Roth Sheppard Architects

Each restaurant is designed to reinforce the theme of ‘healthy’ food served to the common ‘Joe’. The restaurants range from 2000 to 3000sf and are typically located in strip shopping center spaces.

Each space is designed to tectonically communicate the theme of the restaurant utilizing a series of components that abstractly reference ideas such as healthy but fast food, sushi, escape, travel, drama, stimulation of the senses, and interaction. These issues are explored and celebrated in the following ways:

• Large-scale insertions, derived from abstractions of the rolled sushi product, transform the banal box by creating allusions to travel, movement, the sea, and escape.
• Natural (and raw) materials such as concrete, wood and steel are utilized to reinforce the economical and healthy aspect of the food. Kinetic shapes and forms further reinforce the notion of movement, fast food and pick up to go.
• Industrial fabrications and exposed infrastructure systems are juxtaposed with elegant millwork insertions to further reinforce the notion of economical and healthy/clean dining. Exposed ducts become light reflectors, spiral lights add detail and spot lighting to individual tables, and accessory items are designed to supplement the architectural moves.

All restaurants maintain a ‘visual branding’ with a consistency of image based on the utilization of a similar material palette, formal language and organizational principals. Variety within this desired consistency is established by exploring scale and geometric juxtapositions relative to the pragmatic organizational diagram.