5 Signs Making Restaurants into Establishments

DESPITE OR PERHAPS DUE to living in the age of Uber Eats, restaurants compete hard to establish as a destination. Thus, custom signage to both draw a clientele and convey that first impression is paramount. Settle in with a napkin on your lap as five sign companies fill your plate.

Southeast Asian Fusion

“Being able to develop the brand with the entire space in mind allowed us to consider the existing furnishing, materials and space, and develop a concept, brand identity and brand experience that aligned with the chef, the menu and the entire vision,” says Russell Toynes, partner | creative director, Studio Dzo (Austin, TX), of their work for local Siti Southeast Asian. The sign comprises a 3-in.-deep aluminium custom cabinet with routed-out show-through text backed with white acrylic and illuminated with 3500K LEDs. The custom blade sign mimics vintage hanging blade signs found in Southeast Asian countries, Toynes says.

Traditional Recipe

Trattoria Enzo in LaPorte, IN contacted Legacy Sign Group (Westville, IN) by phone for a new sign. “Our client is located in a historical downtown and we think we nailed signage that stands out, but also complements the area and the building,” says Megan Fadely, Legacy’s marketing director. The fabrication team ran their CIDAN Power Folder, AXYZ CNC router and tube cutter on aluminum sheets and tubing, then added GE LED modules Matthews Paint and more. “We used opaque inserts in the lower copy coupled with milled acrylic to simulate a neon look and highlight the blue-vinyl details at night,” Fadely adds.

Handcrafted Throughout

707 Pizza (Colorado Springs, CO) returned to hometown Sign Shop Illuminated (SSI) based on the success of their Penrose-location signage. After about a dozen design iterations, SSI used laser-cut Corten steel to reveal the smaller logo and “Pizza Co.” lettering, which was backed with white acrylic to provide contrast and illumination for the main exterior sign, according to Louis DeSantis, SSI managing partner. The shop used their CLN of South Florida channel letter bender, Colex CNC router and Principal Sloan LED lighting. DeSantis is most proud of the “continued trust of a returning client and the opportunity to lead the entire design process from concept through completion,” he says.

Holy Guacamole!

When Jesús and Erin Rosado, owners of His & Her Studio (Loxahatchee, FL), arrived at Guaca Go in nearby Tequesta, the back wall they were planning to install on wasn’t for vinyl as expected, but provided wallpaper, according to Erin. So they knocked that out in a day then returned to install the ORAFOL ORACAL 651 lime-tree vinyl, Fellers Black Label cast vinyl and gloss laminate produced on their HP Latex 360 Printer. “In the end, it’s those unexpected surprises that keep our work interesting and showcase the importance of experience and adaptability on site,” Erin says.

London Broil

During Rick Ream’s motorcycle group lunch at the ACE Cafe Orlando, the bikers were informed the restaurant was closing. Days later, nearby Sanford, FL bar and food hall owner Sean Kelley contacted Ream about acquiring and refurbishing the ACE sign for his own place. “Sean had a conversation with the owners of the original ACE Cafe in London,” Ream says. “After some weeks of negotiation they decided to team up and open a new ACE Cafe in Sanford.” Local Media 1 Wrap This replaced all neon transformers, LEDs, power supplies and chasing marquee lights, repainted and changed the branding to ACE Sanford, Ream says. While the deal required months, the signwork only took a couple of weeks.

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