Capstone: Competitive Analysis
If you haven’t read my past blog post, What Is Capstone? I really recommend doing so. Some of the things I say in this post may be a little muddy, so I recommend referring back to that one if you would like more insight into what my senior Capstone project, JOL, will be like.
Then jumping into the design process, it's important to look at solutions and brand that are hitting your target demos and is doing similar things that you would want to do.
Mom’s Soul Food Kitchen & Catering
Mom’s Soul Food Kitchen & Catering is a local SOul food restaurant here in STL that specializes in southern classics and gives off a very mom-and-pop vibe by creating a tight-knit community of customers. My big takeaways from looking into this brand are:
- This Restaurant is due for an update. It's so rich in the culture of southern cooking, that it brings in a more distinguished crowd. That is great, but it is not the crowd or age group that I am really aiming for with JOL.
- The decor of Mom’s feels much like the name: mom’s house. Using somewhat normal and mundane decorations, it creates a very homey vibe. This makes a lot of sense because many call Soul Food their comfort food, and the look of the restaurant reflects that. For JOL, I want to create a community, but not through a “homey” aesthetic.
- What I love about this place is how you receive your food. By utilizing a Cafe style, you can pick out your size, your entree, and your sides. This creates a customizable plate and gives a chance for everyone to enjoy something. This is a great flow to a modern and relaxed restaurant that I would like to implement into my project.
Seoul taco
Seoul Taco is a modern Korean/ Mexican Fusion restaurant that has a few locations around Missouri. They stand out amongst any restaurant that they are paired with due to their bold branding and their unique menu. While researching Seoul Taco, my key takeaways were:
- Seoul taco was recently rebranded within the past 5 years to so and its identity has changed to be even bolder and more memorable than it was before. They are definitely marketing toward a younger audience and they have built a community that helps identify the overall vibe of their restaurant. It would be a good idea for me to follow suit in this direction.
- They are not afraid to be a little touchy around the edges. SInge this is a more casual experience, they are not afraid to not be as refined as some sort of Michelin-star restaurant whether it is with the food, the decor, or the brand identity. I think taking this sort of unrefined approach will be helpful when creating the system for JOL.
- Much like Mom’s, the ordering system reinforces the idea that this is a fast-casual type of establishment. You get more chances to interact with others, you wouldn't need to uphold a certain kind of dress code, and it just makes for a fun atmosphere when you enter the building.
NUDO
NUDO is another fast-casual restaurant based in STL that specializes in ramen and pho while surrounding the diners with eclectic decor. They stood out to me because of their decor and the way they approach their identity system with interesting iconography and an illustrative style.
- I really love the way NUDO’s menu is laid out. It alludes to a lot of Japanese and comic influences through illustration and icons. The only thing I would love to see more of is some sort of UX/UI component to their online ordering.
- Their use of vibrant colors and posters in the restaurant makes for a very nostalgic feel that I would love to emulate in JOL.
- Even though their logo is simple and rather abstract. When the white is paired with the bright red, it created an iconic mark that I would like to do with JOL.
As I continue to work on my project, I will think back to this research as I think it will prove very helpful. Now that I understand how I would want the restaurant to look, how to order, and what the people inside might be like, I think I will be able to create a more successful system.
