From Restaurant Brand to Retail Success

 
 

This project charts the journey of Pigeon House Restaurant from a much-loved local dining destination into a scalable retail food brand, sold through supermarkets and most notably the acclaimed Barnhill Stores. It’s a clear example of how strong restaurant branding, when thoughtfully extended, can thrive far beyond the table.

After successfully branding the Pigeon House Restaurant in Bray, the next challenge was ambitious but focused: translate the warmth, personality and food credibility of the restaurant into a cook-at-home retail range that could sit confidently in premium supermarket environments.

The brief wasn’t simply to design packaging. It was to build a retail-ready brand system that preserved the soul of the restaurant while meeting the practical, visual and commercial demands of chilled supermarket shelves.

Strategic Thinking First

We began by identifying what made Pigeon House special. Not just the food, but the attitude: relaxed confidence, ingredient-led cooking, and a sense of everyday indulgence. This DNA became the foundation for every design decision that followed.

From there, we developed a clear brand hierarchy that allowed:

  • Pigeon House to remain the hero brand

  • Barnhill Stores to be confidently dual-branded, without compromise

  • Individual dishes to shine through appetite-led photography and clear naming

This balance was critical. Dual branding can often dilute identity, but here it became a mark of trust and quality.

Packaging Designed for Real Retail

The cook-at-home range included pizzas, prepared meals and sauces. Each format required careful consideration of:

  • Label architecture and information hierarchy

  • Colour coding and range navigation

  • Shelf standout at distance and clarity up close

  • Consistency across multiple pack types and sizes

We created a flexible packaging system that worked across foil trays, pizza wraps and soup tubs, while maintaining instant recognisability. Bold colour blocking, confident typography and honest food photography ensured the range felt modern, premium and approachable.

From Shelf to Basket

Importantly, the designs were tested in real supermarket environments. Seeing the range live in Barnhill Stores allowed us to fine-tune contrast, legibility and impact under retail lighting and alongside competitor products. The result was packaging that didn’t whisper politely on the shelf, but spoke clearly and confidently without shouting.

The Result

A seamless extension of a restaurant brand into retail.
A cook-at-home range that feels authentic, credible and commercially strong.
And a blueprint for how restaurants can successfully scale into supermarkets without losing who they are.

Planning a move from restaurant to retail? Let’s talk.