Marketing

Mo’ Bettahs betting on rebrand

When Hawaiians Kimo and Kalani Mack set out to create a fast casual brand in 2008, they dreamed of sharing their strong culture with people all over the U.S. Nearly 15 years later, the brothers are on their way.

The founders worked with the in-house creative and marketing teams at Savory Fund, its primary investor, to create a playful and powerful look that they've implemented in all new stores since late 2022.

February 16, 2023

When brothers Kimo and Kalani Mack set out to create a fast casual brand in 2008 in Utah, they dreamed of sharing their strong Hawaiian culture of aloha (love) rooted in ohana (family), traditions, the ocean and the ʻāina (land) with people all over the U.S. Nearly 15 years later, the brothers are on their way, opening the 40th location later this month in Edmond, Oklahoma.

And to celebrate their success, the duo recently embarked on a redesign created to deliver a taste of home.

From the décor to the colors to the fonts, every element pays homage to the founders roots and "aunties who were incredible cooks," Kimo said in an interview with FastCasual. "There is often a misunderstanding about Hawaiian food and culture. Pineapples, tiki torches, hula skirts — that isn't the real Hawaii that we grew up with. As Mo' Bettahs has grown, we have taken great care to protect the brand identity and not become a gimmick."

"With the rebrand, we wanted it to feel modern and fresh — but with a vintage, nostalgic heart," Kalani said in an interview with FastCasual. "As we are growing and opening more stores the quality of branding needed to match the high-quality of the food."

The brothers worked with the in-house creative and marketing teams at Savory Fund, its primary investor, to create a playful and powerful look that they've implemented in all new stores since late 2022.

"It gives a nod to the islands without being touristy or gimmicky," Kalani said. "The loose, flowing font represents ocean waves and island breezes — communicating that friendly island feel. The restaurant décor includes 'backyard' shed roofing, the Hawaii state flag, and intricate tribal patterns that pay tribute to our Hawaiian heritage."

Each store also houses a surfboards that has touched Hawaiian waters, which the founders believe will bring them good luck as they ride the wave of each opening.

"Plus, where every other brand in the segment boasts bright hues, we chose a more earthy color palette to convey the authentic Hawaii rather than the commercialized one," Kimo said. "And speaking of colors, many of the décor elements incorporate two hues — blues and greens — as a nod to the Hawaiian oceans and the greenery of the islands."

Operationally, the redesign offers a more convenient setup for customer pickup and off-premise delivery orders, which helps with line congestion and traffic flow and provides a better experience for dine-in guests.

"The focus moving forward is for all new locations to have drive-thrus," Kalani said. "The optimization of drive-thrus and our tech stack — which includes a mobile app, upgraded loyalty program, and an improved online ordering experience — have helped increased off-premise sales. Mo' Bettahs has also focused on providing a dedicated workspace for all off-premise orders, which have increased in the industry over the past several years."

To better understand the renovation process, the chain recently updated a Utah location to the new branding, a process that took just three days to complete.

"With this new understanding, we are now ready to upgrade more legacy locations, starting with our first store in Bountiful, Utah, where Mo' Bettahs began 15 years ago this July," Kimo said.

The chain, which opened 12 stores last year, is planning to add 14 locations by year's end across Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas, Utah, Texas and Las Vegas.