Since moving to the U.S. in 1999 I have eaten a lot of burritos. A lot. As delicious as they are, they are highly responsible for my irresponsible weight gain as I went from college, home-cooked meals and almost daily basketball practice to join the workforce, eat take-out and lounge around watching TV. And burritos. So, I think I know burritos. And one of my favorite all-time burritos comes not from a hole-in-the-wall restaurant in a distant neighborhood but from a fast-food chain with more than 800 locations across the U.S.: Chipotle. They are invariably fresh, tasty, well-packed and properly packaged. Aside from the upstanding quality of the burrito they serve, Chipotle stood out as a comfortable and eccentric setting to enjoy a burrito, with its funky art, weird furniture and aluminum siding decor. And, even, its Papyrus-like logo stood out from the fast-food norm. Actually, I didn’t even notice when they switched away from it and into the circle logo shown in the image above, which has evolved into a new identity designed by San Francisco-based Sequence.

By Armin on Apr.29.2009 in Food › Link

I must adamantly disclaim that I realize there is nothing particularly impressive, groundbreaking or interesting about this redesign. It is mostly, if not purely, a nostalgic nod. Back in the 1990s, when I was living in Mexico City, we had one of the first DirecTV dishes and since I have always had an insatiable TV appetite this was simply awesome. Like many people I religiously watched Friends — sure, laugh away, you probably did too — as part of the extinct species known as Must See TV, the primetime sitcom block of Thursdays that has yet to be repeated. So, to get to the point, at 7:59 pm, right before said primetime feast, the NBC channel that we received invariably had a 1-minute spot for Omaha Steaks, with a very jolly white fellow in a suit selling steaks. I was always surprised that such an offering (steaks by mail) could yield enough money to warrant such a prominent advertising slot. Yesterday, Omaha Steaks, a fifth-generation, family-owned business, announced its change of logo. It may not be a primetime redesign, but it’s a solid improvement.

Thanks to Tony Hall for the tip.

By Armin on Mar.03.2009 in Food › Link

I don’t travel much to the West Coast, so my only face-to-face experience with the fast food chain of Jack in the Box is limited to one tasty burger back in the late 1990s and I remember it was quite satisfying. Despite it being a limited staple on the far-left coast and Texas, Jack in the Box seems to have a very strong brand presence throughout the U.S. with their regularly entertaining TV ads and big-headed Jack. Without much fanfare — nor an update to their web site and much less a press release — Jack in the Box has been slowly updating their restaurants in San Diego, where they are headquartered.

By Armin on Feb.25.2009 in Food › Link

Deep within the recesses of the year 1964 and the New Jersey city of Hoboken, Blimpie has been making barely acceptable sub sandwiches nationwide that are just barely less better than their main competitor, Subway. But my opinion of the taste of their subs doesn’t really matter, what matters is that in contrast to Subway, Blimpie has always had the “funner” look and feel, helped in no small part by its cute name. The previous logo and the iterations before it were fun and distinctive, even if not great or influential. The new logo… Yeah, it’s Futura Extra Bold, set in all caps, woo-hoo. Going from fun and distinctive to boring and generic, which matches the taste of their lettuce, I’ll grant that. Every now and then we mention how redesigns are lost opportunities and sometimes it’s just hot air, but in this case, I really think it was a blatant miss.

Thanks to Josh Berta for the tip.

By Armin on Feb.05.2009 in Food › Link

If you live in one of our nation’s larger metropolis and you have found yourself either late in the office or at home too lazy to cook, chances are that you have ordered through the menu heaven that is MenuPages, the 7-year-old web site that catalogs every conceivable menu in a city and puts it at your fingertips. When I first used it, I think it was here in New York, I don’t remember using it in Chicago, I had the impression that my only options would be flavorless diners or MSG-laden Chinese holes in the wall — no offense to either — because of the web site’s kitschy, beveled logo. Of course, nothing could be further from reality, MenuPages has always had menus for the best restaurants in town and it’s only now, with a new logo by the über typographers at Mucca Design, that the web site reflects a more varied and interested selection than your typical take-out joint. The new logo is more upscale, and may perhaps feel too New York-centric, like something you would see tiled on a subway platform, but the improvement is undeniable and attractive. The web site is a fantastic improvement as well.

Thanks to Courtney Dolloff for the tip.

By Armin on Jan.22.2009 in Food › Link

Sunkist, one of the many orange sodas looking to capitalize in parallel to the zesty orange success of Fanta, has recently updated its logo and line of packaging. Not much information to go on from the internet, but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out this one: More swirls equals more sales; it’s the kind of thing they teach you at Harvard Business School. Serious. Swirls. And swirls within swirls? It’s an implosion of success waiting to happen. In all fairness, the lettering isn’t half bad, it resolves the counterspaces rather successfully, but the orange party happening around it is just a little too much to handle. And in comparison to the recent Fanta rebrand, this is just way too undercooked.

By Armin on Nov.23.2008 in Food › Link

I don’t know whether this is a positive or negative, but I have never eaten at Popeyes, the fast food chain serving fried chicken that seems to occupy a similar cult status to White Castle. Popeyes was served at Beyoncé and Jay Z’s wedding, it is the butt of the joke in films like Rush Hour and Little Nicky (okay, that may not be saying much but…), it finds its way to all sorts of lyrics, and people are always willing to admit it as a guilty pleasure. From what I gather, the spicy, Cajun-style, fried chicken there is delectable. I’ll find out one day, maybe. As kooky as the following to this fast food emporium is, its former logo was equally amusing (in that kitschy, fast food sort of way) and the colorful red-blue-and-yellow sign on the facade always stood out. With a new identity designed by Pentagram’s DJ Stout, Popeyes is positioning itself to be slightly more upscale (relatively speaking) while retaining its quirkiness.

By Armin on Jul.28.2008 in Food › Link

Guest Editorial by Guilherme Machiavelli

In Brazil, one of the biggest competitors of coke (be it Coca-Cola or Pepsi) in the soda market is a soft drink called Guaraná Antártica, made from the local fruit, guaraná. Ten years ago, Coca-Cola, in an attempt to tackle its rival, launched Guaraná Kuat. Kuat has been marketed in various forms, beginning with the (slightly odd) strategy of declaring itself as having the same taste as Guaraná Antártica. The brand later decided to target a teenage audience, with campaigns following the “Open up your mind‚” motto.

By Brand New on Jul.15.2008 in Food › Link

Atlanta Bread Co., hailing from, you guessed it, suburban Atlanta, is a casual bakery-café franchise offering fresh, quality food fast. Originally started as a small sandwich shop in 1993, the company has since franchised into approximately 100 locations in 24 states. As they have expanded, Atlanta Bread has not only enhanced the retail experience of their cafés, but updated their brand identity as well — a process they have been slowly rolling out over the past few months, here is an early look at the change.

By Ryan Hembree on Jun.26.2008 in Food › Link

If you live outside of New York City, you may only be nostalgically familiar with this frozen dessert retailer by way of mentions on Sex and the City and The Apprentice. And if you’re from the 1990s, Tasti is the rumored unaccredited culprit on the “Yogurt” episode of Seinfeld. To the uninitiated, this dairy based treat is “Not frozen yogurt, because it doesn’t contain yogurt. Not ice cream, because it contains less fat,” according to Tasti faqs. So let’s just call it substance.

By Joe Marianek on Jun.19.2008 in Food › Link