Local Brand Review TN | CO

The purpose of Brand Review is to review local brands and give the reasons for their success or demise, what the brand promises, and ways for improvement. For consumers, this site will give insight on what to expect when visiting these businesses. For businesses, our reviews will give insight into areas that need refined, in order to draw loyal customers.

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Rosepepper in Nashville TN Brand Review

Rosepepper in Nashville TN–Brand Review

Rosepepper Cantina & Mexican Grill is located off of Eastland Avenue in East Nashville. If you get the lunch specials, expect to pay around $7-10 per person (not including appetizers or tip). For dinner, expect to pay around $8-12 per person (not including appetizers or tip).

Brand expectation: 5 Product/Service received: 5 Identity System: 4.5 Cohesion: 5 Brand quality: 5  Total: 4.9 Fifes

Why 4.9 Fifes?

Brand expectation: Mexican, with an twist. Was this met? Yes, exceeded expectation.

Product/Service received:

Product: Appetizers: Rosepepper rings, Avocado fries, and Cheese dip. Meal: Chicken Chimichanga. Impressed with the creative appetizer choices and generous portions. If it is your first time, you have to try the Rosepepper rings. I suggest that you go when you have a good appetite. (but there is always a to-go box) Service: Average, at the busy lunch rush.

  Identity System:

The logo conveys the same eclectic atmosphere of the restaurant. The logo uses a pepper for the first "p"  and has a rose growing out of the top of the pepper. The type and illustration has hand-built qualities that hint that this is a unique locally-owned business. The warm red, yellow-orange and green colors immediately associate the logo with food. By pairing the warm, playful, natural colors of yellow-orange and green with the passion and heat of the color red, your subconscious knows this is a fun, exciting, funky restaurant without even seeing the building. A light blue is pulled into the menu, which helps tone down the warm, powerful colors in the logo. The type on the menu feels too sterile in comparison with the hand-built unique quality of the logo. 

Cohesion:

Located on Eastland Avenue, a few roads down from 5-points, is Rosepepper. Rosepepper's building exterior has hand-painted elements that compliment the logo, also solidifying that the interior will be unique. The interior design combines metal, wood, bright colors, mis-matched tables and chairs, unique artwork and an outdoor patio. All of these interior elements add to the experience of this trendy mexican cantina & grill. The food and atmosphere will attract loyal customers. The hand-built quality of the type and illustration of the logo fit perfectly in the East Nashville neighborhood. 

Brand quality:

Rosepepper Cantina and Mexican Grill creates loyal customers, by offering an experience unlike any other mexican restaurant. Because there are interesting twists to mexican food (like Rosepepper rings), you can be pleasantly surprised, and appreciate the creativity. By offering something for everyone, (for both the safe and risk-taking), will create loyal customers. The logo and brand cohesion tell a unique story, that will keep you coming back.

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Reasons for success:

• The logo: it gives you a taste of what you are about to experience. • Good Location: East Nashville, a lively part of the city where people go to experience unique local restaurants and locals can live close enough to walk. • Brand quality: the experience is unique, funky and unforgettable.

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Rosepepper: Find out more about Rosepepper: http://www.rosepepper.com/

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We would like to hear about your experience at Rosepepper. Did it match up to our rating?

To find out more about us, visit: http://pelhaus.com.

[pelhaus]

Momma Goldberg's in Auburn AL

Brand Review of Momma Goldberg's Deli in Auburn, AL.

Momma Goldberg's Deli was started in Auburn, AL, but now has multiple locations in AL and GA. For your steamed sandwich lunch, expect to pay around $7-9 per person. 

Brand expectation: 5 Product/Service received: 4.9 Identity System: 5 Cohesion: 5 Brand quality: 5

  Total: 4.98 Fifes

  Why 4.98 Fifes?

Brand expectation:

Sandwich, with some character. Was this met? Yes, exceeded expectation.

  Product/Service received:

Product: Steamed chicken & swiss sandwich with Doritos. Steamed roast beef & cheddar sandwich with Doritos. There are more choices than just sandwiches, including a different kind of nachos: Doritos with Hot pepper cheese. If it is you first time going to Momma Goldberg's,you have to try one of their sandwiches.

