Twilo has worked alongside other agencies successfully for many years. In this case we were approached by Collaborator Ltd, a specialist in marketing for the hospitality industry, to deliver ambitious projects for Benihana International, a world-famous restaurant chain known for its unique teppanyaki dining experience. Working in collaboration, we developed a scalable website system and a global brand repository that bring order, flexibility, and consistency to Benihana’s global digital presence. The result is a robust, multilingual solution that supports franchisees worldwide while protecting one of the most recognisable brands in hospitality.
Designing a website for one restaurant is straightforward, but designing one that can be deployed for hundreds around the world – each with its own local market, culture, and operational setup – is another challenge entirely. Our solution was a custom-built WordPress multi-site capable of managing every Benihana restaurant through a single framework.
We created a component-based design system, allowing each restaurant to build and edit pages using modular, reusable sections. This gives franchisees flexibility while maintaining strict brand consistency across every region. Whether the site is launched in London, Dubai, or Tokyo, the Benihana experience remains.
We approached the project with an understanding that design isn’t universal. Cultures absorb information differently and messaging can be received in different ways. For example, layouts, image hierarchy, and even colour psychology vary by region. Every decision had to be made with millions of users in mind, ensuring a design language that adapts without compromising Benihana’s global identity.
Each territory has its own way of handling bookings. In the UK, integrations with platforms like OpenTable are standard, and in some regions online booking doesn’t exist at all. We built a flexible system that accommodates all these scenarios, from full integrations to direct, in-site booking forms, making the process seamless for both franchisees and customers.
The rise of delivery services like Deliveroo and Just Eat presented a similar challenge a. Some Benihana restaurants offer these options, others don’t. We developed an adaptable structure that allows delivery sections to be toggled on or off, depending on the region’s operational setup. This ensures a consistent experience across all sites, without forcing unnecessary features where they’re not needed.
A particular challenge faced by a huge international franchise is consistency across the brand. With hundreds of restaurants, each with their own online presence, social media feeds were disjointed thanks to DIY artwork which were off-brand. Along with Collaborator Ltd, we designed and built a brand repository using Laravel and React which now acts as a single source of content, allowing Benihana employees all over the world to download pre-set artwork for their promotions and in their local language.
Managed by head office, the Benihana Brand Repository includes brand guidelines, an asset library and artwork templates allowing hundreds of users to access and customise artwork within set guidelines. Promotional materials are accessed through a dedicated section which allows users to search for artwork by season, how to guides provide useful advice, and an events calendar provides further promotional materials which help individual restaurants attract more bookings.
This project is another example of how investment in software development can strengthen a brand whilst adding value to the business. We continue to maintain the Brand Repository, ensuring it remains online for global users whilst steadily implementing useful new features based on feedback and collaboration.
“We’re delighted with how smoothly the Benihana restaurant website and Brand Warehouse projects have gone. The Brand Warehouse launched successfully to franchisees and the account creation process worked perfectly. We’re confident take-up will grow as more content is added, and it’s already proving to be a valuable tool for the network. The new multi-site website has also been very well received, particularly across our Middle East franchisees. The Twilo team have been fantastic throughout — responsive, proactive, and quick to resolve any issues. Please pass on a big thank you to everyone involved.”
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