INSIGHT
Why is London such a strong incubator for creativity in hospitality?
With London residents numbering 8 million alone, and a year-round stream of tourists, many key trends emerge first in London. As one of the most diverse food cultures in the world, and a highly competitive and dynamic market, even some global operators view London as offering an ideal test bed for proof of concept.
Control Room B at the Battersea Power Station, London
Double Standard Bar at the Central Hotel, London
The long and rich historical architecture that makes up most of London’s built environment, frequently require operators to navigate stringent planning permissions for heritage and listed buildings, which in turn becomes a spur for even greater creativity. Brands have to be inventive in adapting their concepts to the style and site specific architectural nuances and are less able to copy and paste. Control Room B is a brilliant example of this at the refurbished Battersea Power Station where it takes its design cues from the former control room in the Turbine Hall.
All of this makes London remarkable, not only with its sheer scale, but also its ability to fuse tradition and innovation. From Michelin-starred fine dining to vibrant street food markets, from long-established pubs to cutting-edge experiential concepts, London thrives on constant reinvention. It is this collision of cultures, tastes, and expectations that turns the capital into a living laboratory for hospitality, where new ideas are tested, refined, and often exported to the rest of the world.
Swiss Butter
A good example is Swiss Butter, where founder and CEO, Eddy Massaad saw London as providing the conditions for proof of concept for the West for the Middle East based brand. His view was that if it worked in London then it would green light the move into Europe and the USA. The consistent queues are testament to the success of the brand launch. We partnered with Eddy and his team to ensure the successful translation of the concept. In line with their ethos of consistency allied with sensitivity to the location, the signature elements of the concept remained constant, with a gentle ‘layering’ in of London influenced design elements.
Swiss Butter London, first location in Europe
Dishoom & Permit Room
With the UK hospitality market growing at a steady 3.5% annually (Restoworks Blog), driven in large part by London, with the sheer volume of operators and an appetite for newness, the competitive nature of the market drives creativity and innovation. Brands such as Dishoom, conscious of the need to test and try new iterations. The Permit Room in London’s Portobello has recognisable echoes of Dishoom, but with the emphasis on a more casual, guest led experience, it is a pivot that successfully and cleverly trades off the undoubted brand equity of Dishoom.
Permit Room, Dishoom London
Beyond London
Evidently there are innovators elsewhere in the UK, Nico Simeone’s Six Co in Glasgow, who are always experimenting and innovating with new concepts and ideas, and Adam and Drew Jones of Tattu, and Fenix in Manchester who are likewise trailblazing in their heartland.
Another recent example of a more radical brand reinvention is that of the Joe & the Juice’s House 11 launch in Copenhagen where the original brand identity is almost hidden, with only subtle nods to the signature pink, in coffee machines, dog bowls, and so on. The new concept is a wonderful extension of the brand, into a more 360 lifestyle brand experience, encompassing spa, gym and courtyard. It feels like a very purposeful evolution, much more elegant, refined, grown up, and sophisticated, and embraces more overtly the healthy lifestyles of their customers.
Joe & the Juice, House 11, Copenhagen
Healthy eating
The Restoworks Blog also references health consciousness, as a trend that is accelerating, with 40% of UK consumers now say healthy dining drives their decisions, and 65% of restaurants have expanded plant-based options in response to this trend.
It appears that brands that are responsive to this trend are well placed to command premium prices for high quality ingredients and healthy options.
Of course, this is not just a UK trend but a global one, with US based brands such as Sweetgreen, Pure Green, Oakberry, and Flower Child all fast growing healthy concepts, and some expanding globally such as Oakberry.
We are currently working with Kanteeny and launched their new branding, a healthy eating led concept with the first restaurant due to launch in Riyadh later this year. Health was a vital cornerstone for them as their youthful population are increasingly seeking out healthy options to align with their increasing focus on wellness.
Kanteeny, Riyadh: bold and vibrant new brand design by Caulder Moore
The importance of experiential dining
The report also highlights, especially with younger demographics, the importance they place on atmosphere, ambience and intriguing, engaging environments, spaces and experiences that they feel compelled to share. Delivering ‘value rich’ experiences, which are memorable and special, offer operators a chance to set themselves apart and create destination status, simply because they are unique.
Employing creative thinking to create emotionally resonant, sensorial, wrap around experiences where every element has been considered from sound, scent, tactility, is key to creating these multi sensorial experiences which, over time, create valuable brand equity.
La Mercerie in the Roman and Williams store in New York is a great example of this. A beautiful French eatery with long pale blue/green banquettes, open, busy bakery, and atmospheric Guild cocktail bar. Set within one of the most beautiful home stores we have visited, everything from the scalloped edged plates, traditional French washed linen tablecloths, to glassware, is for sale. Given the evident pulling power and destination of Roman & Williams, it is clear customers agree, that there is a huge, and increasing desire and appetite for these memorable, enchanting, immersive physical experiences.
La Mercerie Restaurant, Roman & Williams in New York
How does a brand scale successfully?
It is evident the high level of competition that generic formats simply don’t cut it any longer. Brands which are successful in the first place tend to be fuelled by a bold, singular vision that sets them apart, and fosters brand loyalty. Clearly, complacency and standing still, and rolling out the same concept, year after year, and site after site is a risky option when so many new operators continue to enter the market.
A degree of localisation can be influential in making a restaurant feel part of the fabric of the neighbourhood and create a sense of place. We are not suggesting wholesale brand reinvention in every location, but simply retaining the core identifiable brand signature elements, and adapting them to the individual architecture of the site. This is also a far more sustainable approach where one works with the existing features of the building to create something which feels more individual than cookie cut or generic.
All great brands continue to evolve in order to remain relevant, and to continue to delight and surprise their customers, ensuring loyalty of existing brand fans and winning new hearts and minds. A strategy of continual evolvement means the brand experience always feels fresh, current and relevant.
However, some brands leave it too long and too late, spending money implementing a concept that is already out of date.
Prezzo Italian rebrand
Sometimes though, more radical rebranding is required, as we have seen in the recent successful relaunch of Prezzo Italian.
The new team recognised that a few minor changes in design, branding, and menu was not going to be sufficient. Powered by a bold vision, it feels as if the brand is well placed to win back the hearts of relapsed customers and win new brand fans.
As CEO, James Brown quoted to Restaurant recently, “The excitement coming to this project was around the ability to have a reset moment in Prezzo’s history. Consumer habits have changed so dramatically that in order for a business to thrive you have to have a modern environment.”
Image credits: Prezzo Italian
New Prezzo Italian rebrand, London
How can Caulder Moore help you translate your brand vision into a successful 360-degree articulation?
The starting point is to establish what is going to be genuinely distinctive and unique about your offer, to possess a clear vision about what is going to set you apart and why customers should come to you. The narrower and ‘sharper’ this vision is the greater the chance for cut through and impact. Our mantra is ‘sharpen the focus broaden the appeal’.
This sharp focus will then be articulated as a brand experience, across all brand touchpoints, with attention not just paid to top line considerations such as brand identity, and interior environments, but to the small, memorable details, the plates, the glassware, the uniforms, menus and even the matchbooks.
A great example is the tiny cleaver that Flat Iron give out as a token for customers to exchange for ice cream, which just creates a fun, thoughtful human touch. Their signature cleavers even have their own Instagram page, to buy.
So, knowing who you are, who you are for, and then executing this vision across all your touchpoints with creativity, imagination, and even, on occasion, a slice of humour and whimsy can all play an essential role in building your brand, and winning the loyalty and love of customers.