Country Base: USA
Industry/Sector/Keywords: Restaurants and Fast Foods, Casual Dining, Beverages, Beer
Below: Before and After Images in Slide Show, Summary, Credits
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Old Chicago – www.rebrand.com/old-chicago-images
Industry Setting
Founded in 1976, Old Chicago is a casual dining restaurant that features Chicago-style pizzas, pasta and over 110 craft beers which became part of their World Beer Tour loyalty program. Its name came from a 70’s-era pinball machine complete with pictures of gangsters and their “dolls.”
Challenge
With a heavy emphasis on the bar, the brand became more known for its World Beer Tour than its menu offerings. Think Norm from Cheers. And the more money that was made in the bar, the less money that was invested in the dining area. Along with new ownership came a new focus on the dining area and having a more balanced revenue mix
Strategy
So instead of Norm from Cheers, we wanted to create a place that represented more of a Mario Batali from “Eataly.”
The new brand features a heavy Chicago-design influence complete with the four stars from their city flag to the convergence of its three rivers represented in some of its city works items, to the iron found under the L (elevated train). All of this came to represent the hardiness, sensibilities, spirit and big heart of the midwest. We also changed the tagline from “110 Brews, Pizza & Pasta” to “Pizza & Taproom” to elevate the stated experience.
To further advance Old Chicago’s position in the casual dining space, we developed a photography style that included food, lifestyle and action shots. By focusing more on a culinary approach to visuals, we were able to elevate the presence of the food and reveal the handcrafted process that occurs behind the scenes.
Result
We handled all rebranding touchpoints from new logo to menus to in-restaurant marketing to the look and feel of the restaurant. When the first complete remodel came together in Edina, Minnesota, sales during the first month were up 22% over the year prior.
Client: Old Chicago – Craftworks Restaurant and Breweries Inc – www.oldchicago.com
Brand Strategists/Designers: Push – www.pushhere.com
Lead Strategy: John Ludwig
Chief Creative Officer: Mark Unger
Chief Brand Officer: Chris Robb
Creative Director: Ron Boucher
Associate Creative Director: Kevin Harrell
Photography: Stephen Hone
Production:
Joe Ciaramella
Jordan Damato
