B&B Hospitality Group

When we met Mario Batali back in 1998, he was a young, energetic, imaginative chef with a single off-the-charts restaurant in New York’s West Village called Pò and was just starting work on his first cookbook. 

Much has happened since then, but along the way we helped design an impressive restaurant empire and have been lucky enough to work with many of BBHG’s partners, chefs, project managers, designers, architects, writers, photographers, and dedicated and superbly talented employees of all kinds.  

The brand “look” is a constant evolution while the commitment to quality and the guest experience has never wavered. Whether it’s for a book or a restaurant, we convey the unique qualities of this food and experience. We reference Italian vernacular language and infuse it with an ever-changing assortment of bold, colorful, unexpected elements. 

Rather than apply a single, cookie-cutter style over-and-over, we employ our design philosophy of Aggregate Branding to ensure that each project’s design adds a strategic new piece to the varied portrait of these iconic and uniquely talented restaurateurs.

Aggregate Branding creates an ever-evolving and more emotional connection to a brand. Often clients come to MEMO with the belief that a corporate identity must be static. However, nothing could be further from the truth. 

With a more sophisticated approach required in today’s markets, we see that brand identities centered on key attributes and recognizable core messages can still provide opportunities for evolution. A robust kit of parts, the quality of materials, the use of language and, often, a sense of humor and whimsy create an overarching identity. 

The result is a profound brand story that goes beyond “the basics.” Consumers find comfort in a brand that’s familiar, but also energized by the anticipation of not knowing what’s coming next.