It’s no secret that the restaurant industry is highly competitive. And in today’s market, a strong restaurant brand can make or break your business.
Building a brand goes beyond choosing a logo or purchasing a custom font for your menu. Every touchpoint between your restaurant and its guests should reflect who you are and what you stand for—be it through your website, social media, or as soon as a guest steps foot into your establishment. So here’s what you need to know about restaurant branding to ensure you’re set apart from the crowd.
What is restaurant branding?
Restaurant branding is how a restaurant communicates its identity (including its personality, values, and goals) to its audience, also known as customers. It isn’t just about the name and logo of your restaurant. Instead, it encompasses every element that shapes the customer experience, from the menu design, interior decor, and carefully curated playlist to the quality of service provided.
Why is restaurant branding so important?
As for any business (in or out of the restaurant industry), branding is important as it shapes the overall customer experience. Here are some reasons why building a strong restaurant brand is crucial:
Differentiate against competition – With the restaurant industry being such a saturated market, it’s important to differentiate against competitors with the right branding. For example, a coffee shop with a peaceful, quiet ambiance may have an edge over a busy, fast-paced chain when targeting students or professionals seeking a productive workspace.
Build emotional connection – A well-crafted brand can evoke an emotional connection with customers. For example, a family-friendly restaurant offering traditional brunch food can help create feelings of nostalgia and comfort.
Create consistency – While large chain restaurants are easily recognizable through branding—think, McDonald’s golden arches—smaller restaurants can invest in branding to create a memorable identity. When a unified experience is created across multiple channels (from in-person visits to digital interactions on social media), customers are more likely to develop greater trust in your brand.
Encourage brand loyalty – The dining experience isn’t just limited to the food itself; customers are often willing to pay more for a unique and curated experience. A memorable experience not only brings guests back but also encourages additional referrals.
Support long-term growth – Branding that resonates with your customers is the foundation for long-term growth and success. A strong brand ensures that customers can recognize your restaurant, even if it’s in a different part of the city or country.
Restaurant branding example:
Mike Bausch, the mastermind behind Andolini’s worldwide, shares the importance of a restaurant brand on The Pre-shift Podcast. Andolini’s brand recognition played a key role for the business’ expansion into other ventures beyond the pizzeria, including fine dining, gelato, food halls, food trucks, and more.
“The rules still completely worked on how to build a brand and how to build a team. The logo’s different, maybe the menu’s different, the brand voice might be slightly different—but the rules stayed the same. There’s a system.”
“Something that’s like Italian inspired, we do very well with—it’s just taking that. At this point, we can go to another city and do well, but in this town, it’s like we’re a Tarantino film. Tarantino can make a movie about basket weaving—I’m still gonna see it. If Andolini’s is doing something, it carries a brand recognition. They know we aren’t going to half-ass it.”
Steps to build a strong restaurant brand
Creating a strong restaurant brand means thoughtfully planning and executing to ensure your business stands out while resonating with your target customers. Here’s our step-by-step guide on crafting a personalized brand that leaves a lasting impression.
1. Define your audience
The first step to building a successful restaurant brand is to determine your target audience—the type of customers you want to bring in. This includes considering the geographic, demographic, psychographic, and behavioral factors, as understanding their preferences can help influence the decisions behind your brand.
Geographic – Where is your restaurant located? Is it in an urban, suburban, or rural area? What are the dining trends within the area?
Demographic – What are the age groups, income levels, and cultural backgrounds of your target customers? What about family size? Do they have kids?
Psychographic – What do your target customers value? Do they prefer sustainable, health-conscious foods or are they seeking unique, luxury experiences?
Behavioral – What are the dining habits of your target customers? Do they prefer to grab a quick bite on the go or a full-service three-course meal? Are they price-sensitive?
