Recipe for a Memorable Restaurant

On a recent rare night to ourselves, my wife and I went to a local restaurant that had recently relaunched. It was the type of place that’s a true Atlanta staple: the cocktail lounge. Cocktails are one of our “things." Some couples have antiquing, some have rooting for a sports team. For us, it's trying new cocktails. We clink, compare, swap, and somehow she always ends up with whichever one is better. It’s a little ritual we’ve perfected, one that’s meant to bring fun and joy to our night out.

So when we visit a restaurant that places “cocktails” in its name, we go in with enthusiasm, excitement, and high expectations. A feeling that, lately, a lot of these places seem dead set on taking from us. It got me thinking - what’s missing? When you see "cocktails" proudly displayed in the restaurant's branding, why is the result so often a letdown? For me, the answer comes down to one thing: identity.

Let’s do an exercise: take a moment and think about the items you’d put on your menu if you were opening a cocktail lounge. What would the variety be like? How many items would there be? Would there be a theme? How would the names and descriptions of the drinks capture the vibe?

Maybe you’d like a refined speakeasy feel, where whiskey and gin feature prominently. Your cocktails have slightly whimsical, old-timey sounding names like “The Whizzbang," and your menu includes a playful warning that anyone caught snitching to the fuzz will be dealt with accordingly.

Or you might prefer an island feel, full of rum, tropical fruits, and coconut. The drinks, the music, the atmosphere bursting with life, music, and passion. Maybe there’s a tiki bar vibe, or a Caribbean flair that makes every sip feel like a vacation.

You could even tap into modern sensibilities, reclaiming cocktail classics and elevating them with a unique twist. You breathe new life into old recipes with unexpected ingredients or techniques, creating exciting new flavor combinations that your guests have never experienced before.

On the other hand, you could just throw together a menu with six cocktails: three uninspired staples you can get at any dive bar, and three more that are uninspired staples... with an extra fruity ingredient. Toss a little peach in a Kentucky mule and call it a “Southern Classic.” Boom. Done.

What’s the difference between these choices?

In the first three examples, there’s vision, cohesion, and a clear sense of identity. You’re creating an experience, not just serving drinks. Your guests leave your bar with a story to tell, a reason to come back, and something to recommend to their friends. And more importantly, they’re happy to pay for it because they feel they’ve had a real experience.

The ones like the cocktail bar my wife and I visited that night? They don’t have that identity. Their menu was generic, the drinks were unimaginative, and the experience was forgettable. Sure, we enjoyed our time together, but that had nothing to do with the place we were in. We could’ve been anywhere. I won’t tell anyone about it, and I probably won’t even remember the name of the place in a few months.

Increasing the quality of your restaurant’s offerings doesn’t mean you have to fly in bespoke butter from Vermont, dress your servers in tuxedos, or get Beyoncé to perform. What it does mean is creating an identity, crafting an experience that your guests want to return for. Whether they’re cocktail enthusiasts like us, food lovers, or just locals out for a night, they want more than just sustenance, they want a story. Something that connects them with your brand, makes them feel like they’ve discovered something unique.

Think about the great restaurants or bars that stick in your mind. They have an identity that shines through every detail: from the menu items to the decor, from the staff uniforms to the music playing softly in the background. When your guests talk about your establishment, they should have something memorable to say, something beyond, “it sure is a restaurant."

So if you're opening a new restaurant or rebranding an old one, remember this: build an identity that resonates. Don’t settle for the lowest common denominator. Give your guests something to talk about, and they’ll keep coming back for more.