Case Study

Lemonade

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Introduction

Lemonade is a hip, modern cafeteria with an international menu and designer dishware that reflects Los Angeles’ diverse neighborhoods. Founded by chef Alan Jackson in 2008 with his wife and co-founder Heidi Jackson, this fast-casual restaurant now boasts 28 locations across California as well as their first international branch in Dubai.

With an emphasis on fresh, seasonal ingredients, Chef Jackson not only shares his famous recipes but also profiles his formula for eating well. Lemonade was recently featured on Zagat’s 10 Hottest Fast-Casual Chains in Los Angeles and has quickly become a household favorite.

Problem

Lemonade fulfills the need for the “comfy, casual” cafeteria-style food, but it also realizes that customers expect a tailored experience and/or the power to create their own.

So while Lemonade had a colorful, healthy and bright menu needed to create that experience, Chef Jackson needed a way to guide guests to eliminate the feeling of being lost in their “cafeteria style” restaurant. Despite Lemonade’s extensive menu, customers typically choose small side dishes instead of combining complimentary items for a full, satisfying meal experience.

In addition, because Lemonade’s playful, vegetable-centric menu draws from a variety of global influences and changes several times per year, it was very costly for the restaurant to redesign and reprint their menus each time this happened.

Goals

Wayfinding to guide guest through their experience

To highlight Chef Alan’s food paring ideas

Create a vibrant, eye catching visual that keeps customers coming back for more

Solution

We placed a digital menu board above each station to clearly indicate the food group section and the corresponding items below, making it easier for customers to navigate their way to their desired counter and make their selections.

To highlight Chef Alan’s food paring ideas, our design team created stunning images of these plated items and featured them on their corresponding menu boards.

Lemonade at Abbot Kinney features state-of-the-art LED menu boards and new entree food stations in addition to the restaurant’s signature a la carte selections. The menu boards assist guests in choosing from a lineup of custom crafted plates, a carving station with gourmet roasted sous vide steak, chicken and Ahi tuna dishes as well as all-new entree salads and toasted sandwiches. It also features grab-and-go meals and a new line up of fresh cold-pressed lemonades.

The success of this digital menu solution for Lemonade was largely due to the strategic placement of menu boards, allowing customers to find their way to their desired menu items, resulting in shorter wait times and an overall less hectic environment.

Dynamic “food pairing” images inspire customers to purchase complete meals, drinks and sides of which they were previously unaware, resulting in an increase in the average ticket amount.

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“Working with the team at Lemonade has been a wonderful experience for us. We feel like we have grown and expanded with them and we look forward to continuing our partnership for many years to come.”

Mike Sisco, CEO Embed Digital

Result

Lemonade was able to do away with the costly production of new menus. Our expert team of designers work closely with Lemonade’s management and can quickly adjust menu items, prices and special promotions. These changes are then published directly to the specified screen(s) at the specified location(s).

Going forward, along with two new locations slated to open in the Bay Area this summer, Lemonade plans to modernize several other Southern California locations and set the stage for further expansion later in the year.