A New Website for the Oldest Restaurant in Sioux Falls

B & G Milkyway is a historic restaurant in Sioux Falls, SD that specializes in frozen treats, like their original recipe strawberry ice cream and specialty Avalanches. The restaurant was founded around 1953 and has since franchised to open ten total locations.

The franchise has been experiencing rapid growth in recent years, with four of their franchise locations being opened in the last decade. As their growth continued, Milkyway realized they needed a website that could keep up with the increasing number of locations. With no brand guidelines, just a logo and three colors, their current website didn’t fit the yesteryear atmosphere of the restaurants and lacked some of the functionality of modern sites. Enticed by the rich history–and ice cream–Strategie stepped in to build a new website that aligns with the restaurant’s timeless atmosphere.

After meeting with B & G Milkyway to align our goals, Strategie conducted a site audit, pinpointing which pieces of the website would need the biggest changes on the new page. We found that the location pages were inconsistent, and it was difficult to add locations as they were added. The menu page received the most visitors by far, but because the menu was split into three pages, it was hard to navigate and harder still to link to. Finally, 90% of their site traffic came from a mobile device, so ensuring the new site was mobile-optimized was key.

Having identified the key points to address for the new site, we visited each location to take photos and get a first-hand feel for the Milkyway experience–and try a little ice cream to ensure we could fully understand the business. It was crucial that we effectively captured the atmosphere of the physical locations, as the yesteryear style of the physical locations is one of the most prominent parts of the B & G Milkyway brand.

Strategie started by establishing a brand typography and expanded the color palette, in order to create a site with a consistent style. Our goal was to reflect the legacy of Milkyway with a retro 50s drive-up aesthetic while still allowing the site to be modern and accessible. Ultimately, the website needed to feel fun while telling the story of the people who make B & G Milkyway an iconic part of Sioux Falls and the surrounding area.

As for the website’s features, we created location page templates that feature improved and consistent organization and make it easier to update as they add new locations. In order to make the menu page more accessible and easier to link, we re-organized the menu and formatted it into a single, easy-to-navigate page. We also provided easy access in the website’s header.

Strategie launched the new website during B & G Milkway’s busiest season, and the response from the customers and community has been extremely positive. This is reflected in the site’s steady traffic with a high engagement rate:

• 7.8k active users per month
• 80% average engagement rate

By creating a brand-connected website design and solving key pain points, Strategie designed a website that helps immerse visitors in the B & G Milkyway atmosphere and creates a positive online experience for their ice-cream hungry customers.