Is your restaurant’s story
letting you down?
Mark Bithrey
March 2021
This last week my 11 year old daughter has been following me around the kitchen while I fix her dinner, telling me about her friends' summer holidays. As she gets into why Friend-A's parents are more fun than Friend-B's, I realise I’m painting a picture in my mind. A pre-teen movie if you will. Just with carrot sticks instead of popcorn.
In my mind I’ve met them all. I know them all. And it’s because of the details my daughter gets into. “Yes daddy, the Martha whose daddy works at the big computer company.” Her characters are coming to life with tiny bits of information and I feel like I have already built a connection with Martha’s dad. She is telling me stories. That’s why I remember them. Stories are details, and details shape design.
Stories are details, and details shape design.
We Cannot Design Without a Story
Every now and then a client comes to us with “I want a great design. Something different. Make it amazing.” Unfortunately that doesn’t leave us designers much to work with. Without knowing the story, it is nearly impossible to design a sound, stunning interior.
So What Exactly is in A Good Story?
A good restaurant/bar/hotel story has 4 key characteristics:
- Is specific, not generic (even if it’s not particularly unique)
- Is simple to follow
- Gets into details
- Is a narrative, not a bulleted list
What If You Don’t Have a Story?
Sometimes it’s a strategic business decision to go with an Italian restaurant in your hotel, for example, and there isn’t really a story. However, in our opening conversations with our clients we always find gems alluding to valuable stories. They just need to be discovered, polished, cut, and presented clearly. It has often been the case that clients don’t realise the power of the asset they are sitting on.
Some great places to find the layers of your story:
The Story Of LA Famille
Nouvelle Garde Group
People-centric stories are the strongest of them all. When we started working with entrepreneurs Charlie and Victor, founders of the Parisian Nouvelle Garde group, their story had great depth to which we were able to add story layers of location/food/chef.
“Brasserie Bellanger’s story is that of my great-grandmother Marie-Louise Bellanger. I discovered a book of her traditional recipes. The pages captured her love for life and cooking – a time capsule of brilliance I wanted the world to know about. She cherished brasseries as they used to be in her youth. Now, they have become listed places where nothing can change, or generic places with the same interiors. We wanted to revive the charm of the old brasserie and add modern layers,” says Charles Perez, co-founder.
See the potent stories in Brasserie Dubillot, Brasserie Martin, and Brasserie Charlie.
Your Story Is Told In Purposeful Design Choices
and every other touchpoint
Even before they set foot in your restaurant, guests are almost certainly looking up pictures, menus, reviews before booking. And if they’re new customers who walk past and decide to step in, they’re looking for cues to tell them what to expect (more on this later).
Once the story has been written, use it everywhere – social media, logos, all print things, staff training, and every single design element. Because consistency is the key to memory. Your guest will remember the story and it will be told many times over, each time with its own embellishments. A game of profitable Chinese Whispers. (Spare a thought for Martha’s dad who has appeared in many a tale with many a detail).
Start Somewhere, Anywhere
It can feel a bit daunting to find or write a story. Start with what you know and a tale will emerge. It’s always a good idea to tell that story to at least half a dozen people to test if it sticks.
Lodge your brand in the most expensive piece of real estate in the world – the corner of
your future customer’s mind.
Until next time,
Mark
Other Journals
Hazel, AC by Marriott Review
Continuing with our search to find Glasgow’s best go-to food spots has landed us in the heart of the city, at the entrance of Hazel located in AC by…
Mauro Colagreco Review
Mauro Colagreco is one of 9 restaurants found in the Raffles London at the OWO. Labelled as a ‘one-of-a-kind culinary experience,’ this…