What Keeps ‘Em Coming Back?
Photography by Arielle Charbonneau (@gabariri)
We’re not experts at running a hospitality business, but we do know a thing or two about the other side of the experience — the wining and dining part. So, what keeps customers coming back to your spot? The most obvious answer — hopefully — is your food and service. Those are non-negotiables. But there’s one other factor that’s just as important: your brand.
If you’ve read our pieces on non-branding (coming soon!) and knowing when to rebrand, you already know we believe that strong branding isn’t just about logos or color palettes. It starts with laying the groundwork — building a brand persona the same way a writer develops a character in a story. Before you decide how they dress, you need to understand their backstory. The same goes for your brand — figuring out its personality is just as crucial as choosing the right font for your menu.
Beyond the Hype
Nowadays, people mostly discover your place through a TikTok or an influencer post. While we recognize influencer marketing is a powerful tool for getting people in the door, what keeps them coming back after the hype dies down? Not another viral video — it's the world and atmosphere you’ve built inside your restaurant.
Your brand is more than a fleeting aesthetic or a perfectly curated Instagram feed. It’s how your space feels — the lighting, the playlist, the way the menu is formatted and feels in your hands, the personality behind your service. It’s the unspoken elements that make someone feel at home, nostalgic, or even intrigued enough to want to return. If your brand is strong, it isn’t just a momentary trend; it’s a space people want to belong to and associate with.
Some Tips from Design Enthusiasts & Bons Vivants:
The magic is in the details.
Even if you're not designing for design freaks like us, people notice things — especially the unexpected, personal touches that make your space feel distinct. What’s something no one else does that could become your signature? What tiny thing would delight your guests and stick in their memory?
Take Villeray wine bar Polari, for example, which stocks branded condoms in the bathroom — a cheeky and unexpected touch that instantly sticks. Or the Popsicle Hotline at a California hotel, where guests would pick up a red phone by the pool and magically receive a complimentary popsicle, delivered on a silver tray. It’s a simple, low-cost idea, but it turns a standard hotel stay into something memorable. Moments of novelty and surprise make all the difference, says Dan Heath (read more about the Popsicle Hotline)
It doesn’t have to be a gimmick. It just has to be something that makes people talk—and more importantly, come back.
Don’t overdo it.
Overly branded spaces can feel childish, overwhelming or forced — in-your-face theme park energy.
Some of the most compelling hospitality brands feel lived-in rather than designed to death. They allow for an element of imperfection, of character-building over time. The goal isn’t to make your space feel like a pop-up concept store. It’s to make it feel real, layered, and effortless — like it’s always been there.
Give people what they want: merch.
Your brand doesn’t have to exist only inside your four walls. The best brands have an afterlife — an ability to exist in people’s everyday lives, whether through a playlist, a matchbook, or a tee they actually want to wear.
Good merch isn’t just slapping your logo on a tote bag. It’s about creating objects that hold the same energy as your brand — things people would pick up even if they didn’t know your restaurant. A well executed piece of merch can live in someone’s home for years.
A good test: If your merch ended up in a thrift store, would someone still want to buy it?
Be present on social media — but stay human.
The same way you should treat your brand like a person, you should treat your social media channels like personal accounts.
Some of the best hospitality brands have a finsta energy — unfiltered, unpolished, playful. They post like they’re texting a friend, not running a marketing campaign. They share behind-the-scenes moments, bad food photos, memes. The result? A brand that feels approachable, familiar, and alive.
From experience, we’ve noticed that hyper-curated, graphic-design-heavy Instagram accounts tend to create a sort of invisible wall between the brand and its community. People scroll, but they don’t engage. The more you embrace spontaneity, the more people feel like they’re part of something real.
The Bottom Line
At the end of the day, what keeps us coming back (20-something-year-olds with just a bit of extra cash to spend) is good food, good wine, good service, good vibes, and good prices. If you can nail all of these, you’re in business.
Want to bounce off ideas on how you could make subtle changes to fill up your tables? Let’s schedule a call to chat!