Branding Your Restaurant

What is a brand and why do I need it in today’s market?

Even though today the term branding is well known, there is still much confusion by many as to what branding means and how to achieve it. I want to talk about branding in restaurants specifically as it is such a competitive industry with companies thriving and failing each day. According to Toast Lab, there are over 600,000 restaurants in the U.S. not including fast food franchises. With them included the number spans past a million. This is without a doubt the only evidence a business owner needs to understand the importance of standing out and telling the world what’s unique about their company.

Branding at a Glance

When many think of branding the first conception is a logo. This, of course, is a component of a brand, however, it doesn’t even scratch the surface. Picture an iceberg, however massive it might be in your imagination, all you are seeing is the logo. The real magic takes place below the water. The mass of the ice burn below the water is the brand. 

Branding is a philosophy and core values. It’s how your company sounds when it speaks, the attitude the tone etc. These words can be pretty ambiguous so let’s see if we can come up with some examples. 

Branding creates a subculture of a company. The way the staff acts, the atmosphere of the restaurant etc. Yes, much of this is done with visuals to reinforce the brand but the brand itself is how the staff carries themselves, what they say, what’s important to them and so on. I always think of this film from the 90’s called Good Burger, awful, but, nevertheless a worthy example. In the film, a staff member recites the phrase, “Welcome to good burger, home of the food burger. Can I take your order?) anyone who has worked in fast food in the past is cringing right now. This, in my opinion, is branding. It’s not just a witty phrase, it sets the tone for the whole customer experience. People will come to welcome the phrase and appreciate the dedication. It builds trust and that makes us enjoy the product more. Trust couldn’t be more important considering it’s an industry where your product gets eaten. That’s big deal. The same can be said about one of the best-branded burger places I can think of. A free smile in every bag?...that’s right!...McDonald’s. Now let’s first consider our opinions of McDonald’s. For some, It’s low quality, fast made, unhealthy crap. For others, it’s reliable, fun, happy, and place where memories are built.  This is another clear indication that branding is fundamentally important to your restaurant's success. Consider this, the product its self may be awful but if well branded it seems to defeat the idea of ruling it out for dinner. We trust it because we are sold the emotional experience that we’ll have. This comes from the infused vision of the restaurant's culture. This is the hook to catch the fish. We’re loving it! All of it! Because it’s structured and clear and illustrated in the behaviours of everyone involved, and everything around you. The colours of the walls, the furniture, the music. It appeals to us in a big way. In ways, we can’t begin to understand and this is the power of the brand.

Building a Brand

Where to start? Good question, not to sound cheesy but, your journey must start from within. A salad will always be a salad, and a steak a steak but not if it’s a AAA Sirloin Tip braised in our delicious signature barbecue sauce and prepared by Tom our local chef who has travelled the world to discover interesting ingredients and tastes. Or a Salad with all organic, GMO-free, and served by a person who is really in touch with their spiritual side. Do you see what’s important? The story. I could sell the same steak cooked and topped the same way at ten businesses on the same street and if you branded each one differently, a different appeal, different story, you would see clear differences in the demo graphics that visited each, moreover, which restaurant was more successful. Whether it’s because people feel guilt free, pampered, cultured, rugged, or sporty it’s the story that makes a restaurant successful. It’s relatable or interesting quaint or bombastic it’s all about the experience. So, you must build the experience first. How do you want them to feel? How can I achieve that? What is important to your customers and what is important to you. “We believe in quality, family and treating people right” your creed and actions create your brand. Your logo and visuals support it but act as a distilled definition of the values and help to build a perception of the emotional experience your customers will have in your establishment. 

Logo

After working in branding and marketing design I’ve detected a few trends. Noteworthy is that business owners believe the brand is about them. In some cases, this is the truth but only in essence. It does not matter that your favourite colour is green and that you like horses. It's helped me to think of the brand as a person, better yet an official person like a priest or police officer. The individual is very important but it’s the belief system that they follow that is valuable to you. Wwe identify them by symbols like the badge on the shoulder of an officer or the cross a priest may wear. The symbol enforces behaviours that are not necessarily that of the beholder, but are practised by these individuals. This is why we can have a negative opinion about the CEOs of Nike but still buy their shoes. 

Conclusion

Building a brand takes time and research, both inward and out. Do your best to focus on the emotional associations a person can have with your company and exploit them. Build them into behaviours and stick to them. OSMedia specializes in working with business owners to discover their brand and work with them to make their companies successful. We do this by researching market trends, understanding how your customers think, and building a plan. Whether you are in the beginning stages of your company or feeling like you could do better OSMedia is always happy to sit down with you and discuss how we can help. Good luck on your ventures and thanks for reading.