Case Study — 03
Maison Rouge
How a premium Chelsea restaurant took control of their direct bookings, eliminated platform commission costs, and built a digital experience worthy of their exceptional physical one.
The results
Within three months of launching the new website, Maison Rouge had fundamentally changed their relationship with online bookings — increasing revenue per cover and eliminating the commission drain that had plagued their previous model.
The project
Maison Rouge is a French fine dining restaurant in Chelsea, London. Celebrated for its kitchen and service, the restaurant had built a loyal following — but their digital presence was a liability. A basic WordPress template, stock photography, and an embedded third-party booking widget that was driving reservations through OpenTable at significant ongoing commission cost.
The owners came to us with a simple ambition: a website that felt as refined as the restaurant itself, and a booking system they owned outright — so every direct reservation benefited the business in full, rather than being shared with a platform.
We designed and built a completely bespoke website — cinematic, elegant, and fast — with a custom booking system built on Firebase that integrated directly with their existing reservation management workflow.
The challenge
Building a booking system from scratch that felt seamless to customers, integrated with the kitchen's existing workflow, and handled edge cases (large party sizes, dietary requirements, special occasion requests) without reverting to a clunky generic form.
The design challenge was equally demanding — the restaurant's physical environment was extraordinary, but they had no professional photography or brand assets beyond a basic logo. We needed to create a compelling visual experience without the standard raw material.
Our solution
We commissioned a professional photography session, producing a library of food, interior, and atmospheric images that gave us the raw material to build an immersive, editorial web experience.
The custom booking system — built on Firebase Firestore with real-time availability, email confirmation, and an admin dashboard — launched alongside the new website. Within the first week, 73% of new reservations were coming through the direct booking flow rather than third-party platforms.
The result was a website that guests now share and reference as part of why they chose Maison Rouge — before they've even visited.
Your venue deserves
a digital presence
to match.
Book a free 30-minute call. We'll discuss your goals and show you exactly how we'd approach your project.