When the legendary Madame Tussauds decided to expand their star-studded celebrity experience into a Hollywood restaurant, they called on us to help with the restaurant branding and marketing. The team at Madame Tussauds and Merlin Entertainments are pros at creating wax figures, branding attractions and attracting tourists, but they knew that restaurant branding required something different. Branding the first restaurant ever where you can dine with Madame Tussauds celebrity figures was a fun challenge.

Madame Tussauds Hollywood Rooftop Restaurant and Bar (say that after a couple of their classic cocktails!) combined a challenging rooftop location, a half-dozen celebrity wax figures, and the need to market to a target audience of tourists, area workers and event planners. We started the restaurant branding with a strategic session to bring their team into alignment about their vision and goals for the restaurant, and to identify challenges and opportunities for marketing and operations. We turned the Rooftop into an oasis above the hustle and bustle of Hollywood Boulevard, creating a VIP experience that’s accessible to everyone.

As part of the restaurant’s brand strategy, we added a layer of timeless Hollywood glamour to the Rooftop—creating the Hollywood that tourists are looking for, but may not find on the boulevard itself. We literally put the Rooftop in lights, with a logo that is both vintage and modern, and flexible enough to work in multiple variations. To continue the theme, we created a set of illustrations, icons and borders that allow the brand to flex from timeless elegance to Hollywood glam without missing a beat. These restaurant branding elements are already showing up in the Rooftop’s marketing, signage and social media.

The Rooftop—It’s an A-list party, and everyone is invited. Stop by for a drink, Leo’s always at the bar.