Merla Mae Website Development - Sencia Canada Ltd.

Merla Mae Drive-In's Website Development

One of the most popular summer treat shops in Thunder Bay (famous for their iced cream!), Merla Mae has been a part of many local’s summertime traditions since its conception in 1951. It was also the first licensed drive-in in Thunder Bay.

Launch Website

Merla Mae's website viewed in a laptop

The Challenge

Merla Mae was looking to update their website to a more modern design, while still capturing a summery retro/vintage vibe. It was important that their hours of service were featured during the summer season (as they close over the winter months). A section would also need to be reserved for a regular rotation of featured treats.


The Approach

The Sencia team worked to weave vintage with modern by adding subtle textures, bright colours and crisp, delicious images throughout their site. Playful retro shaped boxes were used to draw attention to certain information, such as their hours and features displayed on the homepage.

About a year after launching Merla Mae’s website we were approached again to move their website to a responsive design and incorporate their newly designed logo, which includes a vintage diner girl on roller-skates. The changes also included some updates such as moving to a cool blue palette and removal of header images to really highlight the new logo.


The Result

Merla Mae has a refreshingly cool new website that can easily be accessed and browsed from any device. Their homepage features historical images of Merla Mae in early conception and directs visitors to their ever-important summer hours, featured treats and fun ice cream trivia.

"A sweet and savoury combination of great design, code and usability! Merla Mae's website now caters to a wider range of audiences - so everyone can enjoy the menu and learn about how Merla Mae is working hard in Thunder Bay's community!"

A Guest, Merla Mae
Merla Mae Responsive Website Design
Browsing Merla Mae's website on a phone

Scope of Work

  • Website Redesign
  • Website Development, Responsive
  • Content Migration
  • Content Layout Design
  • Automated Content Feeds
  • Animated Banner