Being selected to brand Wade’s Jr. was not something we took lightly.
Wade’s Restaurant has been a Spartanburg institution since 1947, a 2024 James Beard America’s Classics Award winner, and one of the most recognized names in the Upstate. When the Lindsey family announced they were expanding with a modern, to-go focused concept at 3008 Reidville Road, the design challenge was clear: build a brand that feels like a natural evolution of something beloved – not a copy of it, and not a departure from it.
The centerpiece of the Wade’s Jr. identity is the logo. Wade’s original brand featured their iconic yeast roll as a character – a signature so recognizable it had practically become the face of the restaurant. Our job was to take that character and give it a “Jr.” treatment: same DNA, new energy. We modernized the illustration, cleaned up the linework, and gave the character a younger, more expressive personality that fits a faster, more casual concept. Think of it as the original’s kid – same family resemblance, different vibe. The result is a logo that longtime Wade’s fans will recognize immediately, while feeling fresh enough to anchor a brand-new restaurant.
From there, we built out a full marketing and brand collateral system designed to launch a restaurant from day one. The brand was refreshed with updated veggie characters and a new logo inspired by the iconic yeast roll – and that vegetable motif carries through everything: a custom repeating brand pattern that tiles across to-go bags, cup wraps, and backgrounds throughout the system.
The collateral suite covers the full customer journey. We designed branded cups, to-go bags, and packaging; kids’ activity menus with seasonal themes; curbside pickup signage explaining the two-step order process; comment cards and feedback collateral; recruitment billboards driving applicants to wadesjr.com/apply; and apparel in multiple colorways featuring both a building illustration and the badge mark. Every piece was built to work together – so whether a customer is seeing the brand on a billboard on Reidville Road or pulling away from the curbside lane with a bag in hand, the experience is consistent.