Here are three sample customer profiles—including geographic, demographic, psychographic, and behavioral factors—for three different types of restaurants:
| Factors | Coffee shop target audience | Diner target audience | Bar target audience | |
| Geographic | Located in a fast-paced urban city, near busy corporate offices | Located in a family-oriented suburban area, near schools and malls | Located in a college town, near lots of nightlife | |
| Demographic | Young professionals with large amounts of disposable income | High school students or families with children, living a moderate-income lifestyle | College students with limited amounts of disposable income | |
| Psychographic | Values high-quality, sustainable, and locally-sourced products | Values comfort and an accessible space to connect with others | Values fun and unique experiences with large groups | |
| Behavioral | Enjoys quick to-go services with the occasional option of seating | Enjoys regular visits, consistent service, and special promotions | Enjoys night outs periodically, especially on weekends and for special events | |
Restaurant branding example:
Joe Kahn, Founder & Chief Innovation Officer at Condado Tacos, shares the restaurant’s mission of celebrating individuality, along with the thinking behind its five core values that spell out QUESO: Quality, Unique, Empowered, Service, and Opportunity on The Pre-Shift Podcast.
“We really talk about a place to celebrate individuality—that’s really the sort of crux of what we do. The QUESO, one, ironically, we have the best queso in the business, so what better way to have an acronym to describe our people, and our culture, and what we want to accomplish?”
“What QUESO stands for is quality. It’s quality in everything we do, whether it be our food, our training, or our people. Unique—Condado is again, celebration of individuality. It’s a place where you can be the best version of yourself. Empowered—take control of not only the guest experience but also your career, your opportunities, and the empowerment to take the opportunity to make a difference to your team members and your guests. Being of service is the ‘S’.
Obviously, we’re in the hospitality business and are of service to each other. We’re of service to our folks that come into our restaurants; we’re of service to our communities; we look to give back in so many ways. And opportunity is the ‘O’. We talk about these things about growth—not only growth in new restaurants and new jobs but growth in furthering your career and furthering yourself professionally and personally.”
The brand voice of your restaurant also plays an important role in the brand identity. Consider whether you want your communications—on the website, on social media, or even in-person interactions—to be sophisticated, friendly, playful, or casual.
The voice should accurately reflect how you want your business to be perceived while appealing to your target audience. For example, a fine-dining restaurant might use a sophisticated tone, while a family-friendly restaurant may adopt a more casual, welcoming approach.
3. Develop brand visuals
Now that you’ve developed your brand identity, it’s time to create a visual identity to accompany it. While your logo is the primary visual element customers will use to recognize your brand, other aspects of your visual identity, including color, typography, and photography, can be just as important.
Color – Color plays an important role in branding as it can help evoke different emotions you want to convey. For instance, red and yellow can help stimulate an appetite. Warm colors like yellow and orange can resemble joy, while green undoubtedly presents as healthy and fresh. And while blue is known for its calming effect, be cautious with it––it can actually decrease appetite due to its rare occurrence in natural foods.
Typography – Typography (also known as the font choice for all your restaurant materials) plays a huge role in shaping your restaurant’s visual brand. For instance, a serif font suggests sophistication and luxury, making it ideal for fine-dining establishments. On the other hand, sans-serif fonts convey a modern and minimalist vibe, perfect for more casual or contemporary restaurants. Handwritten fonts add a playful and approachable feel, which can work well to attract family-oriented audiences.
Photography – The type of imagery you choose can also help define your brand message. For instance, high-end restaurants may use sleek, minimalist photos—or even no photos at all—on the menu, while casual restaurants may showcase photos of happy customers on their social media. You can also experiment with different photo styles, such as using filters or candid shots, to reflect your brand’s unique personality.
After selecting the colors, typography, and photography styles for your restaurant branding, make sure to stay consistent. Use the same selection across all your materials, such as your menu, website, and social media posts. This will look more professional and make it easier for your customers to associate the visual identity with your restaurant over time.
