Hospitality Design - October 2013 - 60

perspectives

4. Diners eat atop
custom marble and steel
tables at Despaña.

trends

fast casual dining

5+6. Greenleaf
Gourmet Chopshops
are recognized for their
stylish rusticity, marked
by reclaimed wood
and imagery from old
vegetable crates.

5
6

4
“The ask from MyBurger was to establish it as a local fast casual
chain that is conceptually differentiated from the competition, poised
for expansion, and sustainable over time,” says Lynne Robertson,
president and CEO of the agency. To FAME, the brief meant a complete
reinvention—one that called for a vivid palette of apple red and green,
warm wood tones, whimsical graphic elements that play on the letters “M”
and “B,” industrial red metal chairs, and concrete floors. The idea, says
Robertson, was to create an “easy-modern” aesthetic, an all-encompassing
brand reinvention. FAME naturally handled the witty messaging and
playful graphics.
Going forward, each new unit—two more have since joined the
original—will also include visual references to its neighborhood. “For
example,” Robertson says, “the store on the University of Minnesota
campus nods to college life through the location-specific MyBurger mural
on the outside of the building, a ‘study hall’ room for students, and a lounge
area for game-day gatherings.”

Despaña

New York’s Despaña, purveyors of gourmet Spanish imports, also went
back to school for its newest effort, opening a branch on the main retail
street of Princeton, New Jersey, not far from the ivy-covered walls of
the university. Founded in 1971 as a Queens chorizo factory, the outfit
gradually expanded to offer an array of wholesale products before opening
a Soho retail outlet and cafe in 2006. The much more ambitious Princeton
operation is a “complete destination when it comes to Spanish cuisine,”

060

October 2013 hospitalitydesign.com

according to Marilyn Zucosky, principal at Princeton-based Joshua
Zinder Architecture + Design (JZA+D). New touches include large screen
televisions for soccer broadcasts, an outdoor terrace, and wine service.
Echoing elements from the Soho location, which was not designed by
JZA+D, the designers turned to a local furniture maker to craft Carrera
marble and steel tables—and they Venetian plastered one wall, this time in
a vivid red instead of a sunny yellow as at the original.
The greatest challenges offered the most opportunity, points out
principal Joshua Zinder. “Working with two floors instead of one meant
we had to make sure there was a clear connection between them,” he
says. “And since this venue is open for dinner, we were able to use our
experience designing fine dining restaurants to improve the fast casual
setting.” The lessons go both ways, adds Zucosky: “There’s an emphasis
on efficiency and moving through space that has to be designed into fast
casual that any restaurant can benefit from considering.”

Greenleaf Gourmet Chopshop

Architect Stephen Francis Jones of SF Jones Architects in Marina del
Rey, California, seconds that notion. “With fast casual, you really have to
think beyond the normal way of looking at a restaurant,” says the designer,
who’s designed three of four Greenleaf Gourmet Chopshops in the Los
http://www.hospitalitydesign.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Hospitality Design - October 2013
