Founded in 2003 with locations in Texas and Virginia, Masala Wok has been a fixture in the restaurant business for over a decade, and they contacted our restaurant branding company for a new identity.
The restaurant’s fast-casual menu consists of savory, delicious Indian and Asian cuisine prepared with fresh ingredients and spices. While the restaurant was able to establish a following of people who were already familiar with their unique cuisine, they continued to struggle to attract the mainstream public. They found that, although the food was top notch, their existing restaurant brand stopped short when it came to attracting a fresh, new demographic of diners.
Despite this struggle, the brand continued to expand. As Masala Wok began construction on two new locations, their architect pushed the owners to consider a change in environmental branding and overall design. After completing extensive research into the world of restaurant branding firms, Masala Wok contacted Nice Branding Agency to determine whether a partnership would be a good recipe.
Following a few preliminary calls, the team at Nice Branding Agency, a restaurant branding company, met with the founders of Masala Wok to dig into all aspects of the business. Our team listened intently, probing for details that would shed light on the triumphs and trials of the restaurant, and to find out what was working and what needed an overhaul. The overall goal was to identify Masala Wok’s best assets and highlight them in a manner that would attract new, mainstream customers.
Restaurant Branding Kickoff
After careful analysis, as an experienced restaurant branding company, Nice Branding Agency proposed a complete restaurant rebrand for the operation. Our proposal addressed all of the traditional aspects of a restaurant branding project. These included things like logo development, website design, business cards, and menu design, but it also encompassed a complete overhaul of the existing environmental branding. Our plan would focus on a redesign of the entire interior and all customer touch points. While it was clear that the food was phenomenal, we realized that potential raving fans were being turned off by the look and feel of the restaurant.
Brand Direction
As we talked through our ideas for the restaurant brand, we used a visual presentation of multiple concepts to bring the proposal to life. This brand direction presentation included three distinctly different visual directions the brand could take. With all three directions being viable options for the brand, the purpose of showcasing various boards is to elicit restaurant owner buy-in on the concept, and allow our client to have a say at the start of concepting.
As the client watched our presentation, we watched excitement mount, which we consider to be the first step in building trust within the working relationship. After a big-picture concept was agreed upon, we set our sights on the tangible deliverables needed to build out the restaurant brand.
Masala Wok selected the brand board below. The board is populated with vibrant and warm colors, often found throughout the streets of India, paired with more modern lines that are indicative of Asian culture.