Answers that name a competitor

• Brand Vision Marketing - Web Design & Branding - 30 N Michigan Ave #504, Chicago, IL 60602, United States
• ArtVersion® Creative Agency - 211 W Wacker Dr Ste 1130, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Web Action LLC - 350 N Orleans St #9000n, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Americaneagle.com, Inc. - 200 W Jackson Blvd Fl 22, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Alpha Efficiency - Web Design Chicago Agency - 875 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• Alebrije Agency - 233 S Wacker Dr Ste 4400, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• SITE IT NOW - 1016 W Jackson Blvd, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Chicago Website Design SEO Company - 10 S Riverside Plaza #875, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Design In Chicago - 159 N Sangamon St Suite 200, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Menus and Photos - 5122 N Natoma Ave, Chicago, IL 60656, United States

For a Loop restaurant, I’d look for an agency that understands hospitality conversion, not just pretty websites: a fast mobile menu, reservation flow (OpenTable/Resy/Tock/SevenRooms), strong food photography, and an easy way for your staff to update specials. Here are Chicago-area agencies I’d put on your shortlist:

Best fits for a restaurant redesign

Brand Vision Marketing - Web Design & Branding

DirectionsWebsite[Call](tel:+1 312-741-0303)

Good option if you want a brand refresh + website redesign together. They’re downtown-based and focus on branding, web design, and digital marketing.
Ask them about:

• Restaurant-focused case studies
• Menu redesign (digital + print)
• Food photography partners
• Reservation/ordering integrations

ArtVersion® Creative Agency

DirectionsWebsite[Call](tel:+1 312-837-7466)

A strong choice if your restaurant has a distinctive identity and you want a more premium, design-led experience. They handle brand strategy, UX, and web development.
Best for: chef-driven concepts, upscale dining, restaurants where atmosphere matters as much as the menu.

Web Action LLC

DirectionsWebsite[Call](tel:+1 855-468-6932)

Worth contacting if you want a more restaurant-specific package. They advertise restaurant website work that includes menu design, photography/video, branding, and marketing. Web Action
Best for: a small independent restaurant wanting one vendor to handle many pieces.

Americaneagle.com, Inc.

DirectionsWebsite[Call](tel:+1 312-291-5970)

A larger downtown agency with deeper development resources.
Best for: restaurants planning loyalty programs, multiple locations, custom integrations, or more complex systems.

Alpha Efficiency - Web Design Chicago Agency

DirectionsWebsite[Call](tel:+1 312-300-6746)

Not technically in the Loop, but close (West Loop/Fulton Market) and worth considering for a full creative package. They combine branding, web, marketing, and content production.
Best for: a restaurant that needs photography, storytelling, and a stronger overall brand presence.

Restaurant-specialist options (even if not strictly downtown)

The Object Group Restaurant Website Design

They specifically market restaurant websites with reservation/order flows and include restaurant photography/video work in their process. the object group
Best for: restaurants where the visual experience is the priority.

Orbit Media Restaurant Website Design

They have restaurant-specific experience with reservation integrations, CMS setup, UX, and SEO. Orbit Media Studios
Best for: a restaurant that wants the site to generate more reservations, not just look good.

Striped Horse Restaurant Website Design

They focus specifically on restaurant branding, menus, reservation flows, and photography-driven design. Striped Horse
Best for: modern neighborhood restaurants, bars, and hospitality brands.

When you contact them, ask these 8 questions

1. “Can you replace our PDF menu with a mobile-friendly editable menu?”
2. “Which reservation platforms have you integrated with?”
3. “Do you handle food photography in-house or coordinate a photographer?”
4. “Can staff update menu items, hours, and specials without calling you?”
5. “Can you optimize Google Search/Maps visibility for the Loop area?”
6. “Can you integrate Toast, Square, OpenTable, Resy, or Tock if needed?”
7. “Can you show 3 restaurant websites you’ve launched?”
8. “What is the ongoing monthly cost after launch?”

For a small Loop restaurant, I’d probably start by interviewing The Object Group, Web Action, Orbit Media, and ArtVersion—they cover the range from restaurant-specialist execution to higher-end branding. the object group Orbit Media Studios

If you tell me your restaurant style (fine dining, casual, bar, fast casual, cuisine type) and approximate budget, I can narrow this to the 3 agencies most likely to be a fit.

