Zafran Indian Bistro
Zafran
Indian Bistro
Repositioning an established Indian restaurant brand across seven locations
making the experience more current without losing what existing customers already valued.
Repositioning an established Indian restaurant brand across seven locations making the experience more current without losing what existing customers already valued.
Changing the brand without making it unfamiliar
Changing the brand without making it unfamiliar
Zafran had history, recognition and a loyal customer base across the UAE and Saudi Arabia. The opportunity was not to start again. It was to make the brand more relevant, more consistent and better connected across the full dining experience.
Zafran had history, recognition and a loyal customer base across the UAE and Saudi Arabia. The opportunity was not to start again. It was to make the brand more relevant, more consistent and better connected across the full dining experience.
Role - Client-side Brand Lead
Year - 2023 - 2025
Scope - Branding, Market positioning, Customer experience and acquisition, Menu engineering, Compset analysis, Digital & print, Multi-venue management
Business challenge
Business challenge
The brand had history. The market had moved.
Customer expectations were changing and competition was increasing. Zafran needed to appeal to a younger generation of diners without making long-standing guests feel that the restaurant they knew had disappeared.
A visual refresh alone would not solve that. The brand was experienced through the food, menu, interiors, service, staff, digital presence and communications. Those parts needed to move together.
The brand had history. The market had moved.
Customer expectations were changing and competition was increasing. Zafran needed to appeal to a younger generation of diners without making long-standing guests feel that the restaurant they knew had disappeared.
A visual refresh alone would not solve that. The brand was experienced through the food, menu, interiors, service, staff, digital presence and communications. Those parts needed to move together.
Objective
Objective
Evolve what worked. Change what no longer did.
The aim was to reposition Zafran as a more contemporary Indian dining experience while keeping the familiarity and authenticity that had built loyalty over time.From discovering the restaurant online to sitting down, ordering and interacting with staff, customers needed to experience one clear brand.
Evolve what worked. Change what no longer did.
The aim was to reposition Zafran as a more contemporary Indian dining experience while keeping the familiarity and authenticity that had built loyalty over time.
From discovering the restaurant online to sitting down, ordering and interacting with staff, customers needed to experience one clear brand.
What we did
What we did
Treat the restaurant as the brand.
Working client-side, a 30TEN founder led the repositioning and worked with branding, interior design and operations teams to carry the direction across the business.
One of the key decisions was changing the name from Zafran Indian Bistro to Zafran Indian Kitchen — a warmer, more direct expression of the experience the brand wanted to create.
The new direction then carried through:
brand identity and tone of voice;
interiors and restaurant environment;
menu strategy, design and engineering;
product development;
staff uniforms and training;
social, digital and customer communications.
Rather than change seven restaurants at once, the new concept was piloted in one location first.
Treat the restaurant as the brand.
Working client-side, a 30TEN founder led the repositioning and worked with branding, interior design and operations teams to carry the direction across the business.
One of the key decisions was changing the name from Zafran Indian Bistro to Zafran Indian Kitchen — a warmer, more direct expression of the experience the brand wanted to create.
The new direction then carried through:
brand identity and tone of voice;
interiors and restaurant environment;
menu strategy, design and engineering;
product development;
staff uniforms and training;
social, digital and customer communications.
Rather than change seven restaurants at once, the new concept was piloted in one location first.
Outcome
Outcome
Tested in one restaurant. Rolled out across seven.
The pilot gave the business a practical way to assess the new direction before committing to a wider rollout.
The concept was then implemented across all seven restaurant locations, creating a more consistent expression of the brand across the environment, menu, service and digital experience.
The change was substantial, but the principle stayed simple:
Make it new enough to matter. Familiar enough to still feel like Zafran.
Tested in one restaurant. Rolled out across seven.
The pilot gave the business a practical way to assess the new direction before committing to a wider rollout.
The concept was then implemented across all seven restaurant locations, creating a more consistent expression of the brand across the environment, menu, service and digital experience.
The change was substantial, but the principle stayed simple:
Make it new enough to matter. Familiar enough to still feel like Zafran.
Attribution
Attribution
Led client-side across brand repositioning, customer experience and multi-site rollout, working with branding, interior and operations teams.
Led client-side across brand repositioning, customer experience and multi-site rollout, working with branding, interior and operations teams.
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