Service: Quick to take our order, called our number in an average amount of time. (It takes time to get the sandwiches steamed to the right temperature, so they aren't cold.) 

  Identity System:

The logo includes an illustration of a full-color long sandwich. The thick white type is surrounded by a brown border that follows the edges of the letters. The orange background of the sign is highly-noticeable, representing the idea of warmth and fun, an appetite stimulating color. The brown color conveys simplicity and stability. Blue is another color of Momma G's identity, seen in the awning, meaning trust & reliability. The first Momma G's is located near Auburn University's campus, which was probably the inspiration for the orange & blue colors. It is packed on game days, because it also serves beer. The signage is playful, with words like "Full Steam Ahead", a clever way of telling you that the sandwiches are steamed. The type on the menu is the same as the logo, but is white on a black background, made to look like a chalkboard. Their hard plastic cups have their logo and list all their locations, highlighting the location you are at, a free take-away for their customers.

  Cohesion:

Offset slightly from College Street, sits Momma Goldberg's Deli in Auburn AL.The bright orange sign with reversed out type is easy to spot when driving past. The logo looks like a sandwich, and you hope for a lot of options, and are not let down. When you open the door, you are lead to order with signage and a marked off area that allows for long lines. The brown tables & chairs are simple and allow for easy cleaning. TVs are on almost every wall with different sports shows playing. There might be Nascar on one, Golf on another, swimming on a third, you get the idea, something for everyone. It encourages people to hang around longer than other sandwich shops.

  Brand quality:

Momma Goldberg's Deli creates loyal customers; by simply letting people pick what they want, offering interesting combinations, and creating an atmosphere where people can hang around longer. The cups are hard plastic, that you do not throw away. Allowing Momma G's to be inside people's homes as a reminder of their experience. People keep them, since they are substantial, and survive dishwashers unscathed. Their identity system is very cohesive and offers a consistent story, no matter which location you visit. 

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Reasons for success:

• The logo: it looks like the product. • Expanding into new locations: it's the same experience at every location. • Marketing: take-away cup (free marketing) • Brand cohesion: the experience is unique in comparison to other sandwich shops

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Momma Goldberg's Deli:

Find out more: http://www.mommagoldbergs.com/

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We would like to hear about your experience at Momma Goldberg's. Did it match up to our rating?

To find out more about us, visit: pelhaus.com

[pelhaus]

The Pied Piper Creamery in Berry Hill TN Review

The Pied Piper Creamery Review

The Pied Piper Creamery is located off of Bransford Ave in Berry Hill TN, their main location is in East Nashville off South 11th Street. The Bransford Ave location has around 20 flavors. For your cool ice cream treat, expect to pay approximately $4–6 per person. 

Brand expectation: 5  Product/Service received: 5  Identity System: 4  Cohesion: 4.5 Brand quality: 5  Total: 4.7 Fifes

Why 4.7 Fifes?

Brand expectation:

Homemade ice cream. Was this met? Yes.

Product/Service received:

Product: Interesting flavors of ice cream, all homemade. Once a flavor is gone, there aren't refills. We got the "Trailer Trash" in milkshake form. Service: Friendly and helpful, let us try multiple flavors before we made a decision.

Identity System:

The hand-drawn type on top of an ice cream cone logo shows what you get. By using three bright colors in the logo, the customer knows there will be mixtures of amusing flavors. The lime green, blue & violet colors mean health, freshness, trust, serenity, passion and mystery, supporting the idea of unconventional ice cream flavors, before anyone ever steps inside. The interior signage allows Pied Piper to switch out flavors often, because it is handwritten. The ice cream flavor labels are taped on the glass of the display freezers. There are a lot of handwritten elements inside, and not written by the same person, so it is a bit overwhelming to decipher the different handwriting. (it's not illegible) 

Cohesion:

On a busy street in Berry Hill outside of Nashville, sits the Pied Piper Creamery. The large ice cream cone logo is hard to overlook when driving past. The logo looks like ice cream, and the colors let you know they will probably have unusual flavors. When you open the door, you feel as though you are walking into an old-fashioned ice cream shop. The small size of the interior, handwritten menus & ice cream labels, give the welcoming feeling that you have been going to this place since you were a kid. The product you receive is homemade ice cream, made locally, with interesting and endless combinations. The names of the flavors are memorable: trailer trash, some like it hot, etc. The brand would exceed the customer's expectation of the interior, if there were more of the logo colors and less of a rainbow. 

