The Cheeky Neighbour Diner

The Analysis

The food at Relish was always excellent but throughout its 7-year life the space became quite dated, it was time for an update. Their location on Quinpool Road is in the midst of a huge overhaul and quickly becoming a new hot spot for food and drinks within the city. If there was ever a time to update, it was now. The existing facade got entirely lost in the shuffle. The interior space was dark and didn’t lend itself well to the ever-popular Instagram foodies. We made it our mission to brighten up their space and build a brand world that felt unique, inspired and inviting.

DOSE worked along with my construction timelines. Matt and Tim took my fragmented ideas and put an identity to them so we could build a restaurant I am truly proud of. Cheeky Neighbour feels like an extension of me.

– Drew Voegeli, Cheeky Neighbour Diner 

The Cure

The first thing we needed to nail was a name because it would influence all of the touchpoints going forward. Our discovery sessions with Drew led us to ‘The Cheeky Neighbour Diner.’ It was perfect. It played off the owner’s quirkiness while also lending itself well to the community aspect he wanted to infuse in the space.

We went through a series of style scapes together and landed on a bright, contemporary look with pops of greenery and plenty of obscurities. This would give us a fun palette to play with and set the tone for a restaurant that will serve you comfort food with a modern twist.

The art direction is heavily influenced by the Victorian architecture the surrounding community is steeped in. We eventually stumbled into what would typically be a facepalm moment – that ended up being pretty fun to work with. Drew admitted he was a huge cat lover; he thought it would be super cool if we could weave that into the story somehow. It lent itself well to the overarching idea of being a cheeky neighbour, there’s none cheekier than your local street cat. This led us to create a fun brand mascot – the tophat, monocle-wearing cat. Subtle details of this cat persona made its way throughout the full design system.

While we don’t always have the opportunity to influence a physical space in the brand worlds we create – the outcomes when we do, really speak for themselves. The Cheeky Neighbour Diner is a perfect example of the benefits of having that baked into the project scope. Not only is it a ton of fun to collaborate on, but the outcome is a space that looks like it belongs with the rest of the world we created in the brands’ identity. When you walk through the diner doors, it is immediately evident that careful consideration was given to every detail – right down to the custom Dada inspired artwork on the walls.

While still in its’ infancy, The Cheeky Neighbour Diner has become a local favourite. We promise you won’t be able to get your paws off their chicken waffles.

Watching their minds work in real time, brainstorming cool ideas in the construction zone was a fun time!