Miguel’s Table

Bar, eCommerce, Restaurant Sites

Status:
Online
Client:
PopMenu
Established:
2025
URL:
miguelstable.com
Location:
MA, USA
Project Scope:
Phased Launch Strategy, Brand System Design, Recruitment Funnel, Toast Integration

Project Overview

Building a Brand Before the Building Was Built

Miguel’s Table, a modern American concept in West Bridgewater, faced a common pre-opening paradox: the restaurant was under construction, but the need for a digital presence was immediate. The owners had no food photography, no finalized menu, and no staff—only three black-and-white logo variations and a target opening date. They needed to recruit a team and build local anticipation without a tangible product to show.

The mission was to execute a rapid, phased digital rollout. We needed to launch a minimum viable product (MVP) microsite to solve the immediate hiring crisis, while simultaneously architecting a full-scale website ready to flip the switch to "Open for Business" the moment the kitchen went live.

Challenges & Goals

The Challenges

The "Blank Slate": Launching a website with zero imagery and no copy required a design strategy that relied heavily on typography and layout to carry the brand's weight.

Recruitment Urgency: The client couldn't wait for a full build; they needed an active funnel to capture applications weeks before the grand opening.

SEO Cold Start: As a brand new entity, the restaurant had zero search history and needed to rank for "modern American restaurant West Bridgewater" immediately.

The Goals

Lean Launch: Deploy a polished "Coming Soon" microsite within 12 days to announce the concept and house the application forms.

Typographic Identity: Establish a monochrome brand system using Cormorant Garamond and Raleway to mirror the logo's slender Art-Deco geometry.

Seamless Scaling: Build the full Phase 2 site (Menu, Catering, OLO) in the background to ensure a frictionless transition on opening day.

Strategy & Approach

Phase 1: Minimalist Branding

With no photography, typography became the hero. I extracted a monochrome palette from the logo and paired the Art-Deco wordmark with Cormorant Garamond (headers) for elegance and Raleway (body) for modern readability. This "Type-First" approach allowed us to look high-end without needing a single food photo.

Phase 2: The Recruitment Engine

We treated the initial microsite as a funnel. A single-scroll page announced the opening and drove all traffic to a prominent Hiring CTA. This allowed the client to receive applications while the physical location was still a construction zone.

Phase 3: Full Feature Rollout

Once assets became available, we expanded the microsite into a full Popmenu install. We integrated Toast POS for online ordering and gift cards, built dynamic Catering request forms, and used custom SCSS to add visual polish, such as a navbar that swaps colors on scroll for better visibility.

Solutions Delivered

Area	Highlight
Recruitment Funnel	Deployed a targeted "Join Our Team" landing page that successfully captured staff applications during the pre-opening phase.
Brand System	Developed a complete digital style guide from scratch using a monochrome palette and accessible Art-Deco typography pairings.
Commerce Integration	Seamlessly embedded Toast POS widgets for reservations, gift cards, and online ordering into the native design.
Visual Polish	Implemented custom SCSS animations, including grayscale-to-color image hovers, to add depth to the visual experience.
Local SEO	Structured site data with `Restaurant` and `OpeningHours` schema to secure local ranking before the doors opened.