Deep Dish Cookie Hits 5,000+ 7-Eleven store shelves!
We designed a line of sweet treats for client Michael’s Cookies which included Deep Dish Cookies, Cookie Brookies, Cookie Bombs and Ready-to-eat Cookie Doughs. Last month, the Deep Dish Cookie debuted in more than 5,000 stores. While 7-Eleven’s design team modified the packaging, we are proud to say Studio B helped get this sweet product to market!
This week’s #FridayFeed restaurant branding review is YOLK in Preston Center. The concept was developed by Taki Kastanis who was born into the restaurant business. Yolk is a Chicago based brand with 16 US locations in Chicago, Dallas, Boca Raton, Indianapolis and Forth Worth. According to Forbes Yolk has been voted Best Breakfast in Chicago, Indianapolis, Dallas and Fort Worth.
Order Up!
Studio B has reviewed Snooze am Eatery and The Biscuit Bar so we thought we should review Yolk this week. I’ve been to this location but Danny was a first-timer. He ordered the Countryside Skillet and I went for the Patty Melt on the lunch menu. We couldn’t resist trying the Breakfast Mac N Cheese that comes with a sunny side up egg on top. We put YOLK brand habanero sauce on it and it was really, really good. They offered an optional side upgrade with my patty melt of “onion chips” so I upgraded to check them out. Lastly, we ordered a single Pancake of the month which was a Red, White & Blueberry which is a pancake with yogurt, raspberry puree, blueberries, raspberries and whipped cream. Needless to say, we got a LOT of food on this review trip. The Skillet breakfast and the Mac N Cheese were the heroes. Onion chips I had higher hopes for and while the patty melt was good and the buttered, griddled rye bread was DELICIOUS, it wasn’t the best Patty Melt I’ve ever had. I don’t normally mention prices in our reviews but I will say this was a very pricey lunch. The Patty Melt was $15 plus an extra $1.50 for the onion chips.
Environmental Branding:
You’ll see below in the brand section that I love the YOLK branding and while I like some of the interior design, I don’t love it. I feel like the furniture needs a update. I have a particular dislike of this chair style and the blue is a little much, but that’s just my opinion. They do have some nice outdoor patio furniture and they do a great job with the retail section and pastry display. The exterior signage is also nice.
Branding DNA:
Yolk has great retail apparel, packaging, bottled sauces, cute coffee mugs and baby bibs, etc. They have really pretty glass water bottles with the logo and they serve beverages in several sizes of mason jars. Logo’d pens, free stickers, cute take out cups and tray liner. Menus are good. I love the logo.
Digital Branding:
Yolk has great Facebook and Instagram accounts that feature fun lifestyle imagery and beautiful food photography. A few of their images take advantage of marketing their branded products like their maple syrup and hot sauce. While they have great social media accounts, their website could use an update. They have a brick image background that is pretty distracting and could use a more modern flexible grid layout. –Danny
Score:
MJ gives YOLK an A- and Danny gives it an A.
#FridayFeed:
Every Friday, Studio B Dallas visits a local fast casual concept for lunch to critique the brand (and eat lunch). Three rules apply: it’s a concept we haven’t been to or it’s been in the restaurant news and it’s within 10 miles of our office. Wait, four rules – it can’t be sushi. Danny doesn’t do sushi. If you have any suggestions on where we should eat next, feel free to leave it in the comments. Look for our restaurant branding reviews each Friday! MJ & Danny
SUPER CHIX. SUPER DELICIOUS. Worth every last carb.
This week’s #FridayFeed restaurant branding review is SUPER CHIX in Addison at Preston & Beltline. The concept was developed by Yum! Brands and sold to Nick Ouimet, the concept founder. Read more about the partnership & expansion plans here. There are 4 DFW locations and one slated to open in Alabama this summer.
Order Up!
SUPER CHIX has the BEST chicken tenders I’ve ever had. SUPER CHIX hand cut fries might be the BEST fries I’ve ever had too. I was planning to order a chicken sandwich before we got there and then this Gouda cheese stuffed fried avocado sandwich with garlic aioli sandwich caught my attention. I ordered it and told Danny to order extra tenders so I could try both. The crispy avocado sandwich must have gotten a little too much seasoning because it was too salty to eat but the cashier gladly replaced it with 3 regular tenders which were game-changing and reminded me to always order the chicken when you go to a chicken restaurant! Danny ordered the Nashville Hot Tenders. Because nothing we ever order is really hot, Danny poured more Nashville hot sauce all over his tenders before dipping into Ranch. He found the heat this trip, haha! We also got an order of cheese fries and while they weren’t actually what we expected, having queso on top vs melted cheddar, they were SUPER delicious! We saw an order of the loaded fries come out and they looked even more delicious – will try next time. I know we didn’t mention frozen custard here which is a big part of this concept SUPER CHIX – “Chicken and Custard” but the photos look great and we saw tons of people ordering cups and shakes so it must be good. Sorry Nick, next visit for sure.
Environmental Branding:
I love bold design so this yellow and black branding and interior design had instant appeal for me. So many fun details on the walls, on the floors, in the furniture design and lighting. I suspect that this is one of the early designs and we will see design modifications in future store roll-outs. The few things that seemed to be retro-fit items were the massive digital menu boards which seemed to be a little dark, glossy and blue tinted. The other area that could use some love is the order area and the semi-open kitchen area in full view behind the cashiers. Pretty much just stainless equipment. No graphics, no photos, no inset drink well, no custom counter display. There was also a giant white plastic bucket of iced bottled beverages on the counter. Too big and too tall for ease of use. It was all love after I got done ordering though. I love the layout, varied seating areas and all of the decor. Nice job STUDIO 11 DESIGN!
