Leveraging the web to expand (Piatti Locali)

Piatti’s restaurants are a well known establishment in Northern California. They had been a client of Media Net Link since the early 90’s. Over the years Piatti has grown very successful, and the decision was made to expand throughout the western region. With over a dozen restaurants in several states, Piatti management did not want a single web site to display what was to become their major branding theme, “Piatti Locali”. Piatti Locali represents the ability of a restaurant chain to take advantage of the local growers and food providers in a specific region while maintaining the leverage and economy of scale of a chain. It was absolutely essential that the site represent this theme.

Working with the folks at 40/40, a company hired to produce the look and brand, Media Net Link developed a web site that provided a way for clients to come to the site and experience the different restaurants while maintaining the integrity of a single site. The look and feel are important, and the team at Media Net Link worked closely with the branding firm to ensure the design was correctly applied to the site. Developing a brand original created on print does not easily transfer always to the web. Often the critical functions of the site limit the branding elements. Understanding both design and function is critical, especially for a company like Piatti where the brand and theme were key components of their business plan. Features such as on-line reservations for private rooms, simple navigation to find the particular restaurant, and access to a monthly newsletter were built within the overall scheme. With our background and experience working with some of the largest Fortune 100 companies, we were able to give Piatti Locali the site they were looking for at a price they could afford.