The Meat Cleaver: Premium Bistro for Wall Street
Situation: Creating Brand Identity for Premium American Bistro
When Mike Yaris decided to launch a Premium American Bistro in lower Manhattan, he knew he had to start with a robust brand strategy and visual language that would set the tone of his bistro restaurant and tell the right brand story to the young financial wizards of Wall Street—his target market.
Mike is a chef extraordinaire having worked in the best steakhouses in New York since 2005. He has mastered the skill of a great steak and wants to take this skill and offer a relaxed and friendly place for the stressful Wall Street workers to chow down on a juicy steak or spicy chicken skewers.
The Manhattan restaurant market is competitive, requiring brands that communicate quality, professionalism, and unique positioning. The Meat Cleaver needed a brand identity that would appeal to Wall Street professionals while communicating premium quality and relaxed atmosphere.
Task: Create Brand for Financial Professionals
The challenge required:
- Brand strategy: Robust brand strategy and visual language
- Target audience: Brand that connects with young financial wizards of Wall Street
- Premium positioning: Visual identity that communicates premium American bistro
- Relaxed atmosphere: Brand that communicates relaxed and friendly place
- Modern bistro: Logo design that hints at bistro not ancient steakhouse
Action: Strategic Brand Development
Brand Strategy: Connecting with Wall Street
We worked with Mike to fine-tune and distill the brand story and the positioning strategy so that the messaging was right on target and connects with the target audience. We also established the overall tone of the visual elements as well as the messaging, ensuring that every element would appeal to busy Wall Street professionals who need a relaxed, friendly place to enjoy quality food.
Logo Design: Modern Bistro Meets Classic Steakhouse
We created a logo design that is simple, elegant, and sophisticated. We wanted to hint that this was a bistro and not an ancient steakhouse—there are plenty of them around New York City. The logo is a little untraditional and does not have a boundary although it looks like an emblem. We decided not to enclose the logo in a circle of any sort.
At the top of this bistro logo design, you see the slogan “Premium American Bistro”. Below that is the brand mark or icon of two crossed meat cleavers with 3 stars on top. Below the icons is the name of the bistro “Meat Cleaver” in a whimsical, fun, and vintage-looking typographic treatment followed by Manhattan in a bold font. Below that is “2014” and below that is “Breakfast & Dinner”.
Complete Brand Identity System
The logo is quite stunning when superimposed on dark backgrounds and creates an awesome tie-in with the bistro name and the tone that it wants to set. We also extended this branding to the bistro menu, coasters, napkins, letterheads, and more, creating a cohesive brand experience that reinforces the premium yet relaxed positioning.
Result: Brand Identity That Appeals to Wall Street
The brand identity we created for The Meat Cleaver successfully positions it as a premium American bistro. The comprehensive brand transformation delivers:
Strategic Outcomes
- Brand strategy: Robust brand strategy and visual language successfully created
- Target audience: Brand successfully connects with young financial wizards of Wall Street
- Premium positioning: Visual identity successfully communicates premium American bistro
- Relaxed atmosphere: Brand successfully communicates relaxed and friendly place
- Modern bistro: Logo design successfully hints at bistro not ancient steakhouse
- Complete brand system: Logo design, brand identity system, menu, coasters, napkins, letterheads create unified experience
Implementation Success
Today, The Meat Cleaver uses this comprehensive brand identity to attract Wall Street professionals who want quality steaks and chicken skewers in a relaxed atmosphere. The sophisticated logo design communicates quality and professionalism while the whimsical typography and relaxed atmosphere create a welcoming environment for busy financial workers who need a place to unwind with great food. The brand successfully positions The Meat Cleaver as a premium American bistro that appeals to Wall Street professionals, with free high-speed internet and free beer with meals, plus takeout and office delivery options that fit their busy schedules, with brand identity that sets the tone of the bistro restaurant and tells the right brand story to the young financial wizards of Wall Street.
