For review three I decided to compare the websites of Fox’s Pizza Den and the Brighton Hot Dog Shoppe. Each restaurant takes a different approach for the websites, Fox’s decided to create a relatively easy to use website and Brighton Hot Dog Shoppe decided to make one of the worst websites I’ve ever seen.
When you first log onto Fox’s Pizza’s website you are taken to a simple but effective homepage. The homepage is a single page that has a banner at the top with tabs to other parts of the website, a big graphic promoting their pizza over a video showing the process of making a pizza.When you scroll down it asks you to enter your zip code so the nearest store can be located. Also when you scroll down the banner at the top gets smaller so as to not get in the way. Once you enter your zip code it takes you to a page of the nearest shop locations. After you click on the closest location you are given the choice to either place an order or view their menu. When you click to place an order you are taken to a page that has their menu and you select a specialty pizza or you can create your own. For example if you opt to create a pizza you can select the size you want, the sauce you want and any toppings, either on the whole pizza or only half. After that you add the pizza to your cart and are given the option to pick up the order or have it delivered. If you choose to pick up, that’s the end of the order process. If you choose delivery then you enter your information and then you choose if you want to pay online or with cash. If you choose cash, that’s the end of the order process, if you choose to pay online you enter your card information then you are done.
As I said Fox’s website is relatively easy to use, the first time I ordered something from their website it took a little time to figure things out but once you get past that it’s fairly easy to use. The website’s design is overall a mix of being nothing special and interesting. The home page with the video showing the pizza being made was a nice detail but once you get into ordering your food it’s like any other pizza website, which I suppose is a good thing because if it works for one of them it should theoretically work for all of them.
On the other hand the website for the Brighton Hot Dog Shoppe is one of the worst things I’ve ever seen and it hurts to use. When you first log onto the website it seems inoffensive, a banner at the top with some tabs, the company logo with the company mascot and some pictures of the food below it. However when you scroll down the entire banner and company logo follows you making it nearly impossible to read any of the information below, it covers everything. The worst part is that it’s on every page, the banner and logo follow you when you scroll down on every single page. On the about us page it at least gets smaller when you scroll down but on every other page it stays the exact same size and gets in the way. The logo also says “About Us” no matter what page you’re on. When you look at the locations it has the address but no hours of operation. It does however tell you when that particular store was opened because that’s clearly more important than the hours a store is open. There is a menu page but again cause the banner and logo follow you when you scroll down you can’t hardly read it. You also can’t make orders through the website, you can see a menu but you cannot place orders. The only things you can buy on their website are merchandise and gift cards. Also this is just something that bothered me but at the bottom of the website they have social media links and the logo they have for twitter is from 2012 which is mildly infuriating to me for some reason.
Overall this website is a headache to use and almost pointless. I say almost because it does have store locations but at the same time there’s no hours for any of the stores so what’s the point? You can’t place orders but you can buy gift cards which is more convenient than going to a store to get them and you can also buy shirts and hoodies. However none of that to me is worth the headache you get while using their website.
I think having used both of these websites I would say that Fox’s is a lot easier to use and much better put together than the Brighton Hot Dog Shoppe website. On Fox’s website you can easily find a store and put an order in. Whereas with the Brighton Hot Dog Shoppe website the banner follows you no matter where you go, you can’t place an order and most annoyingly is that there are no hours for the stores.