Our Stories

The Bite’s New Site: Reimagining a Familiar Event


The Bite’s New Site: Reimagining a Familiar Event

The Bite of Oregon 2017

The Bite of Oregon has been Portland’s premier culinary event since 1983 — long before Portland was known for food and foodies. Before Oregon’s wine industry was recognized and its craft brewers were celebrated.

The Bite has always been ahead of its time, and this year it’s taking the next step toward the future. The new tagline tells the story: New Home. New Date. New Bite.

The new date is Labor Day weekend. The new home is the Rose Quarter. Given all that, the time was right for a new website, too.

“The old site was cumbersome, included too many pages, wasn’t mobile friendly and simply didn’t have a modern look and feel,” said Chad Carter, senior director of marketing and communications for Special Olympics Oregon, which produces the Bite. “Not to mention, it was incredibly difficult to manage on the back-end due to an outdated format and CMS. With a rebranding of the event underway, it was the perfect opportunity to take a look at our needs.”

So they turned to Gard to help streamline the site, boost its mobile performance, and reinforce the Bite’s invitation for visitors to savor food, wine, beer and desserts from across Oregon’s seven regions.

Since launching the Bite’s new site in early June, nearly 70 percent of its traffic has come from mobile. Traffic is up, engagement is up, and it’s easier than ever for staff to manage the site and make changes — such as updated sponsor logos — on the fly.

“It has provided a fantastic foundation for us to build upon in future years, and ensure we are able to give visitors the information and specifics they want in order to attend the festival,” Carter said.

And after all that planning and work, the festival is here. Check out the new site, and make your plans. Thanks to the Bite, it’s never been easier to tour the state on a holiday weekend.