Brand quality:

The Pied Piper Creamery is a local ice cream shop. Because of the hand-lettering, ice cream cone and colors in the logo, people know what to expect. Making a decision on which flavor to get is not that easy, but being able to try flavors helps. With a welcoming environment, knowledge that the ice cream is made & mixed locally, creates loyal customers.

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How the brand can improve:

• Have the same person create the handwritten the menus & labels. • Bring more of the logo colors into the interior and less of a rainbow

Reasons for success:

• The logo: it looks like the product. • Good location: lots of street traffic • Brand quality: welcoming environment paired with a unique product.

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To find out more about Pied Piper Creamery go to: http://www.thepiedpipercreamery.com/

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We would like to hear about your experience at The Pied Piper Creamery. Did it match up to our rating?

To find out more about us, visit pelhaus.com

[pelhaus]

Cock of the Walk in Nashville–Brand Review

Cock of the Walk in Nashville TN Review

Cock of the Walk is located in Nashville, TN. For your tin cup/ tin plate experience expect to pay around $15 per person, (depending on if you get appetizers or drinks). 

Brand expectation: 4 Product/Service received: 4.5 Identity System: 4 Cohesion: 4.75 Brand quality: 4.5 Total: 4.35

Why 4.35 Fifes?

Brand expectation:

Fried, seafood and southern food. Was this met? Yes, with a surprising twist on the dinnerware. Expected more choices of food on the menu, and more vegetables.

Product/Service received:

Product: A Metal pitcher was brought out with two tin cups, allowing you to refill your drink yourself. Appetizer: fried pickles & onion rings (combo). Entree: Broiled chicken with the "fixings". ("Riverfries", Hushpuppies, cole slaw, pickled onions & skillet bread) The seasoning on the broiled chicken has a truly southern taste. The skillet cornbread is so good, that it probably could not be matched by your grandmother's recipe. The food was served on tin plates, silverware and napkins in a metal bucket on the edge of the table.  Service: Friendly, average wait time. When our server brought the "fixings" to the table, she flipped the cornbread. It gets thrown in the air, turns and you hope that it's caught by the skillet and not the floor. Very impressive, especially since the upstairs had a low ceiling. 

Identity System:

The wood-block style type paired with the red-feathered hat, lets you know this place is southern. The black color in the logo means bold, powerful & classic, paired with the appetite stimulating color, red, which means aggressive and energetic. The accent color, white, connotes cleanness and simplicity. If you are unsure what the name stands for, the logo adds to the curiosity. The one-color menu adds to the uniqueness of the identity system; with names like "Keelboat Specials", "Rollin' River Recipes" and "Lil' Keeler". The menu combines the text with illustrations of items from the early 19th century. The type used for the logo on the website is different from the restaurant, could have used the same one. The website design complements the in-restaurant materials.

Cohesion:

Just a minute down from the Opryland Hotel on Music Valley Drive, sits Cock of the Walk. With plenty of parking, Cock of the Walk invites you in with a bridge over a pond that spans the front of the restaurant. When you open the door, there are rocking chairs, if you have to wait, and plenty of pictures & business cards on the walls to entertain you. The interior is filled with natural colored wood, on the walls, tables and chairs. The menus are one page, front side only, made us wonder if that was the full menu. The interior of restaurant, identity system, tables & chairs, combined with the food and dinnerware brought the entire experience together. The website compliments the atmosphere of the restaurant, but the different type used in the logo is something that should be pulled together.

