Food as simply a fuel is a bygone concept, thank goodness! Innovative eateries and fast food and beverage offers continue to drive footfall right across the leisure and retail economy.
From museums to garden centres, shopping malls to airports, our love of food and drink is helping to reinvigorate our high streets and differentiate a diverse range of destinations thanks to enticing hospitality collaborations.
Of course, there are plenty of challenges and bad news stories in the restaurant and food and beverage (F&B) arena today. But with eating and drinking out worth over £60 billion a year in the UK, good operators will always survive as long as they can deliver the right concept in the right location.
A great example of getting it right is the award winning Dishoom restaurant.
It’s a particular favourite of ours here at Innovare Design and so I was very interested to read a recent article about them on LinkedIn.
This pioneering Indian restaurant has a cult following and if you are lucky enough to have eaten at one of their sites – they have 5 in London and one in Edinburgh – you will understand why.
Eating there is a delight and a great example of an immersive and memorable experience that many in the sector can learn from. At the heart of their success is an authentic, honest passion for what they are doing and from this stems their three core strategic pillars of creativity, complexity and culture.
“You should only tell brand stories if you genuinely care about that story and believe in it” Shamil Thakrar, cofounder, Dishoom
Dishoom have succeeded where others fail because they genuinely care about the quality of the experience and have a clear vision of their brand culture. They have learnt that rather than being over-focused on reducing costs to increase revenues, they have done better by focussing on great food, great service and great brand storytelling through every detail of their restaurant.
It’s a superb case study and one that chimes with our own experience designing for the food and beverage sector. Designing the ‘experience’ for our F&B clients starts by investing in the brand personality and brand promise. And only when we have uncovered the genuine heart of the brand can the design work and brand storytelling begin.
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