Asia Take Away Nguyen: Gave away a website, gained a collaboration
On Swiss National Day I was looking for food in Frauenfeld and discovered a new Vietnamese takeaway with no website. That weekend I simply built one and gave it to the owner. I was not paid in money, but in food. A spontaneous idea became an ongoing collaboration.
The result in one sentence
A website gifted out of genuine enthusiasm. It led to more work and an exchange where both sides give what they do best.
Concept, Positioning, UX/UI Design, UX Writing, Information Architecture, Menu Structure, Image Concept and Website Implementation
Owner, Asia Take Away Nguyen
On 1 August 2025 almost everything in Frauenfeld was closed. I was hungry, found a newly opened Vietnamese takeaway and was mostly just happy that something like this now existed near me.
New takeaway, no website
The food and the restaurant were there, but online the new offer was difficult to discover or understand.
Genuine personal motivation
I was not trying to generate a lead. I was simply happy about the new Vietnamese place and wanted to give something back.
A free weekend
My family was away, so I sat down and built the website without a commission and without a brief.
It was a self-initiated project: create a presence from almost no digital foundation and make the food, atmosphere, menu and location immediately understandable.
No traditional client brief
I had to decide myself which information matters to someone spontaneously looking for Vietnamese food.
A very large menu
Many dishes, categories and prices still needed to remain scannable and appetising on a long page.
Do not overdesign it
The website should feel polished, but the food and personal cooking needed to stay at the centre, not the design itself.
I built the entire site first and then wrote the owner a letter saying I was glad her takeaway existed and would like to give her the website as a gift.
Designed from the immediate need
Opening hours, phone, location and menu are instantly accessible because those are the key questions for a takeaway.
The food carries the design
Large food photography, warm typography and plenty of space let the dishes lead without artificially inflating the page.
A gift instead of a sales pitch
The finished website came first. The business relationship only developed afterwards.
The spontaneous project became the beginning of an ongoing collaboration without ever needing a conventional pitch.
A delighted owner
The owner was genuinely happy about the unexpected website and accepted it immediately.
More work followed
The gift led to further collaboration around her digital presence.
Paid in Vietnamese food
Instead of money, we agreed on an exchange: I help with digital work and I get to eat there. For me, that was the more valuable form of compensation.
Still live today
The website remains publicly available and represents the takeaway in Frauenfeld.
What I take away from it
Create value before the relationship
Because the website was made without any sales intention, it was clear from the start that the goal was simply a good solution for an offer I genuinely liked.
Value does not always have to mean money
A fair exchange can take many forms as long as both sides genuinely value it.
Personal projects can stay personal
The story belongs in the case because that motivation explains why the website exists at all.
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