15th January 2021
The restaurants are crowded, packed, and competitive places. How can you attract, tempt, and fascinate guests when there’s no end to the options customers have when looking to eat out? And how can a restaurant make sure they’ll keep coming back? This is where the branding services for the restaurant comes into play. A strong restaurant brand identity helps a lot. Brand loyalty is desired in all industries. For restaurants, achieving brand loyalty is difficult because customers have different tastes and preferences. Although having a fully thought-out brand inspires customers to feel positive about their experience in the restaurant.
Think about the last restaurant you had true brand loyalty with. What made you keep going back to the same restaurant? A great example is KFC vs. McDonald’s. Since people feel passionate about one or the other. Both chains have a tremendous and huge presence not just in the U.S. but all over the world. Now for a restaurant to become one of the most recognizable brands in the world they have to work hard since it does not happen overnight. Each and every recognizable brand have a story, a mission, a visible brand, and a clear market position.
Now understand what even is a restaurant brand? The branding services for the restaurants create a brand identity through which the customers and the community remember you. Customers as soon as they walk in the restaurant to the second that they search for you online. The brand is reflected everywhere, from the restaurant’s bar to its social media accounts. Brand identity isn’t something related to big and recognizable brands only. In fact, even if you’re a small restaurant, chances are you already have a brand identity through social media presence, logo, etc.
The branding services for the restaurant creates and make identity a powerful tool for success. To create a powerful identity, one has to go beyond visual appearance. The restaurant will have to work on their personality and fix what’s not working. Creating a powerful and influential brand identity for your restaurant will empower the restaurant too:
Restaurant branding is basically the process involved in designing a unique name and image for the restaurant in the customer’s mind to differentiate them from the competition. This unique identity will not only different but will establish the brand as a different entity that will receive results in terms of customer’s trust in the brand, thus, creating a loyal customer base.
although there are unlimited strategies for the branding of the restaurant, the most popular ways to create brand awareness for restaurants are through logo, menu design, restaurant design, restaurant food, colors used in a restaurant and etc. Ask a handful of restaurant owners what they think branding is, and we bet you’ll get a handful of answers. Basically, the main point of the restaurant branding is the logo followed quickly by the websites and then the restaurant’s physical location. Everything a brand communicates to its audience should be done by keeping the brand in mind.
Here are 14 tips for branding restaurants in 2021.
The logo is basically the foundation of branding. Logos are what makes brands different from one another and bring them to the next level. If created right, they result in bringing new customers and develop a strong customer base. The reason why whenever customers see a yellow capital ‘M’ or see a purple bell, they know that it’s McDonald’s or Taco Bell respectively. This is the result of effective branding by these companies through their logos.
A logo is a visual element and the face of a brand that reflects a brand’s identity, its message, and its mission, and values. It is this symbolism that allows the target audience to recognize the brand for years to come. Therefore, creating a memorable and timeless restaurant logo that effectively delivers the restaurant’s mission, vision, and the message is important.
Taglines are critical when doing any sort of marketing or advertising for the restaurant. The tagline’s role is to help the customer understand the brand and what it’s providing. Therefore, the tagline has to be so catchy and effective. For example when Colonel Sanders said, ‘It’s finger-licking’ good” for KFC back in 1956, the world still remembers it.
As you know the taglines are that short, catchy, which sums up the brand’s values and the defining features of the brand. Here a tip for effective branding is to come up with a unique tagline for the restaurant that tells the audience about the restaurant’s unique features. This tagline can be on logos, run on radio ads, or shown on restaurant banners, websites, and social media platforms, etc. therefore, it is important to choose the words wisely for the tagline.
For recent covid times, if the restaurant already has a tagline, this is the best time to show care through the tagline. Restaurants can customize their taglines for the COVID-19 situation. If the restaurant has made or bought any additions, changes, or taken safety precautions that will benefit customers, then adding “your safety first” to the tagline will add value to the brand image.
Social media is currently ruled by Influencers. Be it micro or macro, people are blindly following these influencers. they are all the rage in today’s time. Thus, a brand can collaborate with local or micro-influencers to put up a post and spread the word about their experience at the restaurant and recommend their target audience to visit the restaurant too. The influencers create videos, click pictures, post reviews to give an insight into the restaurant. Remember, to utilize the power of micro-influencers. They are just as influential to spread the word. They have a strong reach and a loyal target audience. An influencer can talk about how the restaurant is following protocols, what measures they are taking to make it safe for dining or even takeaways during COVID-19 lockdown. This will allow customers to see the brand from a whole new perspective.
