THE PROBLEM:
In 2013 Denny’s tasked us with combining two of their existing subconcepts into one hip, relevant brand. The new concept needed to be innovative enough to bring in Millennial guests and have longevity for the incoming Gen Z crowd. We were also given the challenge of marketing an “on-the-go” restaurant to a customer who only saw the classic brand as a sit-down concept.

THE SOLUTION:
Starting from scratch, we created the name “The Den.” The name is not only a shortened version of “Denny’s” that links to the brand heritage, but also conjures that eclectic, a tad exclusive-yet-casual, room in a house. From this we developed the brand personality — the place to meet friends, hatch plans and tell jokes. It’s where man-cave chic meets uber comfort zone. It’s as comfortable as your dad’s old recliner and as unique as his humor. We applied this personality to the logo creating a simple, clean graphic that borrowed a wink from the famous Denny’s French triangle and combined it with a classic sans serif marquee-style type. We identified the brand voice, typography, photography styles and color schemes linking to the brand personality and then applied them to the graphics. We created murals, custom wallpapers, framed posters, fixtures, traditional menu boards, digital menu boards and custom merchandiser units.

We then tackled the marketing — social media posts, website, limited time menu offers, events and flyers. With favorable customer reactions and support, the Den by Denny’s continues to flourish, while bringing excitement to the 60-year-old brand.