Bon Atardi: a beach restaurant demo

The brief

We imagined a beach kitchen on the sand by the boulevard. Fresh fish from the morning boats, local dishes, cocktails, and the best seat on the island for the sunset over Klein Bonaire. Closed on Mondays, with something happening most other nights.

Its guests decide late and on their phones. The site had to answer when the sun sets, whether there is a table and what is on the menu, and let them book or order in a minute. In four languages.

What we built

The first thing you see is a sun clock. It works out today's sunset time for Kralendijk, counts down to it, and tells you when golden hour and happy hour start. After dark it shows tomorrow's sunset.

The menu is split into sunset bites, mains and drinks, with filters for vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, spicy and Bonaire classics. Tap a dish to add it to a pickup order.

For reservations, guests can pick their own table on a floor plan of the beach, the deck and the bar. Tables with a sunset view are marked. A weekly programme lets guests book a table for a specific night.

How the booking and owner view work

A reservation takes five steps: day and party size, time, table, details, and a final check. Times show how many tables are left. Guests can mark an occasion, from a birthday to a proposal, and add notes about allergies or a high chair. Pickup orders take a pickup time and are paid on collection.

The owner view has three tabs. Tonight shows covers and tables booked, where staff seat guests, free up tables or mark no-shows. Kitchen shows pickup orders moving from new to cooking to ready, with one tap to send a WhatsApp that the food is ready. The week tab shows reservations, orders and expected revenue.

A WhatsApp button opens a chat with a ready-made message, and a scripted assistant answers questions about sunset, vegan food and live music. On a real site, that assistant can be AI-powered.

Design choices

Sunset colours set the mood: orange, flamingo pink and mango, with palm green and deep sea blue to keep it readable. A bold, rounded retro display font for the headlines and a clean sans-serif for menus and prices.

The sun clock draws the sun's path across the sky in real time. Small animations confirm each step, like a dish popping into the basket. Movement is reduced for visitors who ask their phone for less motion.

What this means for a real restaurant

A real restaurant would get its own menu, tables and evenings, with real confirmations by WhatsApp or email. Prices, specials and hours can be changed in the owner dashboard, and the same menu can work as a QR menu on the tables.