Z-teca Gourmet Burritos Fast Casual Environmental Design
Tags: Fast Casual, Z-teca
z-teca Wraps Up New Restaurant Design
With a successful food court prototype store under their belts, Z-Teca needed a partner that could help them extend their brand as they rolled it out to more corporate stores and eventually franchises. Z-Teca wanted to establish a niche within a growing Mexican-inspired QSR market by providing a superior quality product in an elevated environment.
Positioned as the “Two-Fisted Gourmet”, the restaurant design needed to strike a balance between the portion size of the handheld product offering and the quality ingredients and sumptuous flavours of the premium burritos. The environment mimics this balance by using coarse industrial materials in a refined way through architectural detailing. Working with an energetic colour palette and raw, contemporary material selection, we strategically introduced industrial products like Tru-spec as finish materials, along with poured concrete counters, polished concrete floors, and stainless steel. Exposed fasteners provide strength and contribute to the industrial character that makes the space so unique. To reinforce brand attributes like freshness and customization we created transparency into the kitchen and established visibility of the grill to the consumer.
In keeping with the simplicity of the concept, the clean menu highlights the ease of ordering and explains the process to the consumer. Artwork is location specific and merges neighbourhood references (eg. Theatre District movie posters) with the brand and its product, while gathering tables and comfortable benches promote social interaction. Elements of discovery are featured throughout the space, such as the “hidden Z” artwork and “Z” inspired chair frames which leverage their distinctive name and discretely inspire brand loyalty.
Z-Teca currently has 4 locations throughout the GTA, including their newest location at BMO Field, where they help hordes of hungry fans cheer on Toronto FC of the MLS. Watch for Z-Teca at York University this fall!
