The main issue for a restaurant or a coffee shop is to attract customers, then to keep them. To retain them, it is the quality of services that will play the biggest role. But to attract them, a completely different parameter will come into play: image. Whether it’s the sign, the shop front, the website or the social networks, the brand image of a restaurant or café must be well looked after. To do so, it is necessary to bet on a striking logo but also a coherent and original visual identity.
Your logo: your signature
Everything starts with the logo. Many restaurant professionals think they can do without it or botch it. However, the logo is the basis of all your communication. It is the first image that your potential customers will have of your establishment. If the logo is “cheap”, that is to say badly designed, giving an unprofessional image, they will pass by. And this is true even if it is an unpretentious brasserie or a neighborhood café. Customers are always looking for the best, regardless of their budget.
A professional and original image
Your logo should give a professional, even prestigious, image of your establishment. But also remain consistent with your brand image. There’s no need to overdo it: too much pomp and circumstance could drive customers away. It’s all about finding a balance that represents your signature. What differentiates your establishment from your competitors? What do you offer that is original? What is your story? What are your values? The answers to these questions constitute your brand image, which your logo should reflect.
For example, if you run a gluten-free Italian restaurant, your logo will need to stand out from other Italian restaurants to instantly attract your clientele: people with gluten intolerance who don’t want to go without pizza and pasta. If you run a cultural cafe with shelves full of books and regular concerts, your logo will need to bring out that special atmosphere. This is what we call the signature.
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A coherent visual identity that speaks to your customers
If your logo is your signature, it will not be enough to build the brand image of your restaurant or café. Your establishment must have a complete and coherent visual identity. Imagine an ultra modern logo and a rustic menu. Or a very colorful card while the business card brought with the bill is very sober. Customers may not understand what you are getting at. If they don’t recognize this blurred identity, they may quickly forget your establishment, even if the food was delicious. The visual identity must therefore be based on the logo, using the same colors, typography and symbols. It can be expanded, but must remain consistent with your logo.
Instinctively attract your customers
Also, your graphic designer will have to make sure that your visual identity speaks to your customers so that they are instinctively attracted to your establishment. For example, if you run a small burger joint near a high school and you want to attract high school students during their lunch break, your visual identity will have to emphasize several key points: tasty burgers at a low price (limited budget), quick service (sometimes short lunch break) and a trendy place where these students will enjoy spending time. The visual identity could be colorful, perhaps inspired by street art and evoking New York.
On the contrary, if it was a burger restaurant wishing to attract executives on their lunch break or in the evening, the visual identity will be more sober, more elegant to show that the place corresponds to their specific expectations.
Think about your image on the networks
When having your visual identity created by a professional graphic designer, you should not only take into account the traditional communication supports such as the sign, the flyers and the business cards. These last ones must be worked but you should not neglect the visuals intended for the networks either. Because the web occupies today a primordial place in the universe of the restoration.
When looking for a café or a restaurant to go to, the first reflex today is to take out one’s phone to search online for establishments nearby, in a given neighborhood or that serve such or such specialties.
Customized visuals
The image of your establishment on the networks will therefore be a criterion of choice, often decisive, for customers. To attract them, you will have to create custom visuals for the different networks (Tripadvisor, Yelp, Facebook, Instagram, etc.) that reflect your signature.
If you’re working with a home delivery service like UberEats, you’ll also need to think about impactful visuals to set you apart from other establishments.
An impactful and informative website
To attract your future customers via the internet, you’ll also need to have a striking and informative website created. One might think that being present on social networks is enough. But not all your potential customers are necessarily users. Moreover, it can be complicated to find the information you are looking for on a Facebook page or an Instagram account. A website allows you to access all the information (location, map, prices, vegetarian or vegan options, animations, etc.) in a few clicks or scrolls.
The question of referencing
And social network pages are rarely well referenced. If a potential customer types in “gluten-free Italian restaurant paris” and the establishment in our example doesn’t have a website, it’s unlikely that its Facebook or Instagram page will rank in the first page results.
Decline your visual identity
Your cafe or restaurant’s website won’t just need to be informative and well-referenced. It should also be striking to hold the attention of your potential customers and make them want to discover your establishment. For this, your visual identity will have to be declined on the site by a professional graphic designer who masters perfectly the web. Don’t forget to ask for a responsive website, that is to say, one that displays as well on a computer as on a mobile or tablet.
