TOAST! A Rebrand and Repositioning Project
Boasting an ideal location to watch the amazing sunsets in Ocean City, MD, TOAST needed a branding overhaul. The New York Style Italian Dining & Pizza establishment was formerly located across the bay tucked into a small shopping plaza. With a built-in local following, the owner decided to take a risk and expand the restaurant and bar into a much larger facility with a prime view. Of course, this meant increasing his business to more than just the loyal locals.
This is the deck of TOAST. The entire restaurant and outdoor bar and tables face this amazing sunset location.
TOAST is an Italian Restaurant in a new location in search of an identity. They needed a completely new look and feel, and we began with the logo, which led us to the proper positioning of the restaurant.
Old TOAST logo
Redesigned TOAST logo
Sophistication, class, and style. This logo properly positions the restaurant as a modern eatery.
We worked very closely with the owner, Mike, who was “all-in” on getting his wonderful restaurant seen, heard, and recognized. While we designed the logo, we began to nail down the positioning of the restaurant. TOAST has excellent food, those who knew if its existence knew this to be true. Their pizza is always cited as one of the best pizzas in Ocean City. The dough is handmade, the ingredients are fresh, the food is amazing.
The problem was this: there are so many (lousy) pizza and pasta places crowding the near boardwalk and heavily trafficked area, how do we differentiate TOAST? Visitors scout restaurants on their phones before visiting. How do we get new discerning customers in the door? How do we attract locals who have heard of TOAST but have never given them a try? What “kind” of restaurant is it? Is it any good? How do we position TOAST?
This restaurant deserves to be on par with the nicest and most highly rated restaurants in Ocean City, MD. This is not your average pizza parlor. TOAST is a family friendly and classy joint. There are only a handful of “respected” dining establishments in this part of Ocean City, and we were determined to make TOAST one of them. You can get an excellent meal, eat indoor or outdoor, watch the beautiful sunset in a comfortable location, and have an amazing and sophisticated dining experience.
TOAST had no web presence, so we built their website according to positioning the restaurant as a sophisticated dining experience with an Ocean City Twist: Have great food, at a great price, on the water, next to the marina, watch the sunset, and enjoy the beautiful and laid-back ambiance.
Within 4 months the TOAST website had 10,000 unique visitors. Online ordering was available before; however, the site drove substantial traffic to the online ordering system.
The new TOAST Website features video, drone, product photos, online ordering, book a party options, all menu and specials, and much more.
Working closely with the owner on a new logo and new website build, we also began designing:
(super fun) weekly specials
completely new print marketing materials
direct mailing of a newly designed menu
staff uniforms
branded pizza cutters
signage
new merchandise for purchase
We are confident our work will double TOAST’s business within a year, adding to this a great reputation and word of mouth.
Spring of 2025 looks bright for TOAST with design enhancements via signage and decoration to their indoor and outdoor locations.
TOAST was our favorite client to date, and we are certain of their success in 2025.
Are you ready to start a project?