Tikka Shack Launch Marketing Campaign
For the launch of every successful new restaurant, there is a successful restaurant marketing plan. We love finding on-brand ways to bring a new biz to life, especially when there’s food involved. Restaurant marketing for the win!
In the spring of 2016, our existing clients at Masala Wok expanded their footprint in the world of Indian cuisine with a new Indian food concept called Tikka Shack. Locally owned in Lubbock, Texas, Tikka Shack is founded on a fun, easy-order approach to Indian cuisine—and, man, is it gooood.
The menu features street-food starters, slow-crafted Indian staples, and a full offering of sides, drinks, and desserts. The idea was to convert “naan newbies” into “curry connoisseurs” by making the menu easy to understand. In addition to their step-by-step ordering process, the restaurant also offers an extensive list of build-your-own bowls, kabobs, and kid-friendly meals. All dishes are made with the freshest ingredients, prepared daily, and infused with a blend of spices to delight the palate.
When we originally met with Masala Wok’s founder about the new concept, we were stoked. He was essentially opening up the Chipotle of Indian food, and he was open to backing it with a cheeky, inviting brand.
We got to work creating a catchy name that would resonate with his target market while working well in application. We then worked up a visual exploration of the store and mocked up the interior branding prior to the build-out. We selected restaurant interior finishes for all surfaces, addressed wayfinding, and created a flow that would drive customers through menu selection. The finishes brought in a modern, industrial feel, and the open counter space invited guests to enjoy the space.
No element of the new restaurant marketing was overlooked, as we worked with Tikka Shack to weave their uniquely hip approach through the entire customer experience. The store is cleverly outfitted with one-of-a-kind wall installations and floor designs, and welcomes diners in with a proverbial smile.
To bring the brand to life, we created a brand voice that is witty, current, and on-trend. We also addressed the look of the brand by setting guidelines for images, fonts, and photography. All of the food was staged and photographed by Nice Branding Agency to ensure that the photos aligned with the visual brand direction, and these photos were used in the website design, printed materials, menu boards, and social media posts, among other things. The food photography made a huge impact and is something we recommend for all restaurants.
We crafted staff apparel emblazoned with mantras such as “This is Naan Nation.” The phrase was given legs with a hashtag #ThisIsNaanNation and a social like and follow campaign centered around the hashtag. We also sought to educate diners about more obscure Indian dishes, so we created staff shirts that featured dish definitions for items such as paneer and chole masala.
Having designed a super-cool space, we were tasked with the job of getting people there. If you build it, they will come. Right? Well, it’s not quite that simple (luckily for us).
