Hospitality study case: how to use concept menus
We have more than 2 years of working with Iris Délice. We’ve posted them on our portfolio page and we’re constantly bragging about them on our Social Media platforms since we’re so in love with this project. Peter Schuller, the owner of Iris Délice is the Romanian version of Cédric Grolet, the famous french patiseur.
A little bit of history
We started working with Peter when Iris Délice was in the first year of activity. The business was going quite well but it seemed the Romanian market wasn’t ready or fully conscious about the innovation in pastry, inspired by the French cuisine, brought by Peter. On the other hand, Alexandra, with her experience in gastronomy, fell deeply in love with the perfect combinations of textures (and especially with the bitter-sweet taste of the lemon tart) and saw immediately there is plenty of potential there. During a random talk at Let’s Coffee (the coffee shop where Alexandra and Peter still drink their magic potion almost everyday), they decided to give it a try and work together on this project.
Things were looking like this (before):
20% changes, 80% results
Alexandra knew from the beginning that the branding strategy was lacking and the communication part was the weak point of Iris Délice. The name was good enough to keep it but the brand was in need of a strong facelift. With her strategy wand, she decided to:
Find a positioning suited for the Romanian market;
Set up the proper tone of voice;
In terms of visuals:
Simplify the logo;
Change the colors palette;
Change the fonts;
Eliminate decorations;
Eliminate other types of imagery and let the exquisite product shine;
Improve the photography;
Develop concept menus;
And we got to this point (after), screenshot from our Instagram layout:
First conceptual menu
There are plenty of ways to develop a menu in the hospitality industry but we choose to go in a direction where everything is aligned: the idea, the form, and the function. Since our new storyline was that Iris Délice brings „something different” to the Romanian market, we wanted to connect that idea with the people taking part in the innovation matter of the society by doing „something different” for real: artists. We wanted to incorporate works of art into our little works of gastronomy-art. The history of incorporating art into other fields is filled with bad, commercial examples and we knew this could be our start or our shut down button.
The first conceptual menu was dedicated to the Suprematism movement because the brand aligned with the philosophy behind this famous concept. We found Iris Délice in the ethos of pure feelings and in the pioneering that Malevich (maybe a famous white surface with a big black square painting sounds familiar to you) did during the period he dedicated to abstract art.
We worked with the product team in developing the best product design they could get and by this moment we started to work with David Stroe (or colleague) for the design of our menu and brand level-up. Check this document for further references.
Screenshot from our Instagram layout:
Second conceptual menu
Since the first menu developed to be a complete success, we moved the story even further but we felt the need to simplify things a bit. We wanted to get back to the basics. After a few sessions of brainstorming, we came to the idea of silent contemplation - a state of mind we all desire from time to time. We wanted to make Iris Délice customers think about these kinds of moments and hunt them as much as they can. That is the exact reason we eliminated the decorations and any "noise" that could distract from the taste. Check this document for further references.
Screenshot from our Instagram layout:
And here we are, our third conceptual menu
After going through two concepts from the history of international art, we wanted to return home, to our roots, here in Cluj-Napoca. We began to look around and look for a visual system that resonated with what we had already built. And who could be more suitable in this whole context than the well-known artist Radu Comșa?
For those of you who are curious about local creators, RADU COMŞA (b. 1975) lives and works in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. What you need to know about him is that he is one of the most famous artists in the Transylvanian area and his works have been exhibited, among others, at the Arken Museum in Copenhagen; Ujazdowski Castle Center for Contemporary Art, Warsaw; Műcsarnok | Kunsthalle, Budapest; Marianne Boesky, New York; Peles Empire, London; Trafó Gallery, Budapest; Gaudel de Stampa, Paris; Space A, Pistoia; Lucie Fontaine, Milan & Bali; Prague Biennale & Timișoara Biennial. At the moment, it is represented by two international galleries: SABOT Gallery (RO / Cluj-Napoca) and Emmanuel Hervé Gallery (FR / Paris and Marseille).
We wanted to meet the criteria of aesthetics and location and, although the idea of working with Radu for a menu was anything but new, one needs the perfect place and timing. Peter and Alexandra were having coffee at Let’s Coffee (see the pattern?) and were discussing ideas for the new menu, in the middle of a creative blockage, at which point Radu arrived on his bike to join us in our endeavor of enjoying yet another cup of specialty coffee. Through an absolutely perfect fit, the plans intertwined and what you see below is the result of their vision. Life knows how to arrange stuff, doesn’t it?
The result: edible pieces of arts and a project we’re deeply proud of.
Check out this document for full pictures & details.
The team that worked on this amazing menu:
Iris Délice: Peter Schuller, Alexandru Szabo, Kristina Balint, Emöke Bodor
Brand management: Alexandra Crăciun
Art director: Radu Comșa
Design and photo manipulation: David Stroe;
Prints: Radu Măhăleanu
Photography: Vizaknai David
Editing: Ioana Trușcan, Alina Stanca