Email and text messaging remain effective and efficient tools for branding. The restaurant can collect the customer’s contact information, use it to their benefit, and offer them regular discounts or promotions. They can send messages about the changes in menus, their deals, and much more. This basically helps in creating a positive image in the minds of customers.
These days, customers want to acquire personalized services from the businesses they are interacting with. The best example of this is, a simple gesture of having your name on the Starbucks coffee cup can definitely make someone’s day. As a restaurant, try providing personalized services to the customers. Figure it out as they dine at your restaurant. In the covid times, you can provide them customized colored masks, their separate sanitizers, and covered food items. By incorporating personalization, a restaurant can make a strong appeal to the audience’s emotions and provide them the ultimate dining experience.
Every brand has some personality, just like any individual person. This personality represents the identity of a brand. Once the branding services for the restaurant have set the base, next they need to define the personality. This personality comes from the words branding services for the restaurant uses in their messaging. Define the personality of the brand in a few words. For example, if we have to define Pizza Hut’s personality in three words, it would be optimistic, family-oriented, and fun.
It’s important to choose the colors wisely be it for the restaurant’s logo, website, or interior. Have you ever wondered why Burger King or McDonald’s uses red color in their branding? Or Starbucks green and white? It’s because there is a scientific reason behind it. Color psychology dictates that warm colors such as red stimulate hunger. Orange is a color of innovation and youth. Green is the color of nature and ethics. Colors basically help the brand reflect the characteristics the restaurant wants to portray.
Always analyze how does the restaurant looks in terms of layout, location, interiors, and hygiene? All these aspects when put together create a brand for the restaurant. For example, there are many Harry Potter themed restaurants all over the world. The design of the restaurant gives the vibe of darkness and magic like Hogwarts. The waiters are dressed as wizards; the rooftop haves them floating candles as the great hall did, and there is live music and much more. The design basically reflects and create the brand image and portrays the restaurant as an entertaining, cool, and out of box dining experience.
The absence of brand consistency can be disastrous to the restaurant and it may prevent the customers from coming back. The branding strategy should be displayed in every single aspect of the restaurant, from the logo to the door, bars, the persona of the staff, from music to décor, and from the menu to service. This consistency should be firm and also be maintained across all situations and communication channels such as social media handles, flyers, brochures, etc.
The attires of the working staff should be proper. Who would like to be served by weirdly dressed staff? Or imagine a restaurant where it’s hard to differentiate between the customers and staff members. The dress and attire of the staff not only improve the standard of the restaurant but also are vital components of the restaurant’s branding.
Since this is the era of social media, restaurants should click HD pictures and upload them on social media accounts and websites. If the owner is putting the dollars toward one type of restaurant marketing collateral, make it mouth-watering, professional photos. Or, if hire branding services of the restaurant who would manage all this. Instead of writing long pages full of text, the brand can upload high-quality pictures of food that are mouth-watering and will bring the customers straight to restaurants. With every post, make sure the number one goal is unveiling pictures so good that customer almost tastes them, virtually.
The restaurant ambiance is one of the most significant and dynamic avenues through which one can express its brand. The customers will always remember how they felt at the restaurant, therefore, it is necessary to create a unique and pleasant atmosphere. The restaurants should fine-tune every aspect of their ambiance so that it matches the brand and creates and provides a comfortable guest experience. Below are key components of your atmosphere to take into consideration when branding the restaurant:
From t-shirts to beer glasses, there are plenty of opportunities to use products to promote the brand. A restaurant can also give away or sell items like sauces, tissues, tote bags, and Christmas ornaments with the name written on them. To spread the word about the restaurant, restaurants can even create contests with free giveaways on social media. Additionally, put the logo on every item because when guests purchase products that feature the restaurant logo, it further increases loyalty because they now own an item connected to the restaurant, making them invested and connected with the brand. And the more the customers share the logo, the better brand recognition the restaurant will get.
When crafting the branding identity, it’s very important to stand out from the competition. To be able to achieve this, the restaurant has to look beyond. The branding services for the restaurant carry out researches that identify the competitors. Once they do this, they analyze their brand identity: they take notes and use them when creating their client’s restaurant’s brand identity.