Steak Shack

Project Overview

Steak Shack needed a sleek and intuitive mobile app to bring their gourmet steakhouse experience into customers’ hands. The primary goal was to create a streamlined mobile ordering process with a focus on rich visuals, customization, and convenience — all wrapped in a stylish, dark theme that reflects the premium vibe of the brand.

Goals

• Create a premium, visually rich ordering experience

• Allow full menu exploration and real-time customization

• Enable smooth pickup or delivery scheduling

• Integrate a loyalty points system for return customers

• Design with a dark theme to match Steak Shack’s branding

Process

We kicked off with user flow sketches and low-fidelity wireframes focused on minimizing steps to order. High-fidelity mockups were then built in Sketch using deep blacks, rich browns, and crimson red accents to give off a luxe, “steakhouse after dark” aesthetic.

The homepage shows a featured dish in cinematic lighting with a bold CTA. The menu is broken into intuitive categories (e.g., Steaks, Sides, Drinks, Sauces) with swipeable cards and zoom-in hover animations for dish previews.

The customization screen lets users select doneness, add toppings/sauces, and include special instructions — all with real-time price updates. A progress bar was added at checkout to show steps left, reducing drop-off rates.

We also implemented micro-interactions using Lottie animations to enhance engagement when placing an order or earning loyalty points.

Challenges

One challenge was making the dark theme feel warm and inviting instead of cold or harsh. We solved this by using rich textures, soft shadows, and mouth-watering imagery to bring warmth and appetite appeal.

Another challenge was building an intuitive customization experience without cluttering the screen. Strategic spacing, dropdowns, and modal windows helped keep things clean.

Outcome

The final app is visually stunning and functionally seamless. Steak Shack customers can now order their favorite dishes with just a few taps while enjoying a premium digital experience. The loyalty feature increased return users, and app orders accounted for a 27% sales boost in the first two weeks after launch.

Client feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with specific praise for how the visuals and usability reflected the brand’s upscale tone.