Strategies that actually Deliver
“It’s been a great success: The restaurant has been packed from the beginning, and we’ve done little marketing beyond the mall signage and awnings, and the website, from which we’ve received hundreds of calls.”
Global Market
Restaurant entrepreneur Pat Woodring and renowned chef Scott Foster were launching an upscale restaurant in Rochester, Minnesota. The duo had previously partnered to open popular Minneapolis-St. Paul eateries Woody’s Grille, Redstone American Grill, Joey Nova’s and the Hazellewood Grill & Tap Room.
This new market was a unique undertaking for Woodring; as the home of the Mayo Clinic, Rochester enjoys a smaller yet more diverse population than the Twin Cities. Because of this unique blending of palates, the restaurant and branding system needed to be sophisticated enough to entertain international visitors, while remaining friendly and approachable to Midwesterners.
A la Carte Experience
“We had determined our market, had a great location, and had developed an interior design concept we really liked. What we needed next was a branding system that would engage our market and complement the interior look and feel of the restaurant,” says Pat Woodring.
“Working with Dan West was great. He was very professional and walked us through a terrific process. He’s soft-spoken, but has the courage of his convictions, and was very persistent in pushing for high standards,” says Woodring. “Now I won’t talk to anyone – advertising, marketing – without telling them to run their ideas through Dan. He’s our ‘Keeper of the Brand.’ In short, in all my years in the restaurant business, this is easily the best brand rollout I’ve ever seen. Bar none.”
International Appeal
Drawing customers into its inviting atmosphere was the key to the restaurant’s success. Westwerk fused a warm, neutral color palette with unexpected patterns and splashes of color
palette with unexpected patterns and splashes of color to give the brand a unique look.
Woodring and Foster wanted guests at Chester’s to have a friendly, comfortable dining experience. Working in close collaboration with the interior designer, Westwerk developed a cohesive branding system, including logos, signage and collateral materials, to project a welcoming atmosphere that integrates seamlessly with the muted tones, dark wood and upscale feel of the restaurant.
Two simple logotypes were created: the formal, upscale “Chester’s kitchen & bar” and a secondary, more casual identity for lunchtime menus and other less formal applications.
Westwerk also designed a clean, easy-to-navigate website to mirror the dark wood and soft color palette of the restaurant’s interior. This attention to detail ensures customers understand the quality of Chester’s restaurant when they visit the homepage.
Woodring describes his team’s experience with Westwerk Design as extremely positive. “Our New York interior designer, who has 25 years of experience, was so impressed with Dan that when new issues came up, he’d just say ‘Let Dan take care of it. I trust him.’ That’s a first.”
