5.27.20 |
Launching Coyne’s, A New Restaurant in Boise
116 & West
We’ve had a special relationship with the folks at Bardenay for a long time. So, we were pee-our-pants excited when they told us they wanted to open a new restaurant in Eagle, and needed our help. The restaurant, we were told, was to be called “Coyne’s,” honoring a family name of the owner, Kevin Settles.
We spent a lot of time understanding the vision and concept for the restaurant. We traveled to Denver to visit a few “inspo” restaurants, and had many meetings with the Coyne’s team to look at European food menus, building blueprints, and other cool ideas for the physical space.
After this discovery process, we got down to work to help open Coyne’s Restaurant & Bar.
Branding and storytelling
Among the first things we did for Coyne’s was help them develop their brand architecture. Although it’s public knowledge the owner of Coyne’s also owns the three Bardenay restaurants in Idaho, the goal was to ensure Coyne’s had a completely separate identity from Bardenay.
We utilized the Coyne’s name and history to tell the story of how the restaurant came to be. In addition to being a family name, the intention of the restaurant was to pay homage to mentors and European travels. The brand story also served to explain the food—it’s unique flavors and style—as well as the restaurant’s atmosphere and dining experience.
The brand architecture was the foundation from which we designed the menu and the website. The messaging, photos, and design work together to tell the story of Coyne’s.
Menu design
With the Coyne’s logo in mind as inspiration, we designed the menu utilizing the art deco feel in the typeface, color, and geometric design elements. The menu was printed on a light-colored linen that is reminiscent of a fine tablecloth.
Alongside the full menu, we designed a cocktail menu and a Captain’s wine list. All three menus have a clean design that fit perfectly together, as well as with the interior look of the restaurant.
Photography
Our team includes a number of talented graphic designers who also have an eye for photography. We used this unique, in-house skill to capture the look and feel of the physical restaurant. We photographed the overall look of the restaurant— the signage, exterior, and food—as well as the small details such as the place settings and cocktail glasses.
The photography was used in the website design, as well as in social media advertisements.
Interior design assistance
Although Coyne’s already had great interior designers working on their restaurant, we were always there to be a second (or third) pair of eyes, and a sounding board for new ideas.
Our Executive Creative Director, Mel Mansfield, has incredible design savvy and style. She also has a great eye for the details. Her role was to make sure the aesthetic of the interior design, graphic design, and web design all felt cohesive and stayed true to the original vision.
Website design and development
Using the brand architecture, and inspiration from the Coyne’s team, we designed and built the website from scratch. From the site map, all the way to the final design and development, we ensured the website looked beautiful and functioned exactly as it should–on all popular browsers and mobile devices.
The same geometric design elements from the menu were used in the site design, making the whole Coyne’s brand and experience consistent and seamless.
To enhance our user experience, we created sub-navigation for food and drink menus, and used the Resy widget so patrons can make reservations online. We launched the website the day the restaurant opened with zero hitches.
In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Coyne’s asked us to make some changes to their site. They needed easily accessible information on the new policies and procedures they were implementing for their patrons’ safety. They also needed homepage updates to make online ordering clear and user friendly. Not only did we say “of course,” we did it in one day.
Coyne’s launched in March of 2020, right when Idaho went into its COVID-19 “lockdown.” Against all odds, site visits and page views climbed steadily through the year, and into 2021. Site visits increased from 52,515 in December of 2020, to 109,776 in December of 2021.
Check out the website: coynesrestaurant.com
Liquor bottle labels
The Coyne’s team also needed Coyne’s bottle labels for Bardenay-distilled spirits. We used the branding we’d established for the menu and the website to bring the labels to life. The same geometric, art deco style is apparent on the liquor labels.
And, this might be a little self-serving but, can we just say: those labels look cool as hell.
Social media advertising
To help Coyne’s get as many eyeballs on their brand as possible, we pushed some likes their way through a few social media campaigns on Facebook and Instagram. The goal was to build a stronger social media following through a “likes campaign” to increase brand awareness.
Facebook Likes Campaign
To incentivize people to like the Coyne’s Facebook page, we ran ads that led with a $50 gift card giveaway message. The short campaign was highly successful in that the ads reached almost 25k people and received 2,652 engagements.
The Coyne’s Facebook page began with 290 likes, after the campaign it had 2,009 likes. (That’s like a 600% increase! DAAAAAMN.) Now, Coyne’s has almost 3,000 likes!
Facebook and Instagram Carousel Campaign
To announce that Coyne’s was open for takeout and delivery, we utilized carousel ads on Facebook and Instagram. Each ad had three different versions of copy. Our ads reached 40k people and garnered 1,077 engagements over a two-week campaign.
Instagram Follower-building
To help Coyne’s build a following on Instagram, we began following accounts that had the right connection with the restaurant. We followed community pages, thought leaders, local restaurants, and accounts that were already following Bardenay.
After this short push, the Coyne’s Instagram account went from 219 followers to 463. Now, Coyne’s Instagram boasts more than 3,000 followers.
Coyne’s incredible business growth
Not only did Coyne’s make it through COVID, the restaurant continued to do well through 2021. In 2020, Coyne’s served 58,328 guests. 2021 saw a 2.75 x growth in guest counts—160,227 people walked through the front doors to enjoy Coyne’s. In terms of dollars, Coyne’s achieved $1.7 million in sales in 2020 and $4.69 million in sales in 2021.
Go eat!
We are so, so excited for our friends at Coyne’s. The food is fantastic, (even when you eat it at home out of a to-go box), and the cocktails are extraordinary. The restaurant itself is gorgeous—including the kick-ass patio.
We can’t say enough about how fun and rewarding this partnership has been. The best way we can describe it is to tell you to go eat there and see how great it is for yourself. And definitely drop us a line if you need help opening a new restaurant.