SIMON

What’d we do? Create complete branded experience for Kerry Simon’s first signature restaurant/name, logo, uniforms, collateral

Restaurants, Bars AND the Kitchen Sink: A Kerry Simon Case Study

So, how’d we get mixed up in this kitchen? Sit tight and read on…

The Main Characters

Kerry Simon, the Chef with the long locks

Elizabeth Blau, the saavy restaurant consultant

A long-lost agent

The 1650 team

The Setting

Globe trotting from the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas to Los Angeles and now all over the world thanks to the Home Shopping Network (HSN).

The Conflict

Kerry Simon, an up-and-coming chef, and his business partner, Elizabeth Blau, wanted to break into what some might call a “saturated market,” Las Vegas. So, he looked to his old buddy Rob (they’d met a few years before through a shared agent…did we ever mention that Rob is a published author?) and 1650 to make the Kerry Simon name as fresh as his food.

Our challenge was twofold. First, we had to compete in a market full of top-notch, celebrity chefs, so establishing the Kerry Simon name and brand immediately was essential. Second, we knew that great food alone would not keep people coming in over and over again, so we set out to define a true culinary experience.

The Resolution

So, we started with a focus on Kerry and worked to create a name and identity that would truly embody everything that he believes in: modern, comfortable, fresh and downright delectable food – all with a kick of flair. We quickly came to “Simon Kitchen and Bar” as the restaurant name and brought it to life with a brand identity that was classic in dark blue, but still had that Kerry Simon flair – the orange dot atop the “I” in kitchen. This helped to establish Kerry Simon in the marketplace. We then rolled the identity out to everything in the restaurant from all of the physical needs like menus, coasters and napkins to the staff uniforms. Most importantly, we worked with Kerry, Elizabeth and the rest of the team to ensure that a meal with Kerry Simon was an unforgettable experience from the moment you walked in the door…cotton candy included.

In the end, everything seems to have “panned out” quite nicely (ha, nice pun!). After opening in 2002, Simon Kitchen and Bar quickly set a new fine dining standard in Las Vegas and was named top new restaurant by Esquire Magazine in 2003. More importantly, the desire for Kerry keeps growing – in 2006 we helped Kerry open Simon LA in Los Angeles by keeping true to his roots and building on the Kerry Simon experience. And, that’s not all, 1650 is now working to bring Kerry to your kitchen through his HSN kitchenware line. So, five years after the fact the Kerry Simon name is known, the restaurants are bustling and the brand is as strong as ever - having conquered two major cities and (hopefully!) your kitchen. Just wait to see what’s next…