You can also create restaurant merchandise, such as t-shirts, tote bags, hats, and drinkware, to showcase your brand’s visual identity. Selling (or giving away) branded products to your customers can help you strengthen connections while turning them into advocates. Mandy’s Salads in Canada has its own collection of merchandise, reflecting the soft-coloured, casual branding of the business.
The visual identity of your restaurant brand should also extend to the overall atmosphere of your restaurant. While wall paint, furniture, and decor can be thoughtfully chosen to complement your color scheme, carefully curated elements can further reinforce your brand. For instance, plants can help reflect sustainability, while rustic wooden tables can create a warm and cozy ambiance. Every small detail contributes to building your brand’s visual identity, ultimately enhancing the customer experience.
4. Share your brand story
Sharing your visual identity through in-person and online experiences is key to building a recognizable brand, but don’t forget about sharing your story (including your mission, vision, and core values). Here are some examples of how you can communicate the messaging to customers through various channels:
On the menu – Is your produce locally sourced? Do you have a secret pie recipe that’s been passed down the family for generations? Include menu descriptions of where your dishes originate to help enhance your brand story through the food itself.
On the website – Create a dedicated ‘About Us’ section to share the restaurant’s backstory. Here, you can also cover your purpose for entering the restaurant industry and any mission, vision, or core values. You can also include photos of your team to make the section more engaging. Here’s one example from Union Square Hospitality Group.
On social media – Share videos, photos, and captions that highlight your brand story to your social media. You can include behind-the-scenes content, such as creating signature dishes, or post customer stories that reflect your brand values.
Community engagement – Partnering with local businesses or charities that reflect your restaurant values is an excellent way to stay involved with the community while reinforcing your brand identity to a broader audience.
5. Train your team
Now that you’ve communicated your brand story in various ways, it’s time to ensure that your staff also embodies and represents your brand effectively. Your team plays a crucial role in delivering a thought-out dining experience for customers, so providing the proper training is key.
When onboarding new employees, be sure to communicate the restaurant’s values, along with the mission and vision, to help them understand the purpose behind the business. You should also train your team (especially front-of-house employees) to interact with customers in a way that matches the brand voice—formal, polished, casual, approachable, playful, or energetic.
Employee uniforms can also help enhance your restaurant’s brand significantly, so choose attire that aligns with your brand identity. For example, sleek and professional outfits can be used for fine dining, while relaxed and colorful outfits can be used for a family-friendly establishment. Paying attention to details like this can help reinforce your brand with every interaction between your team and your customers.
Restaurant branding example:
Servers at Karen’s Diner in Australia are intentionally trained to be rude to customers, staying true to the infamous ‘get-me-a-manager’ Karen persona. Employees also wear retro, costume-like diner outfits to enhance the fun atmosphere and add to the playful environment. Customers visit not only for the food but also for the unique, immersive dining experience.
6. Adapt to any changes
Lastly, know that your restaurant brand can evolve. Regularly assess how your brand is perceived and make adjustments as needed. As new trends emerge, you may need to tweak visual brand assets like menus and social media posts, or even make bigger changes to your restaurant’s interior.
Also, remember that while your current target customers may have changing preferences, you might decide to target a different customer group down the line. For example, if you find that there aren’t many young working professionals in your area, you might focus on targeting students instead.
Adapting to changes ensures your brand remains relevant, competitive, and aligned with your customers’ evolving tastes and expectations. Plus, staying responsive to any feedback you receive will help you maintain a lasting connection with your audience.
Effective restaurant branding
Effective branding means communicating your restaurant’s identity to your audience, including its personality, values, and goals. A strong brand sets you apart from your competitors and helps create a more memorable experience for your customers. Above all, remember that your brand can evolve to stay relevant and aligned with your customers’ changing preferences.
Jessica Ho, Content Marketing Specialist
Jessica Ho
Content Marketing Specialist
Hi, I'm Jessica, Content Marketing Specialist at 7shifts! I'm writing about all things related to the restaurant industry.