Old San Luis Barbecue
Transforming a modern craving into a brand marinated in culture and tradition. .
The Client
Old San Luis BBQ is a Central Coast treasure that has become a beloved eatery by locals and tourists alike thanks to its delicious Santa Maria-style barbecue.
The Challenge
When the food is great, word travels fast. Due to the popularity of the Santa Maria-style sandwiches, Old San Luis BBQ has grown and is expanding. This brought the need to rebrand and refine the brand’s strategy, but was also met by the challenge of a geographically-based name and logo. The brand needed to expand and extend beyond these constraints.
The Strategy
Strategically, we need the brand to focus less on the literal geography, which is inherent to the Santa Maria-style of their product. We needed the brand bring clarity to the lifestyle that the style of barbecue encompasses. This meant taking the brand back to its origins of rancheros on the Central Coast where cowboys would gather around the open fire, to share stories and food. This heritage has become the core of the brand and reflects the community the brand has brought together today.
The Design
The visual design needs to capture this rancher aesthetic without leaning into cowboy clichés or becoming too rustic. It still has to resonate with today’s audience and excite them to gather around the fire. Through select textures, colors, and nuances, the design gives a nod to tradition and the rancher lifestyle while maintaining a modern appeal for all ages.
The Creative Solution*
To bring to life the tradition of Santa Maria-style barbecue in a brand meant to scale and embrace the category of cuisine as well as the roots of the style, this aims to creatively merge the familiar acronym of BBQ with the literal branding ranchers do with cattle. This captures the category that the audience desires while providing a clever aesthetic that aligns with the heritage and lifestyle of Santa Maria-style barbecue. Strategically, this gives the restaurant its own insignia for "BBQ” that can serve as a beacon. It removes the need for the brand to focus on a specific meat or industry clichés but still addresses the desire for a delicious BBQ.
The Results
A successful rebranding that fed the fire of the company for its future growth and reignited the excitement in their community. This strategy not only empowered the brand to capture more of the value it creates for BBQ-lovers, but also enabled it to own its mark, boldly signaling BBQ, and to blend the association, transforming it into a synonymous brand that encourages all to gather around the fire.
*Learn more why our solutions drive results.
