,000+ Instagram followers and website visitors from Star Diner to Star Taco without losing momentum.

Strategy & Approach

Phase 1: One-Page Architecture

Prioritizing speed and clarity, we engineered a high-impact single-page layout. The hero section features the new logo and a bold Orange CTA. Crucially, we placed a Location Bar directly below the hero—containing the address, phone, and "Get Directions" link—to immediately answer the most pressing question locals had: "Where did you move?"

Phase 2: Visual Reboot

To solve the asset shortage, we color-corrected approved Star Diner photography to match the new Navy and Orange palette. We implemented a custom font stack using StarTacoDisplay for headlines and Josefin Slab for body copy, creating a distinct "Western-meets-Modern" aesthetic that separated the new concept from the old diner vibe.

Phase 3: Future-Proof Tech

We built the site with a "Swap-in" architecture. We embedded a placeholder "Order Online" button designed to be instantly swapped for the Square OLO widget once the client finalized their POS decision. We also set up meta-refreshes on the old domain to funnel all traffic automatically to the new site.

Solutions Delivered

Area	Highlight
Rapid Deployment	Delivered a fully functional, branded website in just 28 days, cutting the typical production time in half.
UX Strategy	Implemented an "Above-the-Fold" Location Bar to instantly route confused locals to the new physical address.
Visual Design	Crafted a custom SCSS theme with a Navy (#172f44) and Orange (#f36c3b) palette, fully AA-contrast compliant.
Audience Migration	Configured meta-refreshes and social media coordination to successfully carry over the existing customer base.
Performance	Compressed all assets to <150KB, achieving a sub-1.8s load time (LCP) and a 92/100 Lighthouse score.