• Orbit Media Studios - 4043 N Ravenswood Ave #316, Chicago, IL 60613, United States
• Praella - eCommerce Agency - 203 N LaSalle St Suite 2100, Chicago, IL 60601, United States
• Elevate Studios: A Digital Design Firm - 5416 N Wayne Ave, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• Design In Chicago - 159 N Sangamon St Suite 200, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• YourPortal - 2211 N Elston Ave Ste 208, Chicago, IL 60614, United States
• Chicago Website Design SEO Company - 10 S Riverside Plaza #875, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Alpha Efficiency - Web Design Chicago Agency - 875 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• SITE IT NOW - 1016 W Jackson Blvd, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Lift Conversions - 3033 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60657, United States
• Flamingo Agency - 3752 N Southport Ave, Chicago, IL 60613, United States
• Millennial Web Development - 329 W 18th St Ste 413, Chicago, IL 60616, United States
• Brand Vision Marketing - Web Design & Branding - 30 N Michigan Ave #504, Chicago, IL 60602, United States
• Americaneagle.com, Inc. - 200 W Jackson Blvd Fl 22, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• WPrime Agency - 222 W Merchandise Mart Plaza #1212, Chicago, IL 60654, United States

Absolutely. Since you’re in Fulton Market and selling fashion/boutique products, I’d prioritize studios that can combine editorial visual design + Shopify/ecommerce UX + measurable CRO, rather than a general-purpose web design shop.

My Chicago shortlist

• Orbit Media Studios — Strong if you want a sophisticated, strategy-led redesign with conversion optimization, SEO, content, and analytics baked in. They’re more of a full-service digital agency than a boutique Shopify specialist.
• Praella - eCommerce Agency — My pick if you want a serious Shopify/Shopify Plus ecommerce partner. They specialize in ecommerce builds, migrations, UX/UI, and optimization, with a Chicago office downtown.
• Elevate Studios: A Digital Design Firm — Particularly interesting for a fashion/lifestyle boutique. Their positioning centers on premium beauty, fashion, and DTC brands, with brand identity, UX/UI, ecommerce experience design, and digital creative.
• Design In Chicago — A West Loop option, which makes them especially convenient from Fulton Market. They handle strategy, wireframes, high-fidelity design, development, integrations, testing, and launch rather than just handing you pretty Figma screens.
• The Chicago Web Co. — Probably the most directly aligned with your brief. They're Shopify-focused, explicitly offer conversion optimization and UX audits, and have fashion experience including work for Naked Cashmere, LoveShackFancy, A3 Performance, and Sophia Forero. Their portfolio also emphasizes mobile-first design and conversion improvements. The Chicago Web Co Shopify
• Forix — Worth getting a proposal from if conversion performance is the priority. Their Chicago Shopify practice combines UX, CRO, performance optimization, and redesign, and they specifically position themselves around conversion-focused Shopify stores. Forix

Who I'd interview first

For a modern, fashion-forward Fulton Market boutique, I'd narrow it to:

1. The Chicago Web Co. — best combination of fashion/ecommerce aesthetics + Shopify + CRO.
2. Elevate Studios — strongest candidate if brand image and premium visual identity are especially important.
3. Praella — strongest if you're expecting substantial ecommerce complexity, Shopify Plus, integrations, or future scaling.
4. Design In Chicago — attractive if you want a local West Loop/Fulton Market-adjacent partner that can handle the whole digital project.

One useful distinction: don't let “conversion-focused” mean simply adding bigger Buy buttons. For a boutique, I'd ask each studio to show how they'd improve mobile product discovery, collection filtering, PDP photography/storytelling, sizing confidence, sticky add-to-cart, checkout friction, email capture, and post-purchase retention—and ask what metrics they'll establish as the baseline before redesigning.

If you tell me your approximate budget (e.g. $10–25k, $25–50k, $50k+) and whether you're already on Shopify, I can narrow this to 3 firms and compare them on likely fit, portfolio, pricing level, and what I'd ask each in the pitch.

• Flamingo Agency - 3752 N Southport Ave, Chicago, IL 60613, United States
• Praella - eCommerce Agency - 203 N LaSalle St Suite 2100, Chicago, IL 60601, United States
• YourPortal - 2211 N Elston Ave Ste 208, Chicago, IL 60614, United States
• Alpha Efficiency - Web Design Chicago Agency - 875 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• UX 4Sight - 111 W Jackson Blvd Unit 1700, Chicago, IL 60604, United States
• ArtVersion® Creative Agency - 211 W Wacker Dr Ste 1130, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Solid Digital - 100 N LaSalle St #1400, Chicago, IL 60602, United States
• Chicago Website Design SEO Company - 10 S Riverside Plaza #875, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• IDE Interactive, Inc. - 2945 W Peterson Ave Ste 103, Chicago, IL 60659, United States
• SITE IT NOW - 1016 W Jackson Blvd, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Americaneagle.com, Inc. - 200 W Jackson Blvd Fl 22, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Brand Vision Marketing - Web Design & Branding - 30 N Michigan Ave #504, Chicago, IL 60602, United States
• SEOLEVELUP Website Design SEO Company Chicago - 355 N Laflin St Ste 101C, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Millennial Web Development - 329 W 18th St Ste 413, Chicago, IL 60616, United States
• 97 Switch - 1 E Wacker Dr #2550, Chicago, IL 60601, United States

