Restaurants Update Designs for Delivery

The growing popularity of delivery and takeout is changing the look of units

Restaurant delivery and takeout business has grown significantly. Delivery now represents 1.7 billion annual foodservice visits, according to The NPD Group, and, as of April 2017, a quarter of surveyed U.S. consumers said they had ordered delivery in the past three months.

“Takeout and delivery are booming, with no end in sight,” said Tré Musco, president and chief creative officer of the San Francisco-based design firm Tesser, which has worked with Chili’s Grill & Bar, Papa Murphy’s and Wendy’s.

While a range of restaurants are creating dedicated takeout areas, each case needs to be considered individually.

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Noah’s Pulls the Wraps Off Redesign

New Oakland, Calif., location streamlines order and pay, offers coffee and tea on tap

Noah’s New York Bagels has officially pulled the wraps off its first new restaurant in several years, providing a blueprint for new units and design elements for an ongoing remodeling program, president Tyler Ricks said. Noah’s, a division of JAB Holding Co.’s Einstein Noah Restaurant Group, opened the new 2,300-square-foot restaurant in Oakland, Calif., and introduced such new elements as a tap coffee and tea system and modernized colors. Noah’s also streamlined operations by introducing a new customer flow and payment format. 

“We have implemented a pay-first flow to our stores,” Ricks told Nation’s Restaurant News. “We used to have a terminal for ordering and a terminal for payment.”

“We’d only opened five new stores in 20 years for Noah’s, and now we’ll do five new stores and 15 remodels in one year,” he said. “This is a tremendously exciting time for the Noah’s brand.”

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Chuck E. Cheese’s Unveils Fresh New Design

Chuck E. Cheese’s recently partnered with San Francisco-based design firm Tesser to remodel several of its flagship stores with a focus on fresh food and fun for the whole family. The new design highlights the pizza-making process and introduces more of a restaurant atmosphere for mom and dad, while still featuring the fun and games that has made Chuck E. Cheese’s the place where a kid can be a kid for more than 40 years.

“We’re excited to partner with Tesser to remodel several of our iconic stores,” says Michael Hartman, CMO of Chuck E. Cheese’s. “We’re continually evolving our offerings to remain relevant and fun for the next generation of parents and families—most recently with a full menu refresh and rollout of an eco-friendly cleaning system—so this remodel was a natural next step.”

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Supermarkets, C-Stores Use Design to Erase the Line Between Retail and Dining

Supermarkets and c-stores looking to get in on the dining game can build on some key elements of restaurant design to create a dining experience customers will seek out. At the NRA Show’s Foodservice @ Retail Summit in Chicago, two leading voices in the grocerant design world, Juan Romero of aPI, a design firm, and Tré Musco of Tesser, a brand strategy design firm, presented on the topic. Nicolas Granucci of Ecolab moderated the session.

Romero and Musco shared important design ideas and details to know if you’re looking to make your supermarket or c-store a destination where customers feel welcome to stay, dine and enjoy.

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New Designs Change What Customers Think of You

Lead with Change
“Convenience store and supermarket customers will think of you the same way they always have - unless you break the gravitational pull of familiarity,” says Tré Musco, CEO and Chief Creative Officer, Tesser. “Lead with the new grocerant experience, whether it’s a freshly tossed salad at a gas station or a welcoming vibe at a grocery.

“Be bold. Shake up customers a lot,” he adds. “It feels uncomfortable, but I think it’s a good thing.  You may benefit from being more different than more similar to your overall retail format.”

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Bojangles’ New Redesign Includes a ‘Biscuit Theater’

It’s been about 10 years since Bojangles’ last major change to its store design prototype.

Now, as the quick-service chicken and biscuits brand pushes 700 units, it is positioning itself for future growth, and that includes a significant update to the prototype, including a new biscuit theater that allows customers to get a view of the restaurant’s baking process. 

“It was a big part of our overall strategy to not just have a new building, but to have something that would reflect our heritage and be new and modern.” 
– Randy Icard, Vice President of Construction and Development, Bojangles’ Restaurants, Inc

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Quiznos Re-Branding With Two Concepts

Quiznos is collaborating with Tesser, a San Francisco-area branding and design firm, to revitalize its brand with two new concepts, from menus to design. Twenty Denver locations are serving as test labs, according to a company press release.

Quiznos’ objective is to revitalize the brand by using new brand positioning, new product innovation, improved customer service and a new guest experience. To do this it pursued two different paths simultaneously, creating two different programs to support best-in-class food concepts. The first drives the core business forward, while the second is a fast casual “lab” concept. Tesser helped Quiznos achieve record-setting growth from 2000 to 2010. Tesser worked closely with Quiznos to develop new brand positioning, which drove the development of the two concepts. 

To build two distinct platforms for Quiznos customers, Tesser and the Quiznos focused on emotional and product platforms for each concept. The result is”toasteria” for the core brand and “grill” for the new fast casual entry, both of which will serve as test labs to refine the brand and grow its core and millennial audience. 

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Popeyes Reveals New Look For International Restaurants

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen has a new restaurant prototype for international locations that will attempt to spread a little zydeco spice around the world.

On Friday the chain opened its 2,500th restaurant globally, which was in Hatillo, Puerto Rico — its second unit built with the new international design. The first opened in Costa Rica earlier this year.

Dick Lynch, Popeyes’ chief brand officer, said the redesign represents a commitment...

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The Engine Driving Restaurant Design

Millennials seek authenticity in food and beverage, but that mentality expands to furniture and interiors, as well.

Restaurant design trends come and go, pushing beyond sculptural accents or geometric fixtures. Last year, communal tables were all the rage. Before that, the Edison bulb had its time to shine. This year, inspired by the revitalization of urban areas, industrial-inspired looks continue to grow.

Today, a restaurant’s interior is often as evaluated as its food, facilitated by the rise of social media, review websites, and countless food blogs that let customers view….  

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Ben & Jerry’s Opening Flagship Store in Brazil

On Sept. 28, Ben & Jerry’s will open a new flagship store in São Paulo, Brazil. The store was designed by San Francisco firm Tesser and is two stories, marking the brand’s largest location in the world.

Tesser also spearheaded redesigns of Wendy’s, Papa Murphy’s and other brands. The company worked closely with Ellen Kresky, global creativity director, and architect Miguel Goes AD to make the shop come to life, Christopher Null, Tesser’s environmental designer, said in a news release.

The 3,000 square-foot, two-story property is located on upscale Rua Oscar Freire. It features cubist architecture influences, a large open showcase storefront with glass accordion doors and a “Milky Wave,” or milk-bottle chandelier. 

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