Branding DNA:
Super Chix has a great logo and signage. The cup and tray liner designs are also really fun. While we were eating, we were watching the digital displays in the dining room which rotated photos from their social media feed and website. The photos are great! They do however, show the food in some packaging that we didn’t get to enjoy. Maybe these cool fry packages and custard pint containers haven’t made it to the stores yet? See pics we grabbed from Instagram.
Digital Branding:
Super Chix has a bright, clean website that highlights the freshness and quality of their ingredients as well as their chicken. Their website is easy to navigate, has a mouthwatering photo gallery, and even has a section dedicated to their flavor of the week frozen custards. They have great Facebook and Instagram accounts, no shocker here, that primarily focus on beautifully shot food photography. In fact, their Instagram feed will make you insta-drool! Overall Super Chix has awesome digital branding, but could use a few more lifestyle images to elevate the brand even more. –Danny
Score:
MJ and Danny give SUPER CHIX an A! We’ll go back for sure for loaded fries, custard and the pickles we forgot to try.
#FridayFeed:
Every Friday, Studio B Dallas visits a local fast casual concept for lunch to critique the brand (and eat lunch). Three rules apply: it’s a concept we haven’t been to or it’s been in the restaurant news and it’s within 10 miles of our office. Wait, four rules – it can’t be sushi. Danny doesn’t do sushi. If you have any suggestions on where we should eat next, feel free to leave it in the comments. Look for our restaurant branding reviews each Friday! MJ & Danny
This week’s #FridayFeed restaurant branding review is Porch Swing in Mesquite, near Town East Mall at I30 & 635.
Order Up!
Because we’re friendly with the owner, we asked for a tasting of several entrées and sides so we could review more than a few dishes. Here’s what we tasted: Grilled Meatloaf, Chicken Fried Steak, Chicken Tenders and Fried Catfish. Sides included the Broccoli Bliss, REAL Mashed Potatoes, Collard Greens, Cheesy Corn Bake plus Cream Gravy, Rib Sauce, Hot Honey and steaming hot Yeast Dinner Rolls. I kid you not, the grilled meatloaf was outstanding! It comes with it’s own meatloaf gravy which was sublime. The Cheesy Corn Baked is corn, butter, cream cheese and jalapeños – SO good and has a nice little kick. Broccoli Bliss is fresh broccoli florets with shredded cheddar cheese and cranberries mixed with a creamy homemade dressing – a nice take on a cold salad. The REAL mashed potatoes were REAL good, especially with the cream gravy which I will put on everything. Last note – the house made Hot Honey is a beautiful red orange color, has a subtle but noticeable heat. Hot Honey is available for sale in the Pie Company store. Speaking of pies, Porch Swing features homemade pies sold in the brand-within-a-brand Pie Company store. I ordered a 6 flavor sampler to take to an Independence Day event. Toasted Coconut Cream, Homemade Banana Cream, Ol’ Fashioned Buttermilk Custard, Cookie Top Pecan, Cheesecake and Lemon Cream. I had a bite of every single one. All amazing.
Environmental Branding:
In the spirit of transparency, Studio B was responsible for the interior design so we think it’s great but so do so many others! This concept has gotten a lot of press. The owner is Antonio Swad, the founder of Wing Stop and Pizza Patrón. Antonio had a vision for this restaurant and he was able to communicate to us in a way that we could translate it to the space. It’s quirky, it’s Southern but it’s polished. In fact, Mr. Swad has coined the term “Polished Comfort” to describe his latest restaurant venture. Finish details include custom stained maple butcher block tables, custom made branded picnic tables for the porch, custom branded sconces, a steel rolling pin for the door handle of the pie shop. The list goes on… The review isn’t complete without mentioning the massive outdoor covered porch and the Porch Swing LIVE stage where bands perform every Friday and Saturday Night. Guests are welcomed to get on stage, grab a guitar and take photos in front of the neon marquee.
Branding DNA:
Studio B was also responsible for the branding and packaging at Porch Swing. A version of the logo was given to us in the beginning and the color palette was established. Beyond that, we designed the sign package, menus, custom packaging, apparel, retail items, etc. The Pie Company is a separate brand within the restaurant and uses complementary graphics and colors. Individual pie slices to-go come in a cute little box with branded belly band and fork. Whole pies are sold in custom two piece pie boxes.
Digital Branding:
Porch Swing has a beautifully designed website by Raze Media. Their website uses amazing food photography, is easy to navigate and engages the user. Porch Swing has Facebook,Instagram and Twitter accounts that they post to quite frequently. Their social media highlights the mouthwatering food and the live music performing every Friday and Saturday night with a dash of marketing. –Danny
Score:
We give Porch Swing an A+!
#FridayFeed:
Every Friday, Studio B Dallas visits a local fast casual concept for lunch to critique the brand (and eat lunch). Three rules apply: it’s a concept we haven’t been to or it’s been in the restaurant news and it’s within 10 miles of our office. Wait, four rules – it can’t be sushi. Danny doesn’t do sushi. If you have any suggestions on where we should eat next, feel free to leave it in the comments. Look for our restaurant branding reviews each Friday! MJ & Danny
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