For a family-owned retailer on Chicago’s Near North Side, I’d prioritize an agency that can combine a strong local/retail feel with mobile UX, speed, SEO, and easy day-to-day content management—rather than a big branding agency that over-engineers the project.

My shortlist

• Flamingo Agency — best local/small-business fit.

They’re actually on the North Side in Lakeview and focus on small businesses, WordPress redesigns, SEO, and making sites editable by owners. This would be my first conversation if your current site is primarily a marketing/catalog site rather than a complicated ecommerce operation.

• Praella - eCommerce Agency — best if ecommerce is central.

Their Chicago operation specializes in Shopify/Shopify Plus, including storefront redesigns, UX/UI, migrations and performance-oriented ecommerce work. If customers will browse products and purchase online, this is a particularly strong candidate.

• YourPortal — good middle-ground option.

They're in Lincoln Park and combine web design with digital marketing and optimization. I'd consider them if you want the redesign to improve both the customer experience and local search/customer acquisition.

• Alpha Efficiency - Web Design Chicago Agency — performance/conversion-oriented option.

Their positioning is explicitly around fast websites, SEO and conversion, so they're worth talking to if the old site isn't just unattractive but is also failing to turn visitors into store visits, calls, inquiries, or purchases.

• UX 4Sight — best UX specialist.

If your biggest concern is how customers navigate the site on their phones, this is the specialist I'd add to the pitch process. They emphasize UX research, usability testing, responsive design and UX audits rather than simply making a site look newer.

• ArtVersion® Creative Agency — best for a more substantial brand refresh.

They combine branding, visual design, UX and web development under one roof. I'd look here if the retailer's identity also needs modernizing, not just its website.

Two smaller alternatives worth a look

PIXALPHA STUDIO specifically advertises custom, fast-loading, mobile-first sites for Chicago small businesses, with the founders personally handling projects. Pixalpha Studio

The Chicago Web Co. is particularly interesting if you're moving toward Shopify: it emphasizes mobile-first Shopify builds, UX/CRO, and has Chicago retail examples including Stan's Donuts. Its portfolio also shows work involving full redesigns, mobile navigation, ecommerce flows and performance improvements. The Chicago Web Co The Chicago Web Co

What I'd ask them for

For your situation, I'd put these requirements in the RFP:

1. Mobile-first redesign, not merely a responsive desktop site.
2. Core Web Vitals/performance targets and a commitment to testing on real mobile devices.
3. Simple navigation for store locations, hours, products/categories, promotions and contact information.
4. Strong local SEO without sacrificing usability.
5. Easy staff editing—ideally without needing the agency for every photo, promotion or store-hours change.
6. Analytics configured before launch so you can measure mobile engagement, directions/calls, online purchases and other retailer-specific conversions.
7. A proper migration/redirect plan so the redesign doesn't wipe out existing Google rankings.

If it were my project, I'd interview Flamingo, Praella, and The Chicago Web Co. first, then add UX 4Sight if the existing site's information architecture is particularly messy.

If you tell me roughly what you sell, whether you need ecommerce, your current platform (WordPress/Shopify/etc.), and your approximate budget, I can narrow this to 3 agencies and compare their likely fit, strengths, and expected project scope.

• Design In Chicago - 159 N Sangamon St Suite 200, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Orbit Media Studios - 4043 N Ravenswood Ave #316, Chicago, IL 60613, United States
• YourPortal - 2211 N Elston Ave Ste 208, Chicago, IL 60614, United States
• Alpha Efficiency - Web Design Chicago Agency - 875 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• Sandstorm Design - 4422 N Ravenswood Ave #50, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• Brand Vision Marketing - Web Design & Branding - 30 N Michigan Ave #504, Chicago, IL 60602, United States
• Americaneagle.com, Inc. - 200 W Jackson Blvd Fl 22, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Cybernautic Web Design - 515 N State St #14-126, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• Fresh Design Studio - 53 W Jackson Blvd, Ste 256, Chicago, IL 60604
• Millennial Web Development - 329 W 18th St Ste 413, Chicago, IL 60616, United States
• ArtVersion® Creative Agency - 211 W Wacker Dr Ste 1130, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Windy City Web Solutions - 801 S Wells St, Chicago, IL 60607, United States

Yes. For a boutique downtown Chicago hotel, I’d prioritize agencies that understand the hotel booking funnel—not just agencies that make attractive WordPress sites.

