As one of the premier restaurateurs in Texas, Chef Tai is a man in constant motion. His team sought to open a new concept in South College Station where he would serve his favorite expressions of familiar American dishes.
Thus Urban Table, New American Kitchen was born.
Thus Urban Table, New American Kitchen was born.
Problems/Goals
Chef Tai needed a brand delivery system for his new restaurant, Urban Table, with accompanying interior designs, graphics sets, custom design pieces, menus, signage, etc. He wanted the restaurant aesthetics to match the quality of the culinary experience itself. We were committed to matching his vision and worked with his interior designer to make sure our design didn’t work at cross purposes with other voices in the discussion.
Proposed Solution
We started with a full day’s worth of discovery to unearth core identity and values that will guide the entire process. The Urban Table leadership team was fantastic during this process and we quickly got to the heart of the restaurant. We agreed the brand needed to present as progressive, refined, approachable, sincere, imaginative and graceful. Chef Tai and his staff needed our design work to hit these marks. We quickly launched ‘coming soon’ website to generate local buzz and begin to entice the patrons who would soon become his regulars.
Concept/Process
We followed our usual process, presented concepts, and polished the designed assets as we took the Urban Table’s notes back to our workshop. Menus are always the difficult part of restaurant design; even though the food itself is the true value of any restaurant, suppliers/distributors seem to fluctuate and menus change quite frequently. That first batch of menus takes a little while to hammer out – the kitchen staff has to be on board and trained to prepare entrees according to Chef Tai’s exacting standards. The Urban Table staff was busy getting the staff trained and ingredients sourced, so we tackled other design assets as the menu solidified.
Response/Results
Urban Table launched on April 12, 2019. The grand opening was epic. The cuisine never disappoints, and the patrons keep lining up. The upstairs bar area with elevated outdoor patio seating is particularly nice. Our agencies (Fidelis Creative & High Octane Marketing) office next door – in the same building – so we make sure we’re tasting everything that comes out of the kitchen. Stop by Urban Table and check out their excellent menu and then stop into Fidelis to say hello! You can read more about Chef Tai here.
