Federico’s Restaurant

As part of the transition from generation to generation of a family-owned franchise, the newest members prioritized the development of a new image for their new buildings. A new identity that could even be translated into current existing restaurants. Over the last 30 years, this chain had no identity and was often mistaken or confused for other establishments with similar services. As described by one of the owners, one of the main concerns was that their building “had to be of simple construction, simple forms, and keep their current functionality, as it was something they mastered over the last decade, and they could not afford to start changing.”

In essence, their buildings, a simple 1,800 GSF drive-thru box, had been built with wood framing construction studs and rafters, stucco, and simple materials, providing a space for them to operate. At the same time, their identity had to be created by using heavy signage and advertisement to differentiate themselves from other similar brands.

After reviewing possible options, the restrictions made the design team consider creating an easy-to-build and inexpensive element to help distinguish the simple box building from the rest. The design team explored the possibility of using materials left over from the construction process and/or recycled components that could help them create that new element of distinction. After a few alternatives being explored, the design team decided to use a simple residential-style inverted truss roof system, with the goal of creating a sudden height increase at the front of the building, serving as cover for the indoor dining area, as well as creating an external transition space to invite you into the building interior. The new element was then softened by using wood tones carefully selected to mimic a wood trellis structure.