My shortlist

• Design In Chicago — West Loop

Probably the most interesting local option if you want brand + website + content + hospitality marketing under one roof. Their hospitality practice explicitly covers boutique hotels, booking systems, hotel web design, and direct-reservation journeys. designindc.com

Best for: A distinctive boutique/lifestyle property that needs a visual redesign plus stronger conversion strategy.

• Orbit Media Studios — Ravenswood

A strong choice if you're more focused on UX, SEO, analytics, conversion optimization and long-term performance than purely hospitality aesthetics. They're a substantial Chicago web agency with deep redesign experience.

Best for: A hotel with an outdated site that wants a rigorous redesign/replatforming and measurable growth program.

• 97 Switch — Chicago

This one is especially relevant because they have a 10+ year relationship with theWit, a downtown Chicago Hilton hotel, covering its website and digital marketing across the hotel, rooftop, restaurant and spa. 97 Switch

Best for: A downtown lifestyle/boutique hotel where brand storytelling and the property's overall experience are important.

• Design In Chicago

Worth putting on the RFP list specifically because their hospitality offering includes booking-engine integration, hotel websites, boutique hotels and marketing—not simply generic web design. designindc.com

Best for: A more comprehensive redesign where photography, content, brand positioning and marketing all need attention.

One specialist I'd also interview

O'Rourke Hospitality isn't Chicago-based, so it doesn't satisfy your "Chicago company" requirement, but I'd seriously consider including them as an outside benchmark. They specialize exclusively in hospitality and have a specific Chicago hotel website case study involving Hotel Chicago Downtown. Their broader work is unusually focused on direct-booking UX. O'Rourke O'Rourke

Their case studies are particularly relevant: one hotel redesign increased bookings by 56.7% and revenue by 31.7%, while another saw booking-engine conversion rise from 3.65% to nearly 7% after integrating availability and pricing into the website experience. O'Rourke O'Rourke

How I'd approach the RFP

Don't ask agencies simply for a "new hotel website." Ask each one to show you how they would improve:

1. Direct-booking conversion — persistent Book Now/availability CTA, fewer steps, mobile-first booking.
2. OTA competition — a compelling reason to book direct, not merely a prettier version of your current site.
3. Room pages — strong photography, room comparison, amenities, rates and availability.
4. Chicago SEO — pages targeting searches such as boutique hotels downtown Chicago, hotels near specific attractions, business travel, weekend stays, etc.
5. Packages/offers — architecture that lets you promote seasonal packages without calling the developer.
6. Speed — especially image-heavy mobile performance.
7. Analytics — booking-engine clicks, booking funnel abandonment, revenue and direct-booking conversion—not just Google Analytics traffic.
8. Booking-engine integration — ask them to demonstrate exactly what the guest sees before leaving the site.

My first three calls would be 97 Switch, Design In Chicago, and Orbit Media. I'd use O'Rourke as the hospitality-specialist benchmark to make sure the Chicago agencies aren't treating your hotel like a generic corporate website.

If you want, I can also build you a 5–7 agency Chicago shortlist with approximate project budgets, hospitality case studies, strengths/weaknesses, and contact links, specifically for a boutique hotel redesign.

If demo day is close, I’d prioritize studios that can do brand + website as one sprint, rather than a traditional agency with a long strategy process.

My shortlist

1. ColorJar — best for a startup brand overhaul

• Fulton Market location, so it's particularly convenient.
• Strategy-forward branding with startup positioning, identity and digital work.
• A recent industry profile specifically describes its “speed branding” approach for startups. Toimi
• Book if: the brand itself needs to look materially more credible before investors/customers see it.
• Design In Chicago — best all-in-one execution

• West Loop/Fulton Market-adjacent.
• Handles strategy → brand refresh → website design/development → launch, with a structured process and frequent communication.
• Book if: you want one team accountable for getting the thing live rather than coordinating a branding shop and web developer.
• ALL FOR™ Agency — best literal Fulton Market fit

