Aricot Vert cooks up Frango identity

Fleet consultancy Aricot Vert has cooked up a funky chicken identity for fledgling restaurant chain Frango, which has an eye on challenging brands like Nando’s in the ‘fast casual’ food market.

The group has created the name – which means ‘chicken’ in Portuguese – logo, stationery, interiors, website, signage and staff uniforms, working closely with the start-up team, led by managing director Bruce Hodgeson.

Frango’s first restaurant in Kingston-Upon-Thames opened this week. Hodgeson has identified further sites, but is reluctant to divulge how quickly he wants the chain to grow. He regards Nando’s, with around 80 outlets in the UK, as his main competitor, adding, ‘We hope we’ve created a formula that will work’.

The chicken is flamed-grilled in front of the customer, who can choose from a range of spicy marinades.

The Kingston restaurant has over 100 seats. Aricot Vert managing director Lin Arigho says its design style is ‘eclectic’, aimed at ‘the young at heart’.

Hodgeson adds, ‘We don’t want to be a themed Portuguese restaurant. [The idea is] let’s take some world influences from food and design [and] a catchy word as a brand, make it work and then consider how to expand.’

The mascot-style identity was created by Aricot Vert designer Ruth Eliott-Cooke. The group won the work without a pitch in June.