Brand quality:

Cock of the Walk in Nashville is a unique experience for locals and tourists. Because the location is near the Opryland Hotel on Music Valley Drive, tourists probably make up half of their business. The cars in the parking lot were half TN license plates & half out-of-state. The atmosphere paired with the quality of food and friendly service leaves the customer with a favorable impression of Cock of the Walk. 

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How the brand can improve:

• Add more items to the menu; mainly vegetables. • Update the website logo to match the restaurant. • The rocking chairs in the waiting area were set up like a bus terminal; could rearrange it to be more conversational.

Reasons for success:

• Great food & equal service • Unique experience, almost themed. • Nashville Tourism; most likely have advertising in popular hotels. • Good location: near Opryland Hotel, Grand Ole Opry, General Jackson, and other common tourist venues.

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To find out more about Cock of the Walk, visit: http://www.cockofthewalkrestaurant.com/

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We would like to hear about your experience at Cock of the Walk. Did it match up to our rating?

To find out more about us, visit: pelhaus.com.

[pelhaus]

Puckett's Grocery & Restaurant in Leipers Fork

Puckett's Grocery & Restaurant in Leipers Fork-Brand Review

Puckett's has locations in Leipers Fork, Downtown Franklin, and Downtown Nashville. For your home-cooked southern-style food expect to pay around $10 per person, (depending on if you get appetizers or drinks). You can also pick up a few needed groceries while you're there.

Brand expectation: 3.5 Product/Service received: 4 Identity System: 4 Cohesion: 4 Brand quality: 4 Total: 3.9

Why 3.9 Fifes?

Brand expectation: Good, home-cooked southern food at a grocery store/restaurant. Was this met? Yes, but expected more grocery items on the shelves; the store section looked too empty for "grocery" to be in the name.

Product/Service received: Product: Hot ham & cheese sandwich, cheeseburger with fries and sodas. The hot ham & cheese looked and tasted better than one from the skillet at home, but the cheeseburger was just ok. Drinks are choose your size and fill yourself; was not clear if you could get refills. Service: Quick to take your order & waited less than a chain restaurant to get our food. No one checked back to see if we needed anything. There was a line to pay, but it was after we ate. The price was more than we first expected, but it was going to help a local business.

Identity System: The slab serif type paired with the wood-block style, lets you know this place is southern. The black color in the logo means bold, powerful & classic, while brown means simple and durable. The colors support the idea of a simple, small-town lifestyle, before anyone ever steps inside. The chalkboard menu with handwritten food choices, enhances your initial expectations. These design elements carryover to the website. The logo on the website is different than the logo type on the actual store, could be seen as an identity crisis to the customer.

Cohesion: On the two-lane street in Leipers Fork, sits Puckett's Grocery. Driving through the small downtown, you feel as though you have stepped back into a simpler, friendlier time. On a warm Saturday, Puckett's front porch benches and chairs, along with the umbrella patio furniture, are occupied. Might be with locals, motorcycle or classic car enthusiasts. When you open the door, the step-back-in-time-feeling continues. From the chalkboard menu, to mismatched chairs and tables, to the metal freezers and shelves surrounding the back of the store, the interior design enhances your initial expectation of the brand. The shelves & freezers were very bare, so there were not many grocery items to buy. The chalkboard menu did not list what goes on the sandwich, requiring customers to ask. When you visit the website, it complements the interior design of Puckett's, but the logo is different than the signage on the exterior.

Brand quality: Puckett's in Leipers Fork fulfills two needs in the small town; a place to buy basic grocery items and a restaurant. The small town feel carries over into the interior, exterior, identity system of Puckett's and the two different logos. The quality of food and friendly service is a recipe for returning customers. The convenience of a restaurant and grocery in one stop will also keep loyal customers, while the price might keep them from going there everyday. If the lack of groceries on the shelves is a constant problem, it might keep people from stopping when they need to pick up a few items.

