How do you choose where you want to eat when you go out? Is your decision based on atmosphere, price, food selection? How about logos? Have you ever thought that a restaurant’s logo can determine the path your appetite follows? There are a ton of them out there and some are much more effective than others. How does a logo make you hungry? Take a closer look!

The above designs are all, for the most part, very effective. They clearly show the type of food to expect and even a hint of the atmosphere all within a simple design.

The Perkins logo is an example of a terrible design based on a food related business. It is plain and boring and nothing about it is appealing to one’s appetite. Word of mouth and maybe some minimal advertising seems to be the only way that we know what Perkins is and what it sells.

The Fuddruckers logo looks to me like a logo for a disco style club or a skating rink. If it didn’t have the word “hamburger” within the logo, I wouldn’t know that it was a restaurant at all just based on the design. No wonder this place went out of business so quickly.

Ted’s Montana Grill has a great logo in which they display the one thing that makes them most unique: Bison! Although the sale of bison meat is becoming more popular among upper class dining, Ted’s was one of the original chains to start it, basing their menu mostly on bison. Their other major theme relates to our “green” society in which they use organic and recycled materials. This is a great concept, but what I don’t like is how they attempt to include that theme in their logo with the line, “Eat great. Do good.” I think this takes it a little too far and is not necessary. It feels like it forces the issue.

Ah, Burger King. This is a great logo for the fast food chain. It clearly shows what they sell and is large and bold implying their success in the business and that they are the “king” of burgers.

I love the Boston Market Logo. It looks very clean and subtle, implying that there is no need to be flashy to get attention. It also has a simple oval shape, but the oval vaguely appears to be a roasting chicken so they are displaying their product all the while.

There are way too many restaurants out there to mention them all, but a logo for the food service industry should have certain qualities. It should demonstrate the product it’s selling, avoid overly flashy styles and express a bit of the atmosphere that the restaurant has to offer. You can see that the more successful the logo is, the more successful the restaurant will be as well.
-Nora Reed