The Breaux Bridge Branding Experience
There are life moments when your past plays out in your current life. This project was one of them. neonFROG was approached by one of the owners of a new Cajun-Asian Fusion restaurant to help develop a name and branding. Immediately, the team went into overdrive mode as the restaurant opening was scheduled for less than two months from their initial conversation. Five names and branding concepts were developed for review. The name Breaux Bridge was chosen. Here is how the name and concept were created in what has now become three restaurants located in Columbus, Meridian, and Jackson.
Name
Breaux Bridge was more than just a random choice. It perfectly bridges the two unique cooking styles of this seafood-based restaurant. For those unfamiliar, Breaux Bridge is a real place in Louisiana known as the World’s Crawfish Capital. The name reflects the Cajun part of the restaurant and symbolizes the bridge between the two cooking styles, adding a unique touch to the restaurant’s identity.
Logo
The logo needed to convey the seafood-based menu, so a giant claw was chosen for the mark with Breaux Bridge written in an informal text style to convey the restaurant’s relaxed style.
Color Scheme
Vibrant red and white were chosen to emphasize the restaurant’s seafood nature. This color immediately greets you at the front door and is echoed throughout the interior design, signage, and print menu pieces.
Typography
Typography continues to be used in essential ways on signage and print collateral in the restaurant and its advertising. It is bold and playful and incorporates a hand-drawn look to add a touch of authenticity and warmth. Secondary fonts were also created and styled to be used in smaller type styles in menus and other printed materials within the restaurant.
Branding Collateral
Menus, signage, and promotional materials feature bold seafood graphics and capture the restaurant’s spirit. The restaurant calls its guests Breauxs (pronounced bro) on much of its social media. All elements are developed on classic brown paper, which was used to wrap seafood in the past and placed on the tables when someone dines there. All the internal and external branding uses red, white, and black to create a cohesive look for newcomers and restaurant regulars.
Online Presence
neonFROG created a robust online presence through a visually appealing website and active social media profiles. We provide behind-the-scenes kitchen glimpses, spotlight fresh seafood, and engage with customers through contests and interactive content. They also actively use User-Generated Content (USG) to show the community and restaurant regulars enjoying their meal at the location.
Ambiance
The interior design of each restaurant is unique to the location. All three locations have opened in buildings that were large, failed chain restaurants and brought new life to these abandoned spaces. It is suggested that Zydeco music fill the air to make the location lively and inviting; everything from beachy seafood vibes to classic Cajun stylings is used in the restaurants, which include murals created by local artists, paper-covered tables to dine on, eclectic lighting, and even a jeep that has been cut in half and attached to the wall in two locations and a stage for live music and crowd favorite karaoke in another area. Each restaurant uniquely embraces the Cajan Atmosphere as well as local community styles.
Advertisement
Both traditional and nontraditional media were used during each location’s opening. Radio commercials utilizing a Cajun dialect were used at each location during the early opening process. Social media continues to be a vital form of promotion and connection to customers daily. Ads have been utilized on Facebook and Instagram both during the opening and throughout the location’s history. Billboards have served as deliciously visible reminders of what you may have just passed but have yet to stop for.
By infusing the branding with elements that celebrate the unique cultural heritage of Breaux Bridge, neonFROG could help the restaurant stand out and attract both locals and tourists alike. The first location was in Columbus, but two more locations have opened (even amid COVID-19) in Jackson and Meridian. Serving as the brand voice on social media, including handling brand reputation through responding to online complaints and compliments, is part of the neonFROG daily responsibilities. Growing all social media accounts from zero to at least 7,500 in each market, with the Columbus location boasting over 11,000 followers, has been an exciting effort. Crisis communication and branding ambiguity issues were addressed several times in each area. The Jackson location changed names three times before finally adopting the parent name of Breaux Bridge.
At the beginning of this, we alluded to the fact that this was one of those life-like moments, almost déjà vu. Our owner grew up on the Gulf Coast and passed by the exit for Breaux Bridge hundreds of times on the way to and from her grandparents’ homes. After the owners selected this name, she decided she had to take that exit and visit the place we helped name a restaurant after. So, in 2023, she decided to go to the annual Crawfish Festival and experience the town at its most packed time. She was not disappointed and returned, full of crawfish, to Columbus.