Idea? Check. Execution? Eh…
While visiting the US I stopped by Take a Bao, a new concept installed in the food court at Century City’s Westfield Mall. Despite feeling a bit funny about traveling all the way to LA for a Chinese-inspired lunch, I was drawn in by my fascination with fusion food, Take a Bao’s visual identity work, and the fact that I love char siu bao.
The idea for the place seems pretty straightforward. In their own words, they “took tasty bao dough, rolled it flat and stuffed it with our own innovative, asian-inspired fillings.” Their menu makes it seem that they have a good handle on their (presumed) target eater, with plenty of other Asian-inspired options and premium niche drinks, like Izze sodas (a personal favorite).
The design work is great. The name’s a bit cutesy for my taste, but at least it instantly communicates the idea (to me, at least). I love the minimalism and consistent use of the bao dumpling shape as a graphic motif. That’s the shape you see framing the photograph above, and it’s repeated everywhere from the back of a business card I took from the restaurant, to the baseball caps the servers were wearing, to the favicon on the website. Really simple and clean.
Me (not) enjoying a Take a Bao sandwich
Unfortunately, everything fell apart—figuratively and literally—when my food came. Traditional bao is just dough and barbecue pork, so if you’re changing the filling, you’d better get the dough right. And they didn’t. It was chewy, not soft and fluffy like it should be. Secondly, while I commend Take a Bao for attempting bao-dough sandwiches, it’s a completely different (and less satisfying) experience than eating a bao dumpling. The second you pick up a sandwich, everything slips out onto your hands and plate, which is not only messy but also prevents eaters from experiencing the intended flavor combination (food-fusion fission?). Lastly, I really think they should offer something closer to traditional char sui bao. Call me a stick in the mud, but it’s always been a pet peeve of mine when restaurants don’t properly represent dishes they’re named for (like, why does Waffle House have so few waffle options?). And why use the bao shape everywhere if you don’t actually serve dumplings?
The lesson for any brand is obvious: a unique and appealing idea and clean identity design may turn heads and bring in first-time customers, but if you fail to meet some basic expectations (especially those that you’ve implied through name and design), first-time customers may be all you get.
Thanks to Dad for taking the picture.
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@Andrew: Hmm…ok, I’ll give you that. But it’s nteresting that the shape was what confirmed for me that I had correctly interpreted the name. I suppose it could be doing double duty, reminding us of traditional bao while also representing the bao sandwich. So it creates a visual link between tradition and innovation.
Have you been there? Curious what you thought of the place, if so.
I think that is what’s brilliant about it. It does connect both traditional and innovative “bao” (although I’m fairly certain the image is intended to be their own bao). I actually go there quite often as I work in the area. I think the food is great as do many of my colleagues. However, it’s important to note that I never expected traditional bao and I’m fairly sure they don’t claim to be traditional so there was no disappointment from that perspective. I find many people ding TAB for not being traditional even though they liked the food. Consumer behavior is interesting. Kogi, on the other hand, completely f@%ed with Korean bbq, yet they are worshipped. I suppose it comes down to the food – did you not think it was good or were you just disappointed it wasn’t traditional? (I’m in marketing in case you hadn’t guessed)
No, I actually didn’t like the food very much. And to clarify, it’s not that I expected them to be all that traditional (it was pretty obvious that they wouldn’t be). But I really don’t see any connection between their food and traditional bao other than the fact that it’s Asian-inspired (although Pan-Asian, so it’s not a great connection) and they try to use bao dough in their sandwiches.
And the dough was the real letdown for me. I’m not a dim sum connoisseur, but I know bao dough should be airy and light. I think they had to change it so that it doesn’t stick to your fingers when you pick it up like a sandwich, but the result is that it’s too dense, and doesn’t really even remind me of bao. I also just didn’t think the flavors weren’t that great, and it was almost too messy to enjoy. My wife felt the same way, although she’s probably way more of a bao traditionalist than I am.
I will say that the salads were great, and if I had to eat there again that’s all I’d get. But salad is obviously not their signature product.
And by the way, thanks for commenting. If you’re in marketing, take a peak around the blog and see if there’s anything else that interests you. It’s not all food related…
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“And why use the bao shape everywhere if you don’t actually serve dumplings?”
I think the bun logo is not actually supposed to represent traditional bao, rather their buns from behind – you can even see the shape in the photo you took.