February 16, 2010 | Category: Branding | Tags: London Restaurant Logo Design

We have all heard the phrase: Green is the new black. This catch phrase is such a cliché that the statement has lost power, but it is nonetheless the truth in 2010. Not only is green a core value of many customers, social conscious and animal welfare are ranking up there as well. Restaurants all over London and the UK are embracing these changes in the market and changing their businesses to accommodate this important set of values.

Green logo design is almost a cliché, but what does being a ‘green’ restaurant really mean? Organic and local foods are a good starting point, but the value needs to penetrate deeper in order to become a bona fide part of the brand. King’s Cross restaurant Acorn House shows how businesses can be a green brand, not just a mainstream business with a few green practices. In addition to standard cruelty free practices such as buying cage free, antibiotic free ducks, the business delivers food in biofuel-burning lorries and recycles the great majority of its waste. The business even has a herb garden on its roof. Every decision at Acorn House is made with the best interests of the planet at heart, a philosophy that infiltrates the restaurant logo design but also extends far beyond it.

Many restaurants are showing their concern for the environment by using fish that are not part of endangered populations. A nonprofit group named the Marine Stewardship Council certifies restaurants that use these fish exclusively. Although only 14 UK restaurants have gone through the process needed to acquire an MSC label, the demand for these controls is growing. Nobu’s London branch has added a note next to the bluefin tuna dishes on its menu advising customers that the fish is an endangered species and asking them to request an alternative from the staff. However, the restaurant management is contemplating removing the fish altogether in response to outcry from its celebrity clientele and financial backers.

With customer support for these causes mounting, even mainstream establishments are catching the fever. This Christmas, retailers such as Waitrose, Tesco, and Selfridges chose to pull foie gras from the shelves when many consumers expressed dismay at the cruel way that the fowl used to produce this dish as raised. Even the Royal Family removed it from its traditional place in their seasonal menus. The kinder, gentler option of ‘faux gras’ has been introduced as a substitute. Widespread consumer acceptance of the alternative suggests that these changes truly resonate with the modern customer.

Green is definitely a key value in the restaurant industry and elsewhere in the UK. 2010 is the perfect year to ask yourself two questions that may give your restaurant an even better marketing position in the future. What can I do to create a more earth friendly establishment without compromising the quality of my product and the customer experience? What can I do to make this focus part of my brand and present my business’s ecological leanings to my customer base?