Fresh out of the box

New fast-food concepts open all the time, slavishly following the latest food fad. Mark Yates, the restaurant entrepreneur behind The Gourmet Hotdog Company, had a more interesting idea - to go back to the beginning, and to reinvent the oldest fast food. He set out to completely redefine the public expectation of hotdogs - made with the best quality ingredients, with quirky recipes and strong green overtones; modern, not traditional; international, not necessarily American; endlessly reinterpretable (we worked out that there are over 100,000 unique hotdog combinations).        

A special recipe

The potential for new fast food brands is not just to develop them locally or even nationally, but to export the concept to anywhere in the world.

To create a globally-relevant brand from scratch is a fantastic opportunity, especially given the potential for a life-time supply of fast food if we got it right, but where to start? 

With the logo, perhaps? Simple, fun and elegant, with modern, non-foody colours, and a bespoke typeface that also runs throughout the brand? Or with the packaging, developed to be leak-free and stackable, but still biodegradable? Or the menu system, set on giant screens with giant illustrated hotdogs building before your eyes? Or with the way the food is served, from copper pods that can be installed on any site, made larger or smaller like lego, and set on wheels to go to festivals and terminals? Luckily, we were able to work on them all. 

Filling up

The pilot store opened in London's Berwick Street on Valentine's Day 2008. Based on the response to this store, further stores are already being prepared for opening across London and further afield. Also expect to see the transportable version of the hotdog pods at a festival or exhibition centre near you this summer.