• They're actually based in Fulton Market and explicitly offer brand strategy, rebranding, custom website design and website redesign. ALL FOR™ ALL FOR™
• Their site even has a “Mini” brand package specifically for startups on a tight timeline/budget, plus larger rebrand packages. ALL FOR™
• They advertise handling quick, last-minute creative tweaks, which is a useful signal for a demo-day crunch. ALL FOR™
• Book if: you need a pragmatic, founder-friendly sprint rather than an enormous agency process.
• EightySeven — best if speed is the overriding constraint

• Their positioning is unusually explicit: brand velocity in weeks, not months.
• Their BrandLaunch is designed to get a founder launch-ready in five weeks, including positioning, identity directions and homepage direction. EightySeven
• Book if: you're roughly 4–6 weeks out and need a strong identity + homepage rather than a sprawling corporate rebrand.
• SITE IT NOW — best West Loop technical fallback

• Based on W. Jackson in the West Loop.
• Offers brand-first web design/development, branding, performance and maintenance.
• Book if: the visual refresh is relatively straightforward and getting a technically solid site shipped matters more than an elaborate brand strategy.

One I'd also call

Orbit Media Studios is worth a call if the website is the bigger problem. It's a more established Chicago web agency focused on lead generation, UX, performance, accessibility, SEO and ongoing support rather than simply making a pretty site.

For a demo-day deadline, my first three calls would be ALL FOR™, ColorJar, and Design In Chicago. I'd tell each one:

“We're a Fulton Market tech startup with demo day on [date]. We need a focused brand refresh and website redesign, not a six-month rebrand. Can you put senior design leadership on it and get us launch-ready by then?”

That wording should quickly expose who can actually accommodate the deadline.

If you give me how many weeks until demo day, approximate budget, and whether the existing site is Webflow/WordPress/Framer/etc., I can narrow this to the 2–3 studios I'd actually book calls with.

• Orbit Media Studios - 4043 N Ravenswood Ave #316, Chicago, IL 60613, United States
• Americaneagle.com, Inc. - 200 W Jackson Blvd Fl 22, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Olive Street Design - 264 E Kenilworth Ave, Villa Park, IL 60181, United States
• Brand Vision Marketing - Web Design & Branding - 30 N Michigan Ave #504, Chicago, IL 60602, United States
• Marcel Digital - 20 N Wacker Dr Ste 1285, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Partners by Design - 363 W Erie St, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Digital Primates Inc - 8420 W Bryn Mawr Ave, Ste 750, Chicago, IL 60631
• YourPortal - 2211 N Elston Ave Ste 208, Chicago, IL 60614, United States
• Chicago Website Design SEO Company - 10 S Riverside Plaza #875, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Alpha Efficiency - Web Design Chicago Agency - 875 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• SITE IT NOW - 1016 W Jackson Blvd, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• SEOLEVELUP Website Design SEO Company Chicago - 355 N Laflin St Ste 101C, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Marcel Digital - 445 W Erie St #200, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• SEO Design Chicago | Digital Marketing & Web Design Agency - 2068 N Western Ave 1F - Front, Chicago, IL 60647, United States
• Digital Third Coast - 2540 W North Ave, Chicago, IL 60647, United States
• Digital Authority Partners - 420 W Huron St Fl 1, Chicago, IL 60654, United States

For a downtown Chicago restaurant group, I’d prioritize agencies that understand multi-location architecture: one shared design system/template, location-level flexibility, local SEO, menus, reservations/ordering integrations, and centralized CMS governance.

Here are Chicago agencies I’d shortlist:

Strongest fits for multi-location restaurant redesigns

Orbit Media Studios

DirectionsWebsite[Call](tel:+1 773-348-4581)

Best overall fit for a restaurant group.

• Has direct restaurant-group experience, including redesigning a management company site plus multiple venue sites under a cohesive system. Orbit Media Studios
• Strong with: - Multi-location SEO
• WordPress/CMS governance
• Reservation and ordering integrations (OpenTable, Resy, Toast, Tock, SevenRooms, etc.) Orbit Media Studios
• Location pages and conversion optimization
• Good choice if you want a master template + customized location storytelling approach.

Orbit Media Studios

Americaneagle.com, Inc.

DirectionsWebsite[Call](tel:+1 312-291-5970)

Best for a larger restaurant group needing enterprise-level infrastructure.

• Has experience rebuilding large restaurant brands, including multi-location food businesses such as Lou Malnati's. Americaneagle.com
• Better suited if you need: - Complex CMS permissions
• Multiple brands under one organization
• Integrations and replatforming
• Long-term technical support

Americaneagle.com

Olive Street Design

DirectionsWebsite[Call](tel:+1 630-366-6440)

Good option if your priority is rolling out many location sites efficiently.