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How the brand can improve:

• The styrofoam plates & cups could be replaced with plastic, aluminum or paper with recycling bins around the trash cans, to help the local environment reduce the amount of waste going into the landfill. • The chalkboard menu with handwritten food choices, creates questions for the cook. (for example: What comes on that?) They could have a printed menu with all of the toppings, condiments, etc. that are on the main menu & also include the seasonal items (marking the seasonal ones appropriately)

Reasons for success:

•The handwritten menu allows flexibility; Puckett's can change out menu items frequently based on what is in stock or season.  • The logos: compliment the brand perception. • Good location: on the downtown street in a small town

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To find out more about Puckett's Grocery and restaurant, visit: puckettsgrocery.com

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We would like to hear about your experience at Puckett's. Did it match up to our rating?

To find out more about us, visit: pelhaus.com.

[pelhaus]

Menchie's in Nashville TN [Lenox Village]

Menchie's in Lenox Village

Menchie's is a company with franchises all around the nation. Since there are only 3-4 in Tennessee, and we decided to give it a review. For your frozen yogurt creation, you pay by ounce, approximately $4-6 per person. 

Brand expectation: 5 Fifes Product/Service received: 4 Fifes Identity System: 5 Fifes Cohesion: 4.8 Fifes Brand quality: 5 Fifes Total: 4.75 Fifes

Why 4.75 Fifes?

Brand expectation: Fresh, cool frozen yogurt. Was this met? Yes, exceeded expectation.

Product/Service received: Product: Exactly what you wanted in a frozen yogurt snack (because you made it) Service: Slow, there is usually a line to pay. You should get half of a layer more than you want to eat. Because by the time you pay, half of the first layer of the frozen yogurt has melted. 

Identity System: By personifying frozen yogurt, the icon is welcoming and whimsical. The lime green & berry pink colors in the logo mean cool, fresh, nature, soft, sweet and nuture, supporting the idea of frozen yogurt, before anyone ever steps inside. The signage walks you through a make-your-own scenario, from the frozen yogurt station to the toppings. The website gives a hint of the experience you will receive in the store, but also offers a reason for people to return. See below about their "mySmileage" account.

Cohesion: On a street corner in Lenox Village, the whimsical creature is hard to overlook when driving past. This brand thought of everything. The logo looks like frozen yogurt, and the colors let you know they will have probably have fruit and unusual flavors, with hope for normal flavors, for those of you who don't like to get too crazy with your ice cream. When you open the door, you are entering into a world, where anything is possible. From the lime-green pebbly marbles surrounding the frozen yogurt station, to the modern white-whimsical chairs, the interior design enhances your initial expectation of the brand. You really can't complain if the product is bad, because you made it; it's your own fault if it isn't what you wanted.

Brand quality: Menchie's creates loyal customers; by simply letting people pick exactly how much and what they want, while creating a whimsical experience. This Menchie's secret marketing technique is giving a thick, rigid take-away spoon with every purchase. These spoons are in consumer's homes as a reminder of their "anything is possible" experience, in turn, creating a returning customer.

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How the brand can improve: • Don't train employees at during peak hours. That way the line can move quickly, causing less melting of the customer's frozen yogurt.

Reasons for success: • The logo: it looks like the product. • Good location: lots of street traffic, in an active neighborhood, no other ice cream shops • Marketing: take-away spoon (free marketing), "mySmileage" program, coupons sent in the mail • Brand cohesion: the experience is unforgettable, puts a smile on your face.

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mySmileage: Right now, Menchie's is offering its customers a chance to get free yogurt. If you register for their "mySmileage", you get 25 free smiles. 50 smiles gets you a free yogurt. 1 smile for every dollar you spend. $4 = 4 smiles. Check it out on their home page: http://www.menchies.com/

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We would like to hear about your experience at Menchie's. Did it match up to our rating?

To find out more about us go to pelhaus.com

[pelhaus]

Brand Review lets you know before you go.

[pelhaus]

The Local Taco in Brentwood TN

The Local Taco in Brentwood TN

The Local Taco has restaurants in Nashville and Brentwood. My co-workers raved about how great the food tastes and how much they enjoy going there. So I thought we had to try this place. For food, expect to spend $9-14 per person (depending on if you get an appetizer or drinks) not including tip. Plan to go when you have plenty of time.

