The Butterscotch Den
Steakhouse & dive bar
Client: Irish Hospitality
Location: Sacramento, CA
A neighborhood bar at heart that aims to bring hospitality back to this refreshed space. The bar flip of Arthur Henry’s Ruby Room provided us with the right bones to update to a high-volume “captured in time” concept. We reconfigured the bar service wells, gave a makeover to the walls, updated the lighting palette, re-designed the backbar and provided a retro 1970s face-lift to bring this ready-to-grill BBQ concept back to life.
DELIVERABLES
Interior Design
Brand Identity
Menu Design
Coasters
Gift Cards
T-shirt
Marketing Collateral
Photography:
Anna Wick Photography
UTILIZING SURFACE AREA
The space was a low-budget flip as the restaurant group is still battling the effects of the pandemic. Luckily it was originally modeled after one of our favorite bars in San Diego, Turf Supper Club. This mid-century dive was the inspiration for the flip ~ to create our own retro steakhouse that feels like it was built decades ago and survived the test of time. We kept the ugly carpet and the weathered faux leather booths and focused most of the updated interior design on the wall surfaces in the space. Loud 1970s wall-paper was added to the main dining room as our one big splurge (but we got it on sale). For the walls in the bar, we implemented a inexpensive effect by using a single color of navy blue paint in rotating finishes of eggshell and gloss stripes to create some dimension when light hits it.
MAKING THE BACK BAR pop!
The back bar from the previous occupants was under-utilized, so we embraced true dive bar stylings and created custom shelving with Age West Industries for dynamic wine bottle display & storage and stepped shelves to showcase the extensive liquor collection. The back bar liquor shelves were lit using LED light strips in a channel beneath yellow tap plastic strips to highlight the bottles with a golden glow.
THE BRAND IDENTITY
The Brand Identity is composed the main logotype with or without the informative taglines “Ready to Grill Steaks” and “Martinis Served Ice Cold.” The concept for this bar involved some educating of guests, so it was crucial that we be straight-forward and set expectations so that no one was surprised when their steak arrived raw. The secondary logo is a minimal icon to be used in smaller applications, such as on the menu covers and ice stamp as seen in the images above and below.
ADDING IN THE LOGO
Rather than hang artwork or shelves above these tiered bottles, we installed mirror panels to open up the space which allows bar guests to see and feel connected to the main dining room. We hired artist John Dozier to custom paint our logo on the center of the back wall - similar to an old beer mirror you would find in a pub. We then flanked the logo with two golden ceiling lights as sconces that shimmer light across the mirror adding to the dim butterscotch glow during dinner service.
Brand Collateral
Sticking with the mid-century retro design aesthetic, the secondary artwork for the branding references the vintage designs found on old match books and coasters from the era. We can’t take full credit for the amazing t-shirt concept, as that goes to Brand Director Trevor Easter. We did however illustrate his idea and ordered a custom Jesus branding iron that he uses on random guests’ steaks.
MENUS & COASTERS
The entire concept is a not-too-serious bar with inexpensive drinks and a food program that encourages guest mingling, so the menu design features artwork and fonts that are loud and playful. We ordered two custom branded covers in marshmallow and ochre (a 4-panel for the bar and a 6-panel for the restaurant) and then designed the pages to fit perfectly. The coasters feature a custom scalloped die-cut reminiscent of mid-century steakhouse napkins and come in three colors: mint, butterscotch and cream.
SOCIAL MEDIA
The social media launch was a carefully designed glimpse into the space that covered 12 grid panels. We had kept the flip such a secret that it only felt appropriate to have our initial “landing page” showcase the entire interior and branding as a whole. Our marketing design aesthetic is perfectly captured in this Coco Lamarr graphic, uniting sepia-toned photographs with a collage aesthetic to create something classic.
Wall ARt
Lastly we have to give a quick shout out to Jane Asher’s “Fancy Dress” DIY Costume Book. We were so inspired by these images that we purchased the vintage book used, scanned the photos at high-resolution, then printed and custom framed our favorites. When you visit, take a moment to walk through the dining room to glimpse at some of the most ridiculous images ever, the butterfly costume is our favorite.