Is branding important to a small business?

Rob and Candice in San Francisco circa 1994

Looks good, tastes good, right?

San Francisco of the 1990's was an electric place to be, particularly for a young professional in her 20's. I worked for Gap, Inc. in a creative job with an office nestled at the foot of the Bay Bridge and my husband Rob worked a 10-minute walk away at a firm in the Embarcadero. On the lucky days we could lunch together, we'd walk into Chinatown for the most incredible lunch special at a tiny restaurant – Chef Jia's.

The thing about Chef Jia's is that it was next door to House of Nanking, a renowned tourist attraction. I never ate at Nanking while I lived in SF for a decade because:

• The line was enormous, always enough to block the entrance to Chef Jia's, and

• Any local would laugh to learn you chose anything other than Chef Jia's because the food* was phenomenal and cheap.

Poor Chef Jia's restaurant blocked by the line for House of Nanking

Feeling how I do about color and typography, you'd think I'd be drawn to House of Nanking. I mean, look at that sign! Look at that red storefront! Then look at the sad little script of the Chef Jia's sign behind it. (You might also notice lots of massage signs – North Beach in the 90s was still an attractive adult entertainment destination.)

I finally ate at Nanking in 2023 and it was passable. So what's my point in sharing my reminiscence of a Chinese food lunch special?

Two important lessons:

• Style might impress a customer once, but substance is what keeps them coming back, AND

• Style works in getting people through the door (and buying your merch!)

Yes, it should have been about just the food, but Chef Jia's closed long ago and House of Nanking is still attracting new customers. (I, for one, would not eat there again.) Imagine the business Chef Jia's might have done with a brand refresh.

 Style + substance = brand magic. Do you have both? Want to talk about it?

♥︎ Candice

* my favorite dishes were onion pancakes and spicy cold noodles, the latter of which became an obsession only satisfied this very week with a dish at Bill Kim's Ramen Bar – finally!

[photo via since defunct blog Creating A Foodie]