What is Bistro Branding?

by Flex | Nov 20, 2019 | Bistro

A brand is everything if you want to be able to sell a product or service and make any money at all. The better the brand, the bigger the pay. This is the reason why people and companies spend a fortune on branding and marketing of their product. In the bistro business, the branding tells the customer what they can expect from coming to the Bistro. The personality of the place is evident in the brand. It gives the audience a sense of strong visual and emotional ideas of what they can expect. There are several areas of the business where the brand can extend to. The interiors of the Bistro, the marketing and sales material and the overall projection of the brand can be used to project the Bistro.

The Influential Part

The brand can provide a cue into the overall experience that the customer will have at the place. The dining experience and the kind of food served at the location. The main idea becomes a promise through the brand’s exposure to the public. The entire visual aspect of the brand promises the audience and customer style, uniqueness and strengths. The image styling, the colours, the logo design and fonts used play an overall part of the branding.

Application of the Brand

Being able to eat at a Bistro is a sensory experience. There is a range of elements to be considered to influence the customer. Visual, sound, and taste play an essential part in influencing the audience and in turn, speaks of the brand. Yes, the choice of music that is performed in the Bistro is equally crucial. What is played on television screens are also necessary and speak about the brand. The take out-boxes, the website, the menu and other material that is used in the Bistro will carry a long way in taking the brand out to people and growing the business. In fact, even the way the food is plated is vital to ensure brand growth.

Bistro Brand Development

As a bistro, it is crucial to ensure that the personality of the place is taken into account while deciding on the brand. The brand is the identity of the Bistro and is very important to be coined even before the business is opened up. It is not a viable option to start up a bistro and then decide how you would brand it, as the costs and implication of doing this can hurt the business substantially. Attracting people to the Bistro by providing a sport on branding application from the time you decide to launch a bistro, can aid in propelling it forward. Customers will remember the brand and the business if everything is in line and looked after in detail. It is said that the bistro industry has to make money within its first three years before there is a need to change things up. Therefore, being wise and nailing all brand aspects from the get-go before planning a revamp and change-up after a few years will help take the business to great heights. 

Bistros Throughout History

by Flex | Sep 5, 2019 | Bistro

Seeing as a small venue selling alcohol and rustic, home-cooked local foods is a fairly wide concept, it’s almost impossible to say when the first bistro ever opened. However, if we remember that the term was first defined in late 19^th century Paris, then we can get a little closer to finding the source of the matter. Certainly, the first true bistro could have been no later than 1765. According to popular knowledge this was the year that the first resteraunt in Paris was opened by a soup vendor called Monsieur Boulanger. Before he opened up his shop, selling thick local broths and hearty bread, most Parisians would buy various foods from street vendors and then eat at home – or on the street.

A Modern Myth

Monsieur Boulanger also hung a sign above his shop proclaiming the restorative properties of his stacked soups “Boulanger débite des restaurants divins” it said – or ‘Boulanger sells the restoratives of the Gods.” This fits with the known etymology of the word resteraunt, which does in fact come from the French for restore or refresh. As the story goes, the first Bistro may have fallen foul of pre revolution French politics. Mr Boulanger added a whole sheep’s foot to one of his meals, and authorities deemed that he had crossed the line from a soup to a stew maker – and that, apparently, was a big deal. It was enough to get the new bistro owner taken to court, where he demonstrated that he did in fact cook the soup-like sauce entirely separately before adding the joint of meat. Don’t ever say the French don’t take their food seriously!

Unfortunately, though, that yarn might be just be as twisty and stinky as an 18^th century Parisian back alley. There’s no concrete evidence that Mr Boulanger existed at all, let alone being the man who was taken to court for opening the first bistro. Which is a shame, but regardless – the first bistro did not exist before around that time. So now we know the origins of the first bistro-like resteraunt – but what about the word itself?

Faster, Faster

The word Bistro’s actual roots are not entirely certain, but it may come from a number of French dialect and slang terms including ‘bistraud’ (wine waiter) or ‘bistouille’, which refers to poorly made or stored alcohol. For a long time, it was thought that the word may have came from Russian occupation of Paris during the Napoleonic Wars. Cossack soldiers would frequent these cheap drinking and eating houses and summon the waiter by shouting ‘bistro, bistro’ – which means faster in their native tongue.

Even though this is now disputed by most historians, the term bistro continues to be used to designate a homely, cheap resteraunt in many parts of Russia too – including dozens of such venues in Moscow. Whatever the truth, the concept certainly has long historical associations and its great that people can continue to enjoy traditional French bistros in Paris to this very day.

The Best French Bistros in New York

by Flex | Jul 4, 2019 | Bistro

Everybody loves a good bistro meal and especially if it is French. It offers cuisine that is tasty and plentiful, and all manner of dishes can be served up in a good bistro.

How to Keep Your Bistro in Business

by Flex | May 18, 2019 | Bistro

Perhaps you currently own a bistro and the business is proving hard to stay above water and bring the profits you had hoped for.

Top bistros in Berlin – part 2

by Flex | Mar 9, 2019 | Bistro

In our first part of the top bistros in Berlin, we have covered places that do not just offer simple food for their customers but provide exceptional menus. To continue with our coverage, we will be taking a look at some bistros with the best desserts and the freshest ingredients. If you want to know more about the best places in the city, do not stop reading now!

Top bistros in Berlin – part 1

by Flex | Jan 19, 2019 | Bistro

The top bistros in Germany’s capital Berlin have over thirty Michelin stars (rating system to grade restaurant’s quality) altogether. If you are looking for something to eat when traveling around Berlin, try to look for bistros with Michelin stars because you would not be disappointed.