Tips for a Successful Restaurant Rebrand

Your Restaurant Rebrand Should Tell a Story

There's a science behind stories and the effect they have on the mind. Reading a story uses more parts of the brain than reading bullet points. These include the parts of the brain used for enjoying sights, sounds, tastes, feelings, and more.

When you hear a story, your mind is hard-wired to connect with it. Additionally, when you hear a story, you recall other stories you've heard. Your brain connects them. Both hearing and telling stories evoke strong emotion.

When you base your restaurant rebrand around a story, you're in a better position to make strong connections with others.

The visuals we create for each brand direction are only half of it. Therefore, in branding, the brand story is the narrative that ties it all together. Together, the brand story and the visual design create a foundation for the whole restaurant rebrand.

Create a Visual Roadmap

So, we already mentioned how visuals work into your rebrand. Next, we're going to dive deeper into how design impacts your restaurant rebrand.

At the beginning of a rebrand, we develop brand boards. Brand boards define three separate directions that we think the brand could go in. Brand boards combine inspiration in different forms. We use colors, fonts, graphics, and textures that create a feeling for each specific direction.

Creating brand boards is vital in setting clear assumptions about rebranding. Next, we show the brand boards to key decision makers. Their feedback sets the expectations for the next steps of the rebranding project.

Be Consistent

After we finalize a brand direction, our team will improve basic brand elements. Usually, these include the logo, name, website, and stationery.

After we revise and finalize these foundational elements, we move on incorporating the rebrand across other touchpoints. Everything that a client may identify with your brand needs to be consistent.

Make a List

Collateral that we will revamp during a rebranding project can include presentation slides, case study templates, image libraries, email headers, email signatures, trade show displays, appointment cards, blog headers, rack cards, one-sheeters, social media art, employee attire, vehicle wraps and more.

Every restaurant is different, so knowing which of these pieces you will need is important ahead of time so we can create an accurate project scope. Don't leave anything out when you rebrand!

Also, keep in mind that promotional items are really useful to distribute your new brand. Promo products are a fun way to get a little attention and get you in front of customers.

There's a discussion about how to announce a rebrand. Is it better to announce your rebrand all at one time? Or is it better to deploy it piece by piece throughout the rebranding process?

Honestly, this depends on your budget and your ability to pull off a big and final cohesive rebranding announcement.

This is an individual choice and one that we can counsel on for your organization, in case you're needing some strong guidance here.

There you have it. Our best three hints for an effective rebrand. In case you're prepared to rebrand your organization, or if you're still wondering if it's the right time for you to pull the trigger on a new restaurant rebrand project, give us a call.