• Has experience with multi-location restaurant websites, including a build for Schoop's Hamburgers featuring multiple locations, menus, and ordering flows. Olive Street Design
• Strengths: - Repeatable templates
• Faster deployment across locations
• Easy internal updates

Olive Street Design

Brand Vision Marketing - Web Design & Branding

DirectionsWebsite[Call](tel:+1 312-741-0303)

Best if the restaurant group needs a stronger brand system, not just web redesign.

• Has worked with Chicago hospitality groups and rebuilt multiple restaurant websites using a shared theme while allowing each location to retain its own personality. The Branding Shop
• Good fit for: - Multiple concepts
• Brand consistency
• Visual identity refresh
• Photography/content direction

The Branding Shop

Other Chicago firms worth considering

Marcel Digital

DirectionsWebsite[Call](tel:+1 312-255-8044)

A stronger fit if SEO, analytics, and digital marketing are as important as design. They position themselves around technical web development, SEO, CRO, and measurement.

Partners by Design

DirectionsWebsite[Call](tel:+1 312-649-1111)

Good if the redesign includes brand strategy, creative direction, photography/content, and a broader hospitality refresh.

Digital Primates Inc

DirectionsWebsite[Call](tel:+18472982190)

A smaller technical partner option if you want custom development, performance, and integrations rather than a large agency engagement. Prismatics Digital

How I’d structure the RFP for your situation

For a downtown Chicago restaurant group, I’d ask agencies to propose:

1. Design system

• One shared component library
• Shared navigation/footer
• Brand-consistent typography, photography rules, menus, location modules
• Location scalability

• Add a new restaurant in days, not months
• Separate location managers can update hours, menus, events, photos
• Restaurant integrations

• Reservations (OpenTable/Resy/Tock/SevenRooms)
• Online ordering
• Gift cards
• Loyalty
• Private dining inquiries
• Local SEO

• Individual location landing pages
• Google Business Profile alignment
• Schema markup
• Neighborhood targeting (River North, West Loop, Loop, Fulton Market, etc.)
• Migration plan

• Preserve rankings
• Redirect strategy
• Analytics continuity

My first calls would probably be Orbit Media, Americaneagle.com, Olive Street Design, and The Branding Shop—they map most closely to the “one restaurant group, many locations, consistent template” requirement. Orbit Media Studios Americaneagle.com Olive Street Design The Branding Shop

I’d also recommend asking each agency for a sample architecture showing a parent restaurant-group site + 5–10 individual location sites, because that will reveal quickly whether they truly understand multi-unit hospitality.

• Angle180 - 141 W Jackson Blvd #4236, Chicago, IL 60604, United States
• LoSasso Integrated Marketing - 4853 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago, IL 60640, United States
• Solid Digital - 100 N LaSalle St #1400, Chicago, IL 60602, United States
• Marcel Digital - 445 W Erie St #200, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• Americaneagle.com, Inc. - 200 W Jackson Blvd Fl 22, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Alpha Efficiency - Web Design Chicago Agency - 875 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• The Office of Experience, LLC - 980 N Michigan Ave Ste 1090, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• FlyDesign - 111 W Jackson Blvd, Chicago, IL 60604, United States
• Fresh Design Studio - 53 W Jackson Blvd, Ste 256, Chicago, IL 60604
• A&B Consulting Group | Digital Marketing, Web Designer & Branding - 352 River St, Lemont, IL 60439, United States
• Beyond Design, Inc. - 3759 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago, IL 60613, United States
• Design Integrity, Inc. - 1528 W Adams St Unit 1, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Tangent Design Group, Inc. - 2701 W Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL 60622, United States
• idX Corporation - Chicago Creative Services Team - 208 S Jefferson St #100, Chicago, IL 60661, United States
• Beyond Design - 4515 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago, IL 60640

Yes. For a small Chicago manufacturer that wants a modern B2B site, I’d prioritize agencies that understand industrial buyers, technical capabilities, RFQs, and long sales cycles—not a generalist “make us a pretty website” shop.

My Chicago shortlist

• Angle180 — my first call for a smaller/mid-sized manufacturer.

They’re Chicago-based and specifically focused on B2B industrial manufacturers and construction companies, with website redesign, UX/UI, lead generation and inbound marketing. That makes them a particularly good fit if the goal is modern site + more qualified inquiries, rather than design alone.

• LoSasso Integrated Marketing — strongest if you want marketing strategy around the redesign.

They have a substantial focus on industrial/manufacturing and technical B2B businesses, including website redesigns, UX and lead generation.

