The best SME (Small/Medium Enterprise) branding I’ve seen in a long long time is …..drumroll….

Trolley Car Diner

Philadelphia based cafe/eatery ‘Trolley Car Diner’ offer their customers a very consistent brand image, and a very compelling brand it is.

Not only is their brand imagery extremely appealing to the eye ( yes of course I’m being swayed by my love of all things retro and vintage, but lets not dwell on that ), it seems from my findings that they take their brand ethos behind the image very seriously also. And that’s what branding is all about.

You only have to see their website mission statement (few SMEs even bother with a mission statement for a start) which starts with the words; Taste Good, Be Good, Do Good … simple and heartwarming, just like their diner.

There are several instances of Trolley Car Diner hammering home their brand image, and I’ve cited these below;

The Logo Design Itself

Ok, first of we have the logo design itself. A gorgeous design, beautifully 1950′s retro styling. What makes this design feel so completely retro aside from the Trolley Car (love it) illustration itself is little unassuming details such as;

- The blue shape; the curved shape and the stripes behind it, are reminiscent of the front grill of a 1950s car. Photographer Dan Heller has a nice range of 1950s Cuban cars to view.
- The star within the company name text. Stars (amongst other ‘space age’ icons) were huge in the 1950′s. Andy Nortnik has a vast collection of retro and 1950′s stock art .. where you will witness many stars.
Take a look at this 1950s Space Art >>
- Milkshake, Rattle & Roll tagline … to add further weight to the ’1950s’ diner identity.

The Video On Their Website

I’d recommend watching all of the video on their website homepage, which takes the viewer on a full visual tour of the diner and comprises of an interview of owner Ken Weinstein. He really shows how well an eatery can brand themselves from wall to wall. I’d say this is an excellent example for any new food establishment to learn from and it’s also clear to see what happens when you get a business owner that takes a real pride in what he offers his customers;

The wall art, the furnishings, the menus, the daily boards, the product range and general atmosphere …. indeed every single inch of Trolley Car Diner adheres to the brand identity including fonts, colours and graphics in every area, at a level sufficient to do any of the brand name giants proud.

It Doesn’t Stop There – Souvenirs!
Oh yes, Trolley Car Diner aren’t messing around when it comes to their brand, I begin to wonder if they plan global brand domination … they also offer Trolley Car Diner souvenirs for their fans…

Note that the counter that this mug stands on has the same pattern as the pattern displayed on their website background! Now that is amazing consistency!

A Part Of The Community
Community Service … Trolley Car Diner are not only passionate about their brand, they are passionate about the community around them and are involved in community service schemes.

I’ll remind you of their mission statement opening line “Taste Good, Be Good, Do Good”. This being the ‘do good’ bit.

Details of which you can read about on their website.

I get the feeling if there were a Trolley Car Diner in my local town, I’d most definitely be a regular. I may even buy a mug or two.