Context And Strategic Question

Golpo Bengal has already done the hard part.
In Cambridge it is recognised for modern Bengal cuisine, strong service, and a carefully designed in venue experience. It has been rated among the top curry houses in the UK and holds awards for concept and guest experience.

Yet most first encounters now happen online. In 2025, around 88% of diners search online before choosing a restaurant, and 91% have looked up a menu before visiting.
For Golpo, that first impression is still an older style website and a scattered social presence that does not fully express the calibre of the restaurant.

The strategic question we set out to answer is simple.

How do we turn Golpo’s award winning reputation and in venue experience into a modern digital system that increases bookings today and creates evidence for franchising tomorrow.

Experience Reality And Digital Diagnosis

In Restaurant Strengths

Golpo already has the foundations most brands wish they had.

• Consistently high review scores and national recognition

• A clearly defined concept linking Bengal stories to food and space

• A premium leaning but accessible experience with strong non alcoholic drinks and BYOB flexibility

Guests describe the atmosphere as modern, warm, and carefully considered. The food is talked about as precise, layered and different from standard curry houses.

Digital Gaps

Our audit of Golpo’s current digital assets highlighted several friction points.

• The website layout and visuals feel older than the physical space

• Menu and experience are not easy to explore on mobile

• Awards, press coverage, and review strength are not clearly structured for trust

• Data from bookings, reviews, and social is not consolidated for decision making

This is not unusual. Research shows that 68% of consumers are influenced by restaurant photos when choosing where to eat and 72% are influenced by online reviews, yet many independents still treat their site as a static brochure.

Market And Consumer Insights

We grounded our recommendations in how diners now behave, especially younger guests who will fuel long term growth.

• Around 85% of diners search online reviews before choosing a restaurant and 72% trust those reviews as much as personal recommendations.

• A single star improvement in online ratings can lift revenue for independent restaurants by 5 to 9 percent.

• 63% of diners say an actively maintained Google profile makes them more likely to visit, and 68% are more likely to visit restaurants with engaging websites.

• 54% of diners discovered a new restaurant through social media in the last month, and among younger guests 73% have visited a restaurant based on a social media review in the last three months.

• At the same time, 38% of Britons are dining out less due to price pressure, meaning each website visit and review driven discovery now carries more weight.

For Golpo, the takeaway is clear.
The brand cannot rely on in person experience alone. It needs a joined up digital presence that makes its quality legible in seconds and converts online attention into booked tables.

Strategic Opportunity For Golpo Bengal

We see Golpo’s opportunity as a shift from strong restaurant with an average digital layer to modern hospitality brand with a measurable, scalable system.

We frame this through four strategic pillars.

Translate Reputation Into A Modern Digital Brand

Golpo does not need a new identity. It needs a clearer expression of what already works.

Clarify The Core Story
Connect the “Golpo means story” narrative directly to how guests experience the restaurant. Stories of Bengal, stories of Cambridge, and stories of guests should structure the homepage and about content, not just appear in long paragraphs.

Elevate Visual Language
Shift to a more minimal design that matches the physical space. High quality photography of dishes, bar, and interior should be art directed around light, texture, and people rather than generic food close ups.

Make Trust Visible
Turn awards, press, and review metrics into structured proof components. For example, clear “Top Rated In Cambridge” and “Travellers Choice” visual badges near booking actions and menu links.

Design A Website Around Real Guest Journeys

The new website must behave like a booking tool, not just an online leaflet.

Map The Main Journeys

• Local couple planning a date night

• Family or group planning a celebration

• Visitor in Cambridge searching near the station

• Future franchise partner doing due diligence

For each journey we define the questions they ask and design the pages to answer them in order.

Reduce Friction On Mobile

With around half of restaurant bookings now made on mobile devices and 69% of diners checking menus before visiting, the small screen experience becomes the default.

Key moves.

• Sticky “Book A Table” actions visible across key pages

• Fast loading, scroll light menu views with pricing and dietary flags

• Clear access to Google Maps, opening times, and contact from every page

Make The Non Alcoholic Bar And BYOB Policy Work Harder

Create a distinct section for signature non alcoholic cocktails and the BYOB proposition, with photography and copy that turn them into reasons to choose Golpo rather than small details in the footer.

Build A Data Layer For Growth

For franchising and local optimisation, anecdote is not enough.

Unify Key Data Sources

• Website analytics and event tracking

• Online reservation data

• Google Business Profile insights

• Review sentiment and frequency

• Social engagement patterns

Given that 62% of restaurant revenue can be driven by digital reservations and online ordering, Golpo’s data model should track how each digital touchpoint contributes to bookings and spend.

Define Decision Metrics

We design dashboards that show:

• Booking conversion rate by channel

• First time versus repeat guest behaviour

• Impact of campaigns and seasonal menus

• Performance of individual franchise locations in future

This gives the owners a scoreboard for both single site optimisation and multi site planning.

Lay Foundations For Franchising

Franchising is attractive in the current UK environment. The franchise sector now includes roughly 1,009 systems and contributes around £19.1 Billion to the economy, with about 89% of units profitable.

To position Golpo for this step, we focus on standardisation.

Codify The Concept

Document the core elements that must be consistent across locations.

• Menu architecture and signature dishes

• Interior and ambience principles

• Service standards and hospitality rituals

• Digital brand guidelines and content templates

Create A Replicable Digital Kit

Each future franchise gets a predefined set of assets.

• Location specific microsite built on the same system

• Structured review and reputation playbook

• Campaign templates that can be adapted locally

This approach means a new Golpo location can be evaluated on the same metrics as Cambridge from day one.