A New Menu Can Change the Sequence of a Store.

When the menu and brand change, what should change in the store first?

When the way new products are presented changes, the process of choosing and ordering and the places where staff prepare them also need to be considered.

CRAC CRACK is a rebranding project that added the experience of baguettes and picnics to the memory of a doughnut shop. We considered displays, ordering and pickup, window seating and the courtyard within one plan.

ATELIER SOW · Spatial Planning · Interior Design · Construction · Brand Experience

Red display and ordering and pickup counter, with courtyard-facing windows inside CRAC CRACK — Displays, the ordering area and the courtyard beyond the windows appear together at CRAC CRACK.

First, We Considered the Experience of Choosing Products.

In a store preparing a new menu, display is not simply a question of shelves for products. It is also a plan for what guests see first and where they pause to choose.

During the design of CRAC CRACK, we wanted the journey of looking at and choosing bread to be clearly expressed. Rather than treating the bread display, ordering and pickup separately, we considered them alongside the views guests encounter as they enter.

The completed space has a long bread display with a counter behind it. Storage for packaging and boxes is also visible beneath the display. It is a scene that brings together the surface that presents products and the places used to prepare and replenish them each day.

Long bread display with packaging and box storage underneath and an ordering counter behind at CRAC CRACK — The product display and storage beneath it. Places for preparation sit beside the scene guests encounter.

Display, Ordering and Staff Workspaces Were Planned Together.

During planning, we reviewed bakery display, ordering and pickup at the front of the bar, drinks preparation behind it, and the routes connecting staff to the displays. When deciding where guests would choose products, we also considered where staff would prepare and respond to them.

The completed photograph shows the ‘Order’ and ‘Pick up’ signs on the red counter, the display in front and staff working behind it. We planned for guests to be able to read where to look at products, ask questions and order within the space.

Several layout options were revised during the meetings. This story describes the questions considered during that process and the arrangement visible in photographs. It does not present verified dimensions of final working routes or measured ordering speeds.

CRAC CRACK’s red counter with Order and Pick up signs, product display and staff workspace behind — The counter’s ordering and pickup signs, product display and staff workspaces appear in one scene.

The New Brand’s Character Became a Spatial Rhythm.

‘Crac’ began with the sound of a baguette cracking. We translated that impression through exposed structure and repeated linear lighting, and planned for the red counter to be visible at the centre of the space.

A change of brand is not expressed only when someone looks at a logo or sign. The same spatial impression continues when guests look towards the counter from the bread display, then sit down and face the ceiling and windows.

For this reason, we worked on display and ordering layouts alongside the choice of materials and light. The intention was for the store’s functions and atmosphere to meet within the same story.

Exposed ceiling structure, repeated linear lighting, red display and window seating at CRAC CRACK — Exposed structure, linear lighting and a red display continue through the interior.

After Choosing Bread, Where Would Guests Stay?

From the window seating at CRAC CRACK, guests can see the courtyard and water feature. Outside, seats beneath parasols face the places indoors.

The picnic direction considered during planning extended beyond display and packaging to the relationship between places where guests could stay with bread and coffee. We thought together about sitting inside, looking out and spending time outdoors.

When planning a store for a new brand, we ask not only what will be sold, but also where guests will spend time after choosing it and what that time might be like.

Courtyard, water feature and outdoor seating seen from the window seats at CRAC CRACK — The courtyard and water feature share the view from the window seats.

Parasols and outdoor seating around CRAC CRACK’s central water feature, with the interior visible through the windows — Outdoor places beside the water feature, with the interior visible beyond.

BEFORE A CONVERSATION

Start with How You Want the Store to Operate.

You do not need a fully developed concept. Looking at the difficulties in your current store alongside the products you plan to introduce can start a conversation about the spatial planning you need.

What Will Change?

Your new menu and products, display and packaging arrangements, and the impression you want the new brand to give guests.

How Will People Work and Stay?

Staffing, ordering and pickup arrangements, staff tasks, required seating and how indoor and outdoor areas will be used.

What Are Your Starting Conditions?

Current plans or photographs, the parts you want to change, your intended schedule and the budget under consideration. Let us know which items remain undecided.

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