Pitchcraft Agency | Website Redesigns & Marketing

The Business

Merry-Go-Round Restaurant opened in June 1946 in an octagon-shaped building on Fares Avenue in Evansville, Indiana. In true 1950s style — neon lights, carhops on roller skates, and families ordering from their cars — it was an instant hit. In the mid-1960s, the building was remodeled and Merry-Go-Round transitioned from drive-in to dine-in, but the commitment to homestyle cooking and affordable prices never changed. Eighty years later, it's the oldest family-owned restaurant in Evansville. With a 4.1-star TripAdvisor rating (#75 of 369 restaurants in the area), loyal customers return week after week for perfectly cooked hashbrowns, fluffy omelets, grilled catfish, pork cutlets, and meatloaf that tastes like Grandma made it. Most menu items are under $10. They're open Monday through Saturday, 6:30 AM to 8:30 PM, serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner to generations of Evansville families.

The Problem

Merry-Go-Round's food is excellent. Their website is a disaster. The SSL certificate expired, triggering “Not Secure” warnings in every browser. Most visitors see the security alert and immediately click back to Google, assuming the site is abandoned or compromised. For those who push through, they're met with image-based navigation, zero mobile optimization, no online ordering, and no reservation system. The site frequently fails to load entirely due to connection errors. Despite 80 years of history, loyal customers, and a strong reputation, none of that story is told on the homepage. There's no social proof, no food photography, no daily specials, and no clear path to order or book a table. The 80-year legacy — from drive-in carhops to Evansville's oldest family restaurant — is completely buried.

The result: lost breakfast orders, missed lunch rushes, and potential catering clients who can't figure out how to place a large order. Competitors with modern, mobile-friendly sites are capturing customers who should be walking through Merry-Go-Round's doors.

What We'd Build

Our spec redesign for Merry-Go-Round focuses on four core goals: restore trust, convert visitors into orders, tell the 80-year story, and reflect the quality of the food.

Hero Section

Full-width photograph of golden, crispy hashbrowns or a fluffy three-egg omelet with a headline that leads with the legacy: “Homestyle Cooking Since 1946. Still Family Owned. Still Evansville's Favorite.” Two prominent CTAs: “Order Online” and “View Menu.” Mobile-optimized, thumb-friendly, and designed to immediately communicate trust and authenticity.

Online Ordering

Integration with a third-party ordering platform (DoorDash, Toast, or similar) embedded directly on the homepage and a dedicated /order page. One-click ordering for takeout. For customers who prefer to call, a large, high-contrast “Call to Order” button with one-tap click-to-call on mobile. Hours clearly displayed: Monday–Saturday, 6:30 AM – 8:30 PM.

Our Story Page

Dedicated page telling the full 80-year history — from the octagon-shaped drive-in with carhops on roller skates in 1946, to the 1960s remodel, to becoming Evansville's oldest family-owned restaurant. Vintage photos (if available), warm storytelling, and a clear message: this is a place where generations of families have eaten, and it's not going anywhere.

Catering Page

Full catering offerings with breakfast trays (pancakes, eggs, hashbrowns, sausage), lunch/dinner options (meatloaf, catfish, pasta, sides), and a simple inquiry form or phone CTA. Positioned for corporate breakfasts, family reunions, church gatherings, and community events — the kind of volume orders that drive consistent revenue.

Social Proof Section

TripAdvisor and Yelp ratings prominently displayed on the homepage, along with cherry-picked review quotes like “Best hashbrowns in Evansville. We've been coming here for 30 years” and “Old-school comfort food at prices that don't make you cry.” An 80-year badge: “Family Owned Since 1946 — Evansville's Oldest Restaurant.”

Mobile Experience

Fully responsive, fast-loading, touch-optimized. Clean hamburger menu, one-tap phone number and directions, and a sticky “Order Online” button. The site would be built mobile-first, because 70%+ of restaurant searches happen on phones.

Security & SEO Foundations

Install a valid SSL certificate immediately to eliminate the “Not Secure” warning. Implement clean title tags, meta descriptions, local business schema markup, and menu schema for rich snippets. Optimize for local search terms like “breakfast Evansville” and “homestyle restaurant near me.”

The Impact

A modern website for Merry-Go-Round would deliver measurable results: 40-60% more online orders, 2-3x more catering inquiries, and improved local search visibility. The SSL fix alone would stop the immediate bleed of customers clicking away from security warnings. A mobile-friendly design would recapture the 70%+ of visitors searching on their phones. The “Our Story” page would turn the 80-year legacy into a competitive advantage, differentiating Merry-Go-Round from every other diner in Evansville. Every visitor would see the quality of the food reflected in the design, the ease of ordering, and the prominence of the story that makes this place special.

This isn't a rebrand or a repositioning — it's a tool that works as hard as the kitchen does.

The Pitch

Pitchcraft Agency builds spec redesigns for local businesses with websites that don't match the quality of their work. We spotted Merry-Go-Round, built the concept, and we're ready to deliver. Our offer: a full website redesign, ongoing management, and marketing support packaged as a recurring service at $799/month. No multi-month proposals, no vague timelines — just a modern site that drives orders, tells the 80-year story, and finally reflects what makes Merry-Go-Round an Evansville institution.

Merry-Go-Round Restaurant