The Back Kitchen

The Back Kitchen had outgrown their Square free site. While online ordering worked, the template-based design couldn't capture the cafe's welcoming character, and essential community features were simply impossible—no event calendar, no newsletter system, no way to recognize local supporters.

The timing was right for change. Their social media presence had exploded in 2025, with Facebook link clicks up 758% and content reaching over 100,000 views during the operating season. The cafe needed a web presence that matched this momentum and could serve as the central hub for their growing community engagement.

We built a custom Next.js static website that delivers everything a community organization needs without the complexity they don't.

The event management system handles real-world scheduling patterns—weekly volunteer nights, monthly board meetings, the third Thursday concert series. A public submission form lets community members propose events with image uploads, while a GitHub-based review workflow keeps volunteers in control. The result is a living community calendar that updates automatically.

Newsletter integration brings Mailchimp subscriber management together with a searchable archive of past issues. RSS feeds let followers stay updated through their preferred apps. Throughout the site, Square ordering buttons maintain the familiar checkout experience customers already use.

The architecture prioritizes long-term sustainability. Static site generation means pages load instantly, handle traffic spikes gracefully, and require no database maintenance. Content lives in simple Markdown files with full version control—volunteers can update events and news without technical knowledge, and every change can be rolled back if needed.

Comprehensive local SEO markup helps visitors planning an island trip find the cafe through search. Restaurant schema, event schema, and automated sitemaps ensure search engines always see current content.

A dedicated Supporters page and homepage section showcase the local businesses and organizations that back the cafe—each with their logo, bio, and website link. Visitors landing on the site immediately see who supports The Back Kitchen, while sponsors get meaningful recognition and referral traffic to their own businesses.

The Back Kitchen now has a digital presence worthy of their community role—a central hub where island residents discover events, visitors plan ferry trips around concerts and markets, and everyone can follow the newsletter.

• Pages delivered: 11+ with responsive mobile design
• UI components: 40+ custom-built elements
• Event categories: 8 (concerts, wellness, markets, volunteer opportunities, and more)
• Integrations: Square, Mailchimp, Cloudinary, FullCalendar, Plausible Analytics, GitHub

The Git-based architecture means no database costs, no security patches, and no monthly platform fees. The cafe owns everything—code, content, and the freedom to evolve.

Next.js 15, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS, Shadcn/UI, React Hook Form, FullCalendar, Mailchimp, Cloudinary, Plausible Analytics