Brand expectation: 1 Product/Service received: 2 Identity System: 3 Cohesion: 1 Brand quality: 2 Total: 2 Fifes

  Why 2 Fifes?

Brand expectation:

A really good taco at a trendy local spot. Was this met? It was a trendy place, but the quality of tacos & service was disappointing.

Product/Service received:

1st Visit: Product: There were no normal tacos on the menu, and not many choices of tacos. Appetizer: delicious cheese dip with tortilla chips. Entrees: 2 smoked chicken enchiladas and 2 buffalo chicken tacos. Thoughts: looks pretty good and healthy. Taste: confusion and dislike. Service: Slow, inefficient server. Helping one table at a time, not checking all of her tables to see if people needed refills, to order food, etc. We waited 15-20 minutes with empty cups, had to flag the server down to get the check, no offer to refill the empty cups.

2nd Visit:  I took my sister back to The Local Taco, in order to get pictures of the logo and food for this blog post. Let's just say, I wanted to give it a second chance and get a fish taco connoisseur's opinion on these tacos.  Product: Cheese dip: a must. Entree: split a 2 taco dinner: 1 fish taco, 1 southern fried taco. The southern fried taco was definitely better than the buffalo, but not worth going back a third time. The fish taco got my sister's rating of 2.5 on a scale of 10 (10 being the best), with a remark about it being a bit pricey for what you actually receive. Service: Slow, inefficient server. Different one from before, but just as disorganized.

Identity System:

Placing the logo in a circle eliminates the need for an icon. It also allows for simple signage for the restaurant. The main color of the logo is blue, with accents of red and yellow. Blue means stability, trust, serene, and universally well-liked; but is also an appetite suppressant. This color is typically used for financial institutions. Yellow and red are typical restaurant colors, because they are appetite stimulating. Using 3 fonts in the logo was unnecessary, "the" and "taco" could have been the same. No need to use a serif, script and san serif in one logo. The menus are 1 color print, on white paper, like something you would see at an upscale restaurant. (Note: the menu at the restaurant and the menu online are designed differently.) The logo conveys the idea of a normal, homemade taco at a trendy restaurant. 

Cohesion:

On a side street close to downtown Brentwood, sits The Local Taco. If you were to have different people design the exterior, interior, logo and restaurant graphics, this is the outcome. It is almost as if no one communicated. The circular blue logo with clean type definitely lets you know this place is trendy. The exterior of the building and menu design can make the consumer feel like a cocktail dress is needed to go inside. (We discovered that it's ok to wear jeans.) The interior design and logo are a bit rustic in comparison, (the design is feels more like a seafood restaurant on the beach) not cohesive. The logo contradicts the product and service it delivers; it tells you it is universally well-liked, and stable but there are no normal, "stable" tacos on their menu. The name of this restaurant should have been "the local margarita" or "the local cerveza". If you decide to venture to The Local Taco, go for appetizers and drinks; tacos are not their specialty, although the name tells you differently.

Brand quality:

The Local Taco draws the after business crowd, looking for a good drink with friends. Ultimately a business is perceived by the product and service it delivers. Locals looking for a good taco while supporting the local community, will be disappointed. Travelers wanting to experience a local restaurant, will not leave satisfied. With the name "The Local Taco", they should have more taco choices on their menu. Slow, inefficient service paired with an identity system that tells you one thing, but does not deliver, is a recipe for non-returning customers.  Franklin has too many good spanish food choices to come back.

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How the brand can improve:

-More tacos on their menu, and more than one normal taco -Train servers how to work more efficiently. -Make their brand more cohesive, from exterior to interior, in store menus and online marketing.

Reasons for success:

• Trendy: It's a trendy place to go have good appetizers and drinks. • Supports the Local Community: Using local products whenever possible 

Reasons for future demise:

• Good Competition: Franklin has so many good spanish food choices, local and chain. • Poor Brand Quality: Since the brand promises one thing and delivers another, eventually the business will suffer. • Poor Location: This particular location is tucked away on a less-traveled side street.

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We would like to hear about your experience at The Local Taco. How did it compare with our rating?

To find out more about us go to pelhaus.com