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mj

#FridayFeed Haystack Burgers

This week’s #FridayFeed is Haystack Burgers & Barley in Turtle Creek Village. Great name, good logo and looked cool from the outside. Danny and I got in line and checked out the menu. I love custom named menu items and they’ve got some great ones. I got the Haystack Salad and I would have bet $20 Danny was going for the Patty Melt but he got the Chicken Fried Burger – a massive chicken fried steak on a bun with Jalapeño bacon cream gravy. Food was really tasty and I loved the flavored iced tea, I think this one had some pineapple in it? On to the branding: I loved 95% of the decor choices. I’d call it fast casual farmhouse with a little “urban-quirk.” Variety of seating heights and types, good mix of materials and a nice bar with a frozen drink called the Haymaker. The only thing that seemed out of place was the large Joy Macaron cooler in front of the order counter full of giant ice cream sandwiches. I’ve got nothing against Joy but it just seems odd to give someone else’s brand so much real estate right up front. I don’t see how those numbers work…

As always – we compare the website brand presence as well. Does the job to see menu and find locations, but nothing else to see here. Both Facebook and Instagram have good pics and reviews. I give Haystack a solid B+ and Danny gives them an A-.

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 brand reviews each Friday! MJ & Danny

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#FridayFeed East Hampton Sandwich Co

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, it’s been in the restaurant news and is within 10 miles of our office. Wait, four rules – it can’t be sushi. Danny doesn’t do sushi.
Look for our restaurant branding reviews each Friday! MJ & Danny
This week’s #FridayFeed is East Hampton Sandwich Company on Oak Lawn. Excellent branding via logo, signage, decor and merchandising. Effective marketing as well – I was sucked in right away by the FAMOUS HOT BIRDIE on the test kitchen menu. Post visit to the website and kudos! – they split their digital real estate between food shots and lifestyle imagery. Props for promoting their BRAND on all platforms. We give it an A for brand and food.

Expanding Our Reach to Hollywood

Excited to see our Which Wich House Chip bag made the cut for the just released Netflix film “Game Over, Man!” Someone is obviously a fan!

Which Wich House Chip Design

Which Wich House Chip Design

Show me your store!

Twisted Root’s website is great example of something I’ve been telling my clients: Use your website to sell your customers the brand – not the deal.

It’s time for websites to evolve! Your home page is your digital front door. Restaurants need to open the front door and invite me in. I know you sell food – duh. I can get food anywhere. What makes you different is your environment. Show me what it would be like to meet my friends here and then show me all of the delicious things I can eat when I get there. Nobody tries a restaurant these days without checking out the website. Note to CEO’s – you’re selling experience, not just food. Spend some money on interior photography and video.

https://www.twistedrootburgerco.com

Also doing a great job: modpizza.com

This site makes me want to buy a franchise! https://franchise.nothingbundtcakes.com

 

Restaurant brands are finding success on grocery shelves with private label products.

Working with clients Hilco (Leader Sports), Delicious Brands and Visionworks we’re accustomed to seeing our work on retail shelves. Now our restaurant clients are not only branding private label products to be sold in their own stores (Which Wich Superior Sandwiches, Newk’s Eatery), we’re seeing a trend to take branded products to the grocery shelves.

Client El Fenix Mexican Restaurants in Dallas, Texas is preparing to launch their signature Tostada Chips in grocers by third quarter. The brand has sold their salsa in Target stores and HEB stores for years.

Works in progress for other clients include a 6 sku line of family sized frozen meals and a new line of luxury skincare products.

Read more about this trend…

Word Walls-Please stop.

Word Walls-Please stop. When is this trend going to end? Your restaurant decor is not a power point presentation, a word cloud or a venn diagram. Quit telling your customers what you “serve” with overused, meaningless words designed to fill large walls. Please.