Restaurant Branding in India : A successful Marketing Recipe

Last Updated on May 31, 2022 by DesignerPeople

WOW !!!  Remember good old days when going to a restaurant was always a week before plan or Sunday outing plan, and then visiting hotel which served tasty and your favourites cuisines was the sole motto.

Gone are those days, today in 2020, even a small kid visit McDonald’s with their perception of getting ‘Happy Meal’ there. So Era is changing so as we, Now customer expectations are beyond generic needs of food taste and its quality, while these aspects are still essential, but somehow they are now into mandatory services and fundamental lack of customers. Now Restaurant Branding comes into the picture, if on time restaurants don’t enhance their branding, then it is left for customers to decide and perceive themselves, which is not a good sign.

What is Restaurant Branding?

It is not just about a pretty logo and a catchy jingle. Great, powerful, and effective restaurant branding is all about marrying your marketing with your operations.

Focusing on every little detailed experience, define every touchpoint. Conceptualizing and realizing a top-tier dining experience requires more than putting together a tasty menu. You have to satisfy customers with a purpose and deliver what you are promising. Wow, guests with your restaurant’s particular panache.

 

Which Comes First—Marketing Or Branding?

Branding comes first as its process of creating some story and culture that communicates value to your customer. The brand will keep your clients coming back for more. It is the foundation upon which you will build consumer loyalty.

Branding is a strategy to build an image of “who are you “while marketing is how you make awareness. Branding is your strategy, while marketing encompasses your tactical goals.

The brand doesn’t outright say, “Buy me.” It says, “This is who I am.”

 

BRAND IS STORY

There is a faithful saying, “He who has the best story wins”. “Facts tell, but stories sell”.

 

Every restaurant has a story, such as, you are the fourth generation owner of your town’s favourite pizza place, you were the farmer who was supplying organic products to the restaurant owner, and when the owner died then you bought it. If you grew up fishing with your grandfather and that inspired you to open a fish shack such many more inspirational stories.

The story is part of you, people love the excellent narration, and if it’s interesting, then they will always be emotionally connected to your brand rendering their loyalty.

It can also be an influential culture that creates a “sense of belongingness” among customers. Such as if you visit Rajdhani restaurant chains, you will notice they will put tikka on your forehead and greet with Namaste. While interior designing also correlate with its ethnic look that strengthens its inspirational story.

You will always see elements of Happiness with Mac D with their “happy man” clown, which depicts their story to spread happiness.

Coke made its strong story with character “Santa clause” and hence correlated all its branding strategies around its famous colour Red.

 

 

Visual branding – Weaving in visual communications helps tell a story.

It gives practical consideration to the emotional aspects, and abstract constructs need for portraying about the restaurant’s culture and story.
Once content is decided, next its time to process that information and start building a visual message communication plan that accurately serves the businesses’ core values.

Three essential elements are, 3C’s:

correctness, creativity and consistency.

Correctness :

While building your restaurant’s visual branding elements, ask yourself whatever you are promoting is genuine and authentic to what is you are delivering, does that align with your brand? Weaving in visual communications helps to tell a story.

If its an Italian cuisine restaurant then Indian music will not connect the audience.

Creativity :

Dining is a very personal and emotional experience that depends on visuals aspects to appeal to all senses. Evoking excitement within your customers won’t be achieved through flat, dull imagery.

You can come up with an interactive standee that customers can take a selfie with and share on social media.

If you observe Haldiram North, you will see creativity with their restaurant  SPACE BRANDING, where Space branding is done innovatively by creating Generic Wall portraying holistic event images such as Birthday Party, and Kitty party many more such events.

Consistency:

Customers are least interested in engaging with brands that have an identity crisis.

They want the consistency to rely on a brand that delivers the product or service with the same price, quality and experience each time.

Colour, typefaces,  style of photography, the location wise experience should follow consistency.

If you visit Dominos, Mac D, or SF Express, you will find all marketing collaterals consistent irrespective of your location.

7 STEPS TO DEVELOP YOUR RESTAURANT BRANDING:

When we say Branding is a process that takes place even before opening the restaurant, doesn’t mean existing restaurants cannot develop a brand. It’s never too late to build and refine your brand existence.

Your brand identity is the personality of your restaurant. Once you define it, you can apply it in all areas of your business and marketing.

Let’s look at the trends in restaurant branding, which are focus points for each professional restaurant branding agency.

 

1.BE REAL

Authenticity and transparency play a vital role in restaurant branding. You have to tell them clearly what you are going to provide them when they get connected to you.

Portray your customers you care for them by extending your brand through community service projects like leftover food is provided to some NGO’s or any such.

2.FINE TUNE WITH CUSTOMERS

We are in an era where customers are “KING “, and so you have to consider with each touchpoint your customer is having with your restaurant, and do everything you can to make their experiences seamless.

Be in touch with them through online reviews, websites and social media.

3.ENHANCE ENGAGEMENT

Branding is much more than just creating awareness after that its also necessary to retain your customers.

Application of Artificial Intelligence in restaurants includes chatbots for interacting with customers that help to enhance customer engagement.

4.UNCLUTTER YOUR MESSAGE

Don’t over clutter your message. Please keep it simple, so it’s easy for your guests to know what you value.

Your goal should let your customers know what you are offering them. There is much overcommunication about the brand  in the world today, so to compete, you have to grab their attention quickly

Over communication is a problem all face today, so to overcome this start to simplify things.

5.PROTECT YOUR BRAND

Protecting your brand is very important if you stray from it, then you have lost your message and your competitive edge.

