The Best-Laid Plans of Brands and BBQ

Having an eye for detail is critical for any brand reboot. So, when Famous Dave’s came to us for a fresh direction, the devil was in making every detail matter. Our focus was on appealing to the younger generations and creating a hip “instamgramable” hang out spot with a farmhouse vibe.

Barbeque is in a class of its own, both culinarily as well as aesthetically. So, to spice up the space, we removed walls, opened ceilings, and got funky with the lighting. To balance the light that removing walls brought into the space, we burnished the concrete floors with a charcoal finish and whitewashed the reclaimed-wood wall panels. The fireplace was re-clad with distressed white brick with stacks of firewood flanking it on both sides.

Custom smoker-lid wall sconces and rustic wood planters gave some zing to the interior that make it unmistakably Dave’s. We even wove some historical Dave-ness into the space by adding a life-sized photo of him to greet diners at the entrance and kept the bright red entry doors.

The bar area was “hipstered” with a new copper top bar.  Community tables and banquette seating were added to encourage diners to hang out and watch the game – and have that energy transmit through to the dining areas (we created some open air windows to do this so that it didn’t overwhelm the diners).

All these details turned Dave’s dated interiors into as visually rich a space as the sauces on the table are tasty.

Working with brands can often turn into a balance between vision and budget, as was the case with these this client of ours. Though some of the ideas we came up with eventually translated into their final designs, sadly, unit economics meant this Nvironment work didn’t move past the rendering stage.

However, Famous Dave’s has continued to grow and expand their footprint due to their already popular delivery, creation of ghost kitchens and some smaller footprint locations.  Let there be sauce!

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