Frankie & Benny's
Serving up real good comfort food
The challenge: As lockdown restrictions eased, Frankie & Benny's faced a critical moment.
The iconic Italian-American chain was losing customers, quality perceptions had fallen, and years of strategic shifts had created inconsistency and confusion. With restaurants preparing to reopen their doors, they needed more than a visual update – they needed a complete brand reset.
Our approach: Fresh, yet familiar
1. Comfort redefined
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We repositioned Frankie & Benny's as the home of "Real Good Comfort Food", focusing on emotional satisfaction rather than just menu items and creating a compelling reason to return.
2. Nostalgia 2.0
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We recognised that nostalgia had always been central to the brand but needed evolution – moving from black-and-white 50's references to a more vibrant, contemporary expression of memory-making.
3. Consistency crusade
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We established clear brand principles to eliminate the confusion from previous strategic shifts, creating a cohesive system that could be implemented across all touchpoints.
The solution:
Feel-good vibrancy
Colour revolution: Transformed the brand from a dated monochrome palette to a vibrant, energetic colour system that instantly signalled change while maintaining brand recognition.
Memory-making photography: Developed a distinctive photography approach that captured authentic moments of connection – focusing on the emotional benefits of dining together rather than just food styling.
Playful voice: Created a more conversational, upbeat tone of voice that brought warmth and personality
to every customer interaction, from menus to social media.
Modernised heritage: Refreshed key heritage touchpoints with contemporary execution – honouring the brand's history while signalling its evolution.
Seamless system: Designed a cohesive visual language that worked across physical restaurants and digital channels – creating a consistent experience regardless of how customers engaged.
The results:
A brighter welcome
The refreshed Frankie & Benny's rolled out across restaurants and online channels in summer 2021, ready to welcome back post-lockdown diners with a brand that truly puts the feel-good in comfort food. The new positioning gave the brand clarity and purpose, while the vibrant identity system provided the fresh energy needed for a successful relaunch in a competitive casual dining market.
“We couldn't have chosen a better agency – the process felt so smooth and the end result was a bit of a "Eureka!" moment when everything fell into place. Frankie & Benny's has returned as a much more confident brand and everyone has felt it.”
Gabrielle Barysaite, Senior Brand Manager, The Restaurant Group plc.