authentic smokehouse restaurants . It was this in-depth experience which determined which elements of the deep Southern smokehouse would be best to bring back to the UK .
Nathan Stevenson , Design Manager at Harrison , comments : “ One of the most important things we saw was smokehouse restaurants are all about the smoker . The smokers and cooking are upfront and on show to emphasise the craft of the pit masters and quality of the food . The design is usually secondary and very simple , often put together in a haphazard way and with an ‘ undesigned ’ quality . A lot of restaurants are in large industrial spaces , barns or timber cabin-type buildings , with raw materials and finishes that have an aged patina to them .
“ We wanted to incorporate this into our design , dialling up the American-isms and introducing elements to make the spaces feel like they had been built , developed , and added to over time in an ad hoc way rather than meticulously designed , evoking that quirky , eclectic feel that we had seen in the US restaurants . What ’ s more , from our tour we wanted to bring home some artifacts to incorporate and emphasise the look and feel of these smokehouses . This included hooks from flea markets to go on the back of the toilet doors , among many others . A stuffed alligator may even have made the journey home ...”
A refined and updated brand identity for the new phase of the restaurant ’ s journey :
For the new phase of the Hickory ’ s design , Harrison wanted to tread the line and strike a balance between the authentic deep-south smokehouse feel , whilst also bringing in touches of refinement more akin to a New York steakhouse , an important aspect for UK diners . What ’ s more , each Hickory ’ s location had to remain unique . While sharing a common design ethos , every location will continue to approach each new Hickory ’ s as a fresh , new project , drawing on elements which reflect the local area and community .
Having both designers in the UK and US ( Dallas ) allowed the team to approach the brief ensured when translating such a big part of American culture for a British audience , it was done in such a way which would resonate well .
Stevenson adds , “ One of the most important things about a Hickory ’ s is it offers customers a feeling of escapism . Diners should feel transported by the atmosphere , décor , and food to a place in the southern states . At the same time , we ’ re conscious we are designing for the UK where perceptions are different from the US . While we want it to be authentic and real , not a ‘ cookie cutter ’ approach . The challenge for us was to incorporate the experiences from
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