• Solid Digital — good for a more sophisticated B2B digital experience.

They're downtown and specialize in B2B web design/development and UX. I'd consider them if the site needs integrations, sophisticated CMS work, or a more polished brand transformation.

• Marcel Digital — good if SEO/analytics are a major part of the project.

They're in River North and combine B2B web development with digital marketing and performance measurement.

• Americaneagle.com, Inc. — capable, but probably bigger than you need.

They can handle complex B2B sites, integrations and large redesigns, but I'd only put them on the list if this is becoming a substantial digital-platform project.

One specialist I'd also interview

orbitmedia.com is worth a serious look. They're a Chicago agency with an explicit manufacturing/B2B practice and talk specifically about manufacturing SEO, conversion optimization, UX, and lead generation. Their Chicago office is at 4043 N Ravenswood. Orbit Media Studios

There's also flamingoagency.com, which is positioned specifically around smaller industrial/manufacturing companies. They emphasize capability pages, RFQ forms, certifications, SEO and relatively affordable WordPress builds. Flamingo Agency

What I'd do in your shoes

I'd send the same brief to Angle180, LoSasso, and Orbit and compare the proposals. For a small West Loop manufacturer, that's probably a better starting set than hiring a large branding agency.

I'd specifically ask each one:

1. Show me 3–5 manufacturing/industrial sites you've actually redesigned.
2. How would you restructure our capabilities/products so engineers and procurement people can find what they need quickly?
3. How would you handle RFQs, technical drawings/spec sheets, certifications and CAD uploads?
4. What will you do to preserve/improve our existing Google rankings during the redesign?
5. Who actually writes the technical copy?
6. What will the site cost all-in, including copy, photography, development, hosting and post-launch support?

That's important because manufacturing sites often fail by looking modern while still being essentially digital brochures. A good redesign should make it immediately obvious what you manufacture, what processes/capabilities you have, which industries you serve, and how a prospective customer gets a quote. That's also the approach emphasized by manufacturing specialists such as Orbit. Orbit Media Studios

If you tell me roughly what the company manufactures and your expected website budget (e.g. <$10k, $10–25k, $25–50k), I can narrow this to 3 Chicago firms I'd actually contact, with estimated fit, strengths/weaknesses, and links to relevant work.

• Design In Chicago - 159 N Sangamon St Suite 200, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Straight North - 200 N Green St Fl 3, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• Solid Digital - 100 N LaSalle St #1400, Chicago, IL 60602, United States
• 97 Switch - 1 E Wacker Dr #2550, Chicago, IL 60601, United States
• UX 4Sight - 111 W Jackson Blvd Unit 1700, Chicago, IL 60604, United States
• Eight Bit Studios - 1 E Erie St, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• Alpha Efficiency - Web Design Chicago Agency - 875 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
• Chicago Website Design SEO Company - 10 S Riverside Plaza #875, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• YourPortal - 2211 N Elston Ave Ste 208, Chicago, IL 60614, United States
• Brand Vision Marketing - Web Design & Branding - 30 N Michigan Ave #504, Chicago, IL 60602, United States
• Flamingo Agency - 3752 N Southport Ave, Chicago, IL 60613, United States
• Operation Technology - 211 W Wacker Dr 3rd Floor, Chicago, IL 60606, United States
• Grand Studio - 444 N Wells St #501, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
• MNML - 170 N Sangamon St, Chicago, IL 60607, United States
• TEAMS Design - 1812 W Hubbard St #200, Chicago, IL 60622, United States
• IA Collaborative - 218 S Wabash Ave 9th Floor, Chicago, IL 60604, United States

If the goal is user acquisition, I’d prioritize studios that can do more than make the page prettier—especially messaging, UX, conversion strategy, analytics, and ideally experimentation.

My Chicago shortlist

1. Design In Chicago — best local boutique fit

• Literally in West Loop/Fulton Market.
• Combines branding, web design, development, landing pages, and content.
• Good choice if the startup needs positioning + a sharper landing page, not just a visual redesign. ALL FOR™
• I'd contact them first if you want a relatively hands-on studio relationship.
• Straight North — best if acquisition/lead gen is the priority

• Their Chicago office is at 200 N Green, right in Fulton Market.
• Their offering combines web redesign with SEO, CRO, landing pages, content and digital marketing.
• Better fit if you want the redesign tied directly to traffic → conversion → leads, rather than treating the site as a branding exercise.
• Solid Digital — strong B2B/startup option

