Five Branding Secrets to Bring Your Restaurant to Life

The restaurant world is one of the most competitive industries on the planet. Everyone knows this — and yet it’s something we’re always talking about. 

Why? 

The challenge never goes away. As a restaurant owner, you know that a successful business requires more than delicious signature dishes and an appealing atmosphere. In a marketplace full of choices, attractive branding can make or break your bottom line. 

But where to start? You focus on creating those wonderful dishes, and let us help you navigate the marketing. Here’s our guide to help with effective restaurant branding ideas.

 The Importance of Branding in Restaurants

Running a restaurant is tough, and that’s an understatement. On top of the long hours and hard labor, restaurant owners have countless things to consider, including marketing and branding. Even the most successful food joints — their walls lined with James Beard Awards and Michelin stars — may struggle to fill their dining rooms. 

Think about your own life. How often have you passed on a local restaurant because it didn’t look “professional” enough? Or maybe you simply walked by a place because the signage didn’t pull you in. Or maybe you have seen them online, but their marketing feels a little “too much.” 

The point is you need to be strategic to stay relevant in the restaurant space. You either need irresistible dishes that spread by word-of-mouth, powerful marketing campaigns, or a combination of both. 

A sophisticated approach to business branding creates an identity and evokes an emotional connection with potential customers. That goes beyond just a logo or color scheme. The best restaurant branding ideas encompass the overall experience and perception people have of your restaurant — communicating your values, personality, and unique offerings. For restaurant owners, intelligent branding is an opportunity to express the idealized version of their restaurant. 

But how do we get to that point?

Five Restaurant Branding Ideas to Kickstart Your Business

First impressions matter; in the highly competitive restaurant industry, they matter even more. A strong approach to branding helps you engage with customers before they walk through the door. Let’s talk about the steps that restaurant owners can take to transform their business through branding.

Evaluate Your Niche

Before embarking on a brand makeover, it’s crucial to identify your target audience and what makes your restaurant unique. This might sound daunting, but it’s not. Just think about your goals and focus as an establishment — what makes you… you?

Remember the four P’s: 

• Product
• Price 
• Place
• Promotion

These factors should inform your restaurant branding vibe and personality. An upscale wine bar’s branding is a little different than a family diner, to say the least. Keep these variables in mind for every branding point, such as font, color scheme, and even word choice for copy on menus, social media, or press releases.

Make a Brand Book

Once you’ve honed and crafted your new brand identity, it’s vital to ensure consistent usage across materials, whether it’s signs, menus, social media, or other outlets. Any time your business creates marketing materials or modifies the dining room, it should be cross-referenced against the brand book. 

A brand book is a handy document that provides guidelines for using your brand identity across various platforms. Review the brand guidelines anytime you have a branding opportunity. In many ways, it’s the bible of your restaurant. 

The brand book should include basic concepts like color schemes, logos, and fonts. But it should also give guidelines for the more ephemeral and intangible elements, such as a general manner of speaking, how to say hello to customers, and other suggestions for communication. It’s also important for restaurant owners to include any hard nos, ensuring your team has a clear understanding of how not to present your establishment.

Match Your Atmosphere to Your Brand

Restaurant branding goes further than your logo, employee shirts, or the aesthetic of your menu. Obviously, professional logos and complimentary colors are essential — but they’ll only get you so far. Successful branding requires that you adjust the overall atmosphere of your restaurant. 

That means considering factors like uniforms, the style of tables and chairs, music, and the overall decor. These elements should work together in harmony, helping foster a cohesive and enjoyable vibe. 

For example, think about a cozy cafe with warm colors, rustic furniture, and soft jazz playing in the background. Or a craft beer bar going for a rockabilly feel, with a classic jukebox in the corner and bartenders wearing denim vests covered in pins and patches. It’s your establishment — and the atmosphere should match your vision. This cohesion between marketing and reality will help customers develop a strong opinion of your brand. 

Establish Your New Brand

Remember what we said about first impressions? With your brand identity mapped out, now is the time to put it into practice and introduce your brand to the world. (And hey, have a little fun with it, too!)

Once you have your new colors, logo, font, slogan, and atmosphere locked in, it’s time to make a splash. Incorporate your branding into every aspect of your restaurant. Brand your menus, to-go boxes, coasters, condiment bottles, and any other item that represents your establishment. This also extends to your online presence, including your website and social media profiles.

The goal here is consistency on all channels. That’s vital for establishing your brand identity and piquing interest among potential customers. The power of your well-designed products may surprise you. Maybe someone sees your fancy new to-go box on a coworker’s desk or scrolls across your funky new logo design on Instagram. 

The point is that exposure to your brand can happen anywhere, and you want to ensure that wherever that interaction takes place, it is a positive and consistent experience. 

Get Involved

While advertising is important — it’s non-interactive. To truly establish your new brand identity, consider engaging in your community by sponsoring activities that vibe with your branding. It helps people get a feeling of your brand identity, but it is also an opportunity for you to sell yourself and make a good first impression by shaking hands in person. 

For example, if you’re a hip new sports bar, you might sponsor a day of fun activities in a park with a booth to sample your menu. Or maybe there’s a charity that aligns with a personal cause. In either case, sponsoring a community event is an ideal way to offer your neighbors something fun while simultaneously spreading the word about your restaurant and directly engaging with the people who are most likely to become repeat customers. 

That is what we call a win-win.

Thought-out and consistent restaurant branding is a powerful tool that can breathe life into an establishment while attracting target customers. By evaluating your niche, creating a brand book, matching your atmosphere to your brand, establishing your new brand across various touchpoints, and getting involved in the community, you can create a memorable dining experience for years to come. 

Developing your brand takes time — but a good one can last a lifetime. Once you have your branding and designs figured out, Stomp Stickers is here to help with your menus, to-go boxes, coasters, and more. Don’t rush. We’ll be here when you’re ready.