Always ask yourself questions such as does this new menu item fit with my brand? Alternatively, Have I stayed true to my brand colours and fonts?

6.SET YOUR PRIORITIES

Your restaurant is all about your valuable customers. If you come across one unhappy customer in your restaurant or online, respond to their comments with empathy and understanding. Do everything that takes to make it right.

Like Barbeque if you share any in-store food quality issue, they go to the extent of cancelling your bill cost and also provides apology cake which shows how dedicatedly they want you to carry positive image about their brand.

7.BE PATIENT

Being Patient is vital for a happy life. You will always have some ups and downs while building your brand identity.

Stay real and transparent to your brand even when times are hard. Understand your brand and keep it in the forefront always. Consistency and honesty are still paying off.

IMPORTANT ELEMENTS OF RESTAURANT BRANDING

Think about the last restaurant where you had always been authentic brand loyal. Why did you keep going back? There are many such elements, and one of the important is restaurant marketing.

A great example is Starbucks vs Dunkin both chains have a huge presence in the U.S. with recognizable brands, and that did not happen overnight. They both have a brand story, a mission, a visible brand, and a clear market position. But people prefer Starbucks over Dunkin due to its strong branding.

Branding a restaurant is an immense and strategic task for any graphic designer or illustrator. It has to evoke the emotion of the establishment as well as entice new customers, meaning it has to look great but provide relevant information also.

The marketing collaterals menu, cups, bottles, glasses, dishes, and cutlery, coasters, leaflets, posters, paper bags, uniforms, business cards every touchpoint must contain your restaurant brand logo and be connected by a unique style.

If you are offering takeaway food or regular in-house meals, your graphic designer needs to go through market research concerning your customers and deliver accordingly. 

Your customers always eager and want to know the real you so make sure you don’t wish to the exaggerated version of your restaurant.

Tell them what they will get exactly and then provide it to them every time the same without deviating.

Restaurants are on there on every corner, colossal competition clustered all over the city you live in. To stand out, the brand has got to provide something different, something real for your customers.

For example: If you’re brand mission is to deliver delicious, high-quality breakfast food in a relaxing, low-key manner, do that. Don’t overreach and promise something you can’t offer.

Building your brand is about being real you and building trust with your customers. Their loyalty is invaluable to your success.

 

1.CONCEPT

A restaurant is a concept including things like the style of food, type of service, and other distinguishing features.

If Restaurant is Vegan, Keto specialized Italian, Self-service or not many more important points which are decided by the owner.

 

 

2.DEMOGRAPHICS

Clarity on your target group will always help you to plan brand positioning and its strategies accordingly.

You need to understand if you are aiming to serve families, romantic couples, businesspeople, or some combination? Are they trendy or traditional? Customer price point?

CCD is focusing on a romantic couple with the tagline “A lot can happen over a cup of coffee.”

Starbucks aiming at corporate people who want the calm business environment to concentrate on work.

 

 

3.MISSION STATEMENT

Explains what your restaurant is aiming to achieve on an emotional level, what distinct value your brand is providing compared to competitors.

 

 

4.NAME

Your name should be memorable yet simple the title should portray what type of food you are offering this will help customer to know what they will get when they enter inside your restaurant.

If you come across Soups and salad restaurant, you know what you will get inside before you enter.

 

 

5.LOGO

The logo carries emotional perception in the mind of your audience, make sure your logo has a unique story which will help people to get connected.

If you observe Disneyland logo, you will get a feel of fantasy and imagination.

 

 

6.TAGLINE

A tagline should define the feature of your brand. The motive behind the concept is to generate a memorable creative phrase that will collaborate with tone and feel of an audio/visual product and strengthen the audience’s memory of a product.

Lays define tagline as ‘no one can eat just one.’

 

 

7.WEBSITE

Your website is very first impression customer carry so a website should be user-friendly to understand and visually appealing is mandatory.

 

 

8.AMBIENCE

Today restaurants need to put valuable time creating a distinct and pleasant ambience.

Factors that play an essential role are as below :

1. Lighting
2. Interior Design Elements
3. Music
4. Colour scheme
5. Furniture
6. Server attire
7. Server body language and attitude
8. Serve ware and Barware

“Google model” of open workspaces with all kinds of seating including, swings, bean bag chairs and cushy soft seating have taken off in the tech world.

 

 

9.FOOD

The menu plays a massive part in restaurant branding, from ingredients you use to naming dishes,everything should correlate to your mission statement. If your story says, your farm to table establishment makes sure to portray from where and how your food is getting sourced.

You will see companies such as lays, Mac D producing potatoes by themselves to maintain consistency in food quality.

 

 

CONCLUSION :

Each restaurant has a brand, whether you put effort into it or not. It is essential to differentiate yourself. However, the more quality time you invest into each element of your setup, chances are more likely to be recognized and appreciated by new and loyal customers.

Think about your brand and write down a few notes.

Communicate regularly with your customers and find out what keeps them coming back.

Various professional restaurant branding agencies can help you to understand and execute strategy accordingly, as it said “A good plan is a half job done” so we wish you all the best for your restaurant branding.

 

 

Author: Anush Malik

Being a strategist’s head and a long term visionary personality aims to achieve excellence in branding, packaging and digital marketing field. My 15 years of design experience and masters degree ais my strength which keeps me motivated and keep me going positively. I have participated in extensive branding design conquests in India, USA, Australia and New Zealand with winning zeal. My objective is to encourage start-ups and hence involves actively in the articles which will act as a productive intake of knowledge for them. Do connect me personally via my LinkedIn and I love to share my expertise with you.