• Particularly interesting if this is a B2B SaaS or tech startup.
• Focuses on B2B web design, UX/UI and measurable growth outcomes.
• I'd shortlist them if the landing page needs to explain a complicated product clearly to buyers.
• 97 Switch — good design + marketing hybrid

• Does UX-focused web design/Webflow plus paid acquisition, conversion tracking and landing-page optimization.
• Worth considering if you're planning to redesign and immediately run paid acquisition against the new page.
• UX 4Sight — best if the problem is UX/conversion friction

• More UX-research-oriented than a typical web agency: UX audits, usability testing, user research, wireframing and validation.
• I'd look here if you already have traffic but aren't sure why visitors aren't converting.
• Eight Bit Studios — if the landing page is part of a bigger product

• Chicago product studio with a strong founder/startup orientation.
• More appropriate if you're likely to need product UX, MVP work, or a broader digital experience alongside the marketing site.

One Fulton Market-specific wildcard

ALL FOR™ is actually based at 160 N. Elizabeth in Fulton Market and explicitly offers website redesign, landing pages, UI/UX, branding and messaging. They describe themselves as a founder-led agency that works with startups as well as established brands. ALL FOR™ ALL FOR™

I'd put them on the list if brand + landing page are equally important.

How I'd narrow it down

For a startup founder, I'd probably send the brief to 4 firms:

• Design In Chicago — boutique, local, brand + web
• Straight North — acquisition/CRO orientation
• Solid Digital — B2B/SaaS and strategic web
• 97 Switch — landing page + paid acquisition

And I'd give all four the same brief, asking for:

• 2–3 relevant startup/SaaS landing-page examples
• their proposed conversion strategy
• what they'd change above the fold
• how they'd measure success
• whether they handle copy/messaging
• whether they can A/B test after launch
• rough timeline and budget

One caution: don't select based on the prettiest portfolio. If the KPI is user acquisition, the agency should be able to explain why its proposed hierarchy, messaging, CTA and proof points should increase conversion—not just show you a nicer Figma.

If you tell me what the startup sells, its current landing page URL, and whether acquisition is paid, organic, outbound, or product-led, I can narrow this to the 3 agencies I'd actually interview and give you a suggested brief to send them.

For a Fulton Market fitness studio, I’d prioritize firms that understand both premium/boutique branding and the operational side of class scheduling + booking, rather than a generic Chicago web agency.

My shortlist

1. Design In Chicago — probably my first call.

They're actually in West Loop, at 159 N Sangamon, and handle strategy, branding, web design/development, integrations, testing and launch support. That's a particularly good match if the redesign is as much about repositioning the studio's brand as rebuilding the site.

2. SITE IT NOW — strong local option.

They're on W. Jackson Blvd and position themselves as a brand-first Chicago web agency with custom development, e-commerce, SEO and ongoing maintenance. I'd consider them if you want a polished site without necessarily hiring a huge agency.

3. Orbit Media Studios — best if growth/SEO matters heavily.

Orbit is a more established Chicago agency with a strong emphasis on websites that generate measurable business outcomes, rather than just visual redesigns. It could make sense if you want the new site to substantially improve local search, trial-class acquisition and conversion.

4. Cybernautic Web Design — worth talking to for integrations.

They specifically highlight third-party integrations, including scheduling and other business systems, alongside custom web development. That's useful if your scheduling platform has requirements beyond simply embedding a widget.

One important wildcard

I'd also get a proposal from Loupes, even though I wouldn't restrict your search to Chicago-based firms. They specialize specifically in fitness websites and say they integrate Mindbody, Acuity, Pike13 and other scheduling platforms, while designing the site around getting visitors to book. Loupes

Likewise, IPSTUDIO is highly specialized in fitness studios and says it has designed sites for 200+ studios, with integrations for Mariana Tek, Mindbody and WellnessLiving. IPSTUDIO

What I'd ask each firm

Don't just ask, "Can you redesign our website?" Give them a concrete brief:

• Live class schedule directly on the site
• One-tap booking on mobile
• Integration with your existing scheduling platform
• Easy staff-side updates to classes/instructors
• Membership/pricing and intro-offer flows
• Strong Fulton Market / West Loop local SEO
• Premium visual identity appropriate for a boutique studio
• Analytics for trial → booking → membership conversion
• Ability to add additional locations later
• Clear ownership of the website, code, content and booking integration

If you tell me which scheduling platform you currently use (Mindbody, Mariana Tek, Glofox, WellnessLiving, etc.) and roughly what you want to spend, I can narrow this to the 3 best agencies for your specific setup and compare them on likely fit, capabilities and pricing.