Brace yourselves, kids. This is officially A TL;DR post, but I this is a subject that seems to matter a lot to me, so I had to get it all out there. Plus there are pictures. So you should be able to handle it.
A few weeks ago while talking to Jeff over a Last Word, we got on the topic of restaurant branding. I think we were discussing the recent boom in gourmet burger joints and food trucks popping up in Halifax (as an aside, let’s move on from that trend, shall we?). These new additions to the already bustling food scene are certainly welcome, but what I was lamenting on was that, so far, I’ve been pretty let down by how these (essentially) blank slates have chosen to brand themselves.
I don’t want to be overly negative and I won’t name names. I think if you look around, it won’t be too hard to spot the new guys. Once you’ve found them have a look at their logos, menus, and websites. I know, right? Bummer.
If it were up to me (which it isn’t) I’d get in there and come to their rescue with well thought - out branding that lives up to the delicious and nutritious food that they serve (I’m making a lot of assumptions here, but I haven’t heard any bad things about ‘em).
That chat got me thinking (and googling). I went on a hunt for restaurant brands that add that extra Je Ne Sais Quoi to the dining experience … and the sharing experience, because, let’s face it: sharing is the new word of mouth. The most important thing is the quality of the food, but if the experience isn’t sharable, it doesn’t make it to twitter. Or instagram. Or Facebook. Or my blog. I think you get it.
Things like interesting signage, interior layout and furniture choices (if applicable), colours and materials used, employee uniforms, and their language (words are design, too!) are the components that make up a well-branded restaurant experience; keeping in mind that the absence of any of these components is … well … a design consideration in itself. I know. Crazy.
Let’s break this down into some categories, shall we?
I think the logo for a restaurant is important, but what’s fun about branding this kind of thing (cafe, restaurant, retail shops) is that you can often implement what we in The Biz like to call “alt” logos: essentially, many versions of a logo for one brand. It has to be done right with a high level of consistency, an eye toward editing things down and making solid placement decisions, but when it works, it really works. Helping with things like cut-through (more jargon, sorry) when Pizza Joint X needs to stand out amongst the competition.
[Sources: Gabriele Wilson/Trampoline/Gabriele Wilson]
Draw me in! I’m the kind of person who picks her wine based on the label, and I’m more apt to wait forty minutes in line to eat at your establishment if I have a nice sign or window to stare at. Also, don’t just think about the outside of the building. Think about the floors, the washroom doors, above the bar, the ceiling even.
I like eating in a cramped restaurant just as much as the next guy. I just did it twice in NYC. Once at Prune, and again at Marlow & Sons. Prune was better even though it was way smaller, but both made sense and were well appointed. Have nice chairs, make sure the tables aren’t wobbly (Yes, this is design). Lighting always sets the tone for the kind of experience people are going to have. Is it intimate? Dim those bad boys. Is it a pub atmosphere where people will be standing and walking around a lot? Maybe not so dark, yeah?
[Sources, top to bottom: Del Popolo/OMFG Co. /Olympic Provisions/Joanna Laajisto/Gabriele Wilson]
I don’t want to feel sorry for the person waiting on me because you decided to put them in stupid clothing. I only sort of understand why sports bars insist on their servers wearing mini skirts and knee-high socks … But mostly it makes me cringe.
[Sources, top to bottom: Identity Designed/Projects of Imagination]
First and foremost it has to be legible. I think of bringing my aging parents or my elderly Granny out for a nice dinner (or a quick bite - whatever). I don’t want to have to read the menu out loud for everyone (my dad always forgets his glasses). I’ve seen some chalkboard menus that work, but sometimes they can be a struggle. Items should be organized in a way that makes sense relative to the type of establishment. I’d rather see a 10 page menu than 10 pages worth of stuff crammed onto one.
[Sources, from top to bottom: OMFG Co./Identity Designed/Design Work Life/OMFG Co./Gabriele Wilson]
And now, for a couple of stand out examples of restaurant branding:
Olympic Provisions is a great example of “The Whole Experience” coming together through design. The presentation of the food, the leather bound menus (leather, meat … amazing), and their products all just work. The brand was designed and developed by OMFG Co., who really are at the top of their game and have designed so many other great restaurant identities.
If you search of Olympic Provisions on instagram, there’s no shortage of people sharing their experience of this photogenic space and bloggers even devote entire posts to their time there.
Patricia’s identity was designed by the Melbourne-based agency Beyond The Pixels. Coffee shops count as restaurants for me and this one does not disappoint. Stamps on brown bags? Check. Unique business cards? Check. Simple? Check. Custom tile floor at the entrance and cool neon sign hanging from the ceiling? Check. Catch my drift? I think you do. See more of Patricia here.
I hope you found this post interesting if not completely useless. Next time you’re in a restaurant, look around. Hold the places you frequent to a high standard both from a culinary point of view and an experience perspective. Tell the server if you think their menu is hard to read or if their logo is bad (but do it gently; they probably payed money for that). On the other side of the coin, complement those establishments whose experience you really enjoyed. Then they can be happy they hired a designer and thought things through.
[In my best Julia Child voice]: BON! APPETIT!
