So, what’s for lunch?
Sound like a familiar question? Chances are it’s one you ask yourself almost every day, and if you’re like one of millions of other Americans who go to the web in search of answers, chances are you haven’t found much; very few local restaurants do a good job of promoting themselves and their menus on-line.

That was the problem that spawned 1DotMenu, Coco Design’s latest addition to their innovative line of Website solutions aimed at the small business market. Jay Massey, the president of the Pensacola based design firm, sees opportunity for both restaurants and customers alike when restaurants leverage the Web’s unique ability to communicate timely information by posting menus and specials.

“There are a lot of great places to eat in this town,” says Massey, “but there aren’t a lot of restaurants around who are really taking advantage of the Web. Given our expertise in building small, effective Websites, we’re the perfect company to provide a package that will let any small restaurant take the Web by storm.” With that in mind, Coco Design set about developing 1DotMenu, an easy to implement Website product designed to give restaurants, cafés and caterers an affordable way to promote their menus and other specials on a day-to-day basis.

“1DotMenu is designed to give restaurant owners a cost-effective way to put their menus and specials on-line where customers can see them,” says Massey. “Restaurants will not only have a meaningful Web presence with information that consumers value, they’ll also have an ability to update their presence daily. Has your menu changed? Announce it on your site—and put it up for everyone to see. Do you have new specials or promotions? Promote them on your site. That’s information restaurants need to put in the hands of consumers, and there’s nothing like a Website to do that on a daily basis.”

1DotMenu uses the same technology as 1DotNow, Coco Design’s landmark Web product for small businesses. Like 1DotNow, 1DotMenu integrates professional Web designers with a set of modular back-end components that enables Coco Design to quickly develop high-quality, professional grade sites. The core components of each 1DotMenu site are the same, and include dynamic descriptions of menu items, a page for daily specials and other promotions, the restaurant’s contact information, and an easy-to-use dynamic content editor. 1DotMenu sites also support WAP format (wireless application protocol), for busy people who browse the Web with their cell phone or PDA. Individual sites may also include other components, such as online ordering, chef’s bio, reviews or a dynamically-editable animated banner.

Once the site’s infrastructure is complete, it can be turned over to the client for launch. 1DotMenu’s Dynamic Content Administrator allows the client to perform powerful site management tasks, allowing them to quickly and inexpensively update the site on their own—it’s just a matter of filling in the blanks. Far from requiring an experienced Webmaster, a 1DotMenu site can easily be maintained with minimal knowledge of computing. The site design also incorporates marketing tools that maximize chances of being found on the major search engines, so that 1DotMenu sites can perform effectively as a marketing platform, again without the recurring input from a designer or marketing house. The end result is that the cost of producing, maintaining and marketing a professional quality Website is slashed dramatically. Massey plans on releasing the basic sites for less than $800, a price considerably lower than any custom designed site with similar capabilities.

The first 1DotMenu sites are expected to be released early in the third quarter of 2002, and Massey anticipates a warm reception from local restaurants. In addition to 1DotMenu, Coco Design plans to expand into other niche markets with new products on the 1DotNow line, such as local political sites and sites for small church organizations.

“The 1DotNow line of products really are a powerful tool for enabling small businesses to leverage the Web,” says Massey. “We see limitless possibilities, and we intend to explore them.”

For more information on 1DotMenu, visit http://1DotMenu.com. For more information about Coco Design associates, visit http://CocoDesign.com or call 800-640-7197.