Engaging Website Design for Hospitality Consultancy

I am launching The Menu Method, a specialist consultancy helping restaurants, pubs and hospitality businesses improve the profitability of their menus through menu engineering, data analysis and practical commercial insight.

I have 10 years’ experience in hospitality marketing, working with businesses including PizzaExpress, Fuller, Smith & Turner and independent hospitality groups.

The website needs to establish The Menu Method as credible, knowledgeable and commercially focused, while still feeling approachable and personal.

What I’m looking for:
I am looking for an experienced web designer/developer to create a clean, professional and modern website using an existing high-quality template or theme.
The budget for the initial website is approximately £750, so I am not looking for a fully bespoke website design.
I would like the designer to recommend an appropriate template/platform and customise it effectively using my branding, content, imagery and colours.
The finished site should feel polished and professional rather than obviously "off the shelf".
The overall style should be:
• Sophisticated but not corporate
• Modern and visually engaging
• Clean and uncluttered
• Commercial and professional
• Approachable and personal
• Appropriate for the hospitality industry

Website requirements:
The initial website will be relatively small, with approximately 5–7 pages:
• Home
• About / Meet Anita
• What I Do / Services
• How It Works
• FAQs
• Insights / Blog
• Contact

I will provide the majority of the written content.
I would welcome some guidance on how the content should be structured within the chosen template.

Key objective:
The primary purpose of the website is to generate enquiries from restaurant, pub and hospitality operators.
Visitors should quickly understand:
• What I do
• Who I help
• Why my experience makes me credible
• What they can expect from working with me
• How to get in touch
The main message should be clear:
I help hospitality businesses make more profit from their existing menus.
 
Design approach:
I am happy to work from an existing premium template/theme rather than developing a completely bespoke design.
I would like the designer to recommend a template that suits the business and then customise it appropriately.
I'm particularly interested in:
• Strong typography
• High-quality food/hospitality imagery
• Plenty of white space
• A simple, sophisticated colour palette
• Clear calls to action
• Good visual hierarchy
• Subtle animations where they are already supported by the chosen template

The site must work well on desktop, tablet and mobile.

The priority is making a well-chosen template feel polished, cohesive and appropriate for The Menu Method, rather than creating a completely bespoke design.

Functionality -
The website should include:
• Contact/enquiry form
• Clear calls-to-action
• Blog/Insights capability
• Basic SEO setup
• Google Analytics or equivalent tracking
• Mobile optimisation
• Fast-loading pages
• Easy-to-manage CMS
• Basic cookie/privacy functionality appropriate for a UK business

No complex bespoke functionality or integrations are required at this stage.

Branding:
I have some initial ideas for The Menu Method's visual direction but do not currently require a full brand identity project.

I would like the website to establish a simple and professional visual identity through:
• Typography
• Colour palette
• Image style
• Layout
• Consistent use of design elements

I am happy to use a relatively simple visual identity initially and develop the branding further as the business grows.

Platform / CMS
I am open to recommendations but would prefer a straightforward platform that allows me to make basic content changes myself.

Please explain which platform you would recommend and why.

A suitable WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, Webflow or similar template-based solution would be considered.

What I'm looking for in a freelancer:
Please only apply if you have experience creating professional websites using existing templates/themes.

I am particularly interested in someone who can:
• Select an appropriate template rather than simply use the first available theme
• Make a template feel polished and personalised
• Have a good eye for typography, imagery and layout
• Understand basic conversion principles
• Work efficiently within a fixed budget
• Communicate clearly and reliably
• Make sensible recommendations where something could be improved

Hospitality, restaurant, food, lifestyle, consultancy or other premium service-sector experience would be useful but is not essential.

Budget:
The budget for the initial website is approximately £750.
I am specifically looking for a template-based solution to keep the initial investment manageable.

Please indicate clearly what is included within your price and identify any additional costs separately.

I am open to using a paid premium template/theme if this is appropriate, although any additional licence cost should be identified before proceeding.
Please include with your proposal

Please provide:
• 2–3 examples of relevant websites you have designed/built
• The platform/CMS you would recommend
• An example of the type of template/theme you might use
• A brief explanation of your approach
• Estimated timescale
• Fixed project price
• What is included in the price
• Any costs that I would need to pay separately
• Any ongoing hosting, software or licence costs

Please don't send a generic proposal. I'd particularly like to understand how you would approach creating a polished £750 website for The Menu Method using a suitable template.

There may be opportunities for further website, design and content work as the business develops, so I'm also interested in finding someone I can work with longer term.