Project summary

Client: The Wych Elm
Industry: Hospitality
Project: Website redesign and ongoing digital support
Platform: Squarespace
Website: https://thewych.co.uk/

The client

The Wych Elm is an award-winning independent pub and restaurant in Kingston upon Thames, renowned for its freshly prepared food, carefully selected drinks and welcoming atmosphere. As a popular destination for dining, private events and seasonal promotions, the website plays an important role in attracting new customers and keeping regular visitors informed.

PilotBean worked with The Wych Elm to redesign their existing website, creating a modern online presence that better reflects the quality of the venue while making it easier for customers to discover events, book tables and stay connected.

Services provided:

• Website Design
• Squarespace Development
• Responsive Design
• Dojo Booking Integration
• Constant Contact Integration
• Content Migration
• Event Management
• Search Engine Optimisation
• Ongoing Support

The challenge

The existing website no longer reflected the quality, personality and reputation of The Wych Elm.

The business required a modern website that showcased its food, drinks and events while making it simple for customers to book a table, browse upcoming events and join the mailing list.

The solution also needed to be easy for the owners to maintain themselves without requiring technical knowledge.

The solution

PilotBean redesigned the website using Squarespace, delivering a clean, modern design that reflects the character of the venue while providing an intuitive content management experience.

The result is a website that helps convert visitors into customers while giving the team the flexibility to keep content fresh throughout the year.

Events and seasonal promotions

As a venue that regularly hosts themed evenings, live events and seasonal promotions, the website has been designed to make publishing new content straightforward.

The flexible event system allows the team to quickly promote upcoming events and special offers, ensuring the website always reflects what’s happening at the venue.

Designed around the customer journey

The website has been carefully structured to make it easy for visitors to find the information they’re looking for, whether that’s viewing the latest menus, checking opening hours, discovering upcoming events or making a reservation.

Clear calls to action throughout the website help guide visitors towards booking a table or getting in touch.

Online table bookings

To simplify the booking process, the website integrates directly with Dojo’s online booking platform.

Customers can quickly reserve a table online without leaving the website, providing a seamless booking experience while reducing administration for the team.

Mobile-first design

Many customers discover The Wych Elm while searching on their phone for somewhere to eat or drink.

The website has therefore been designed with a mobile-first approach, ensuring key information such as opening hours, location, menus and booking options remain quick and easy to access on any device.

Easy to manage

Squarespace provides the owners with a straightforward content management system that allows them to update menus, publish events, upload photography and edit content without requiring any technical expertise.

This enables the website to evolve alongside the business while reducing the need for ongoing maintenance.

Mailing list integration

The website integrates with Constant Contact, allowing visitors to subscribe to The Wych Elm’s mailing list and receive updates about upcoming events, special offers and seasonal promotions.

This provides the business with an effective marketing channel for encouraging repeat visits and maintaining relationships with existing customers.

The outcome

The redesigned website provides The Wych Elm with a modern digital presence that reflects the quality of the venue and makes it easier for customers to engage with the business.

Integrated online bookings, event management and email marketing help support customer engagement, while the intuitive Squarespace platform enables the team to keep the website updated with minimal effort.

PilotBean continues to support The Wych Elm with ongoing improvements, ensuring the website continues to evolve alongside the business and its growing customer base.