Tommaso’s

eCommerce, Featured, Italian Food, Pizza, Restaurant Sites

Status:
Online
Client:
PopMenu
Established:
1935
URL:
tommasos.com
Location:
CA, USA
Project Scope:
Website Redesign, Brand Identity, Legacy Storytelling, OLO Integration

Project Overview

Preserving 90 Years of North Beach History

Tommaso’s is not just a restaurant; it is a San Francisco landmark, famous for introducing the wood-burning oven to the West Coast nearly a century ago. However, their digital presence was failing to honor this 90-year legacy. The previous website lacked structure and relied on outdated design tropes that couldn't support the modern needs of a bustling restaurant, such as mobile ordering and event inquiries.

The mission was to craft a timeless digital experience that balanced heritage with usability. We needed to avoid the cliché "red-white-and-green" Italian aesthetic and instead highlight the authentic murals and original oven, ensuring the intimate "Old World" charm translated seamlessly into a modern, mobile-first interface.

Challenges & Goals

The Challenges

Cliché Fatigue: The client specifically wanted to avoid the stereotypical Italian restaurant aesthetic while still feeling authentic to their roots.

Legacy Weight: Updating a brand with 90 years of history carries the risk of alienating loyalists; the design had to feel "fresh" but not "trendy."

Feature Gaps: The old site lacked structure for rotating monthly specials and essential tools like digital gift cards and catering inquiries.

The Goals

Visual Sophistication: Define a custom palette (Capri Blue & Camel) and typography system to reflect the restaurant's signage and history.

Story Integration: Build rich "About" and "Awards" pages to archive the restaurant's origin story and critical acclaim digitally.

Modern Utility: Implement a robust UX that drives Online Ordering and VIP sign-ups without compromising the intimate feel of the brand.

Strategy & Approach

Phase 1: Brand Definition

We moved away from tricolor tropes. I selected Capri Blue (#167b9d) and Camel (#b67f36) to evoke a Mediterranean warmth. Typography was tri-fold: Notable for bold headers (matching the physical signage), IBM Plex Serif for body elegance, and Cormorant Garamond for narrative accents.

Phase 2: Content Architecture

We structured the site to serve as both a digital archive and a sales tool. The Homepage balances visual storytelling—highlighting the wood-burning oven and murals—with clear Calls-to-Action. We modernized the "Awards" page, turning static text lists into clickable, visual credibility markers.

Phase 3: Technical Polish

We prioritized SEO by integrating keyword-rich headers and alt text focusing on the restaurant's history. The design was rigorously tested for responsiveness, ensuring that the legacy story looked as good on an iPhone as it did on a desktop monitor, preserving the brand's integrity across all devices.

Solutions Delivered

Area	Highlight
Visual Identity	Custom "Timeless Italian" theme using Capri Blue/Camel palette and a complex 3-font typography stack to match the signage.
Content Strategy	Developed a rich "About Us" narrative and a digitized "Awards" section to validate the restaurant's historic status.
Commerce Integration	Seamlessly embedded Online Ordering and Gift Card modules into the navigation to drive revenue.
Lead Generation	Built a high-visibility "Become a VIP" section to capture guest data for newsletter marketing.
Local SEO	Optimized site architecture with semantic HTML and keywords like "North Beach Italian" to maintain local search dominance.