Restaurant Hot Take: Food > Branding. But Barely.

That NYT article making the rounds (you know the one), “Is the Restaurant Good? Or Does It Just Look Good?” basically argues that in the age of Instagram interiors, vibes win over flavor.

Yeah… almost.

They got one thing right: branding is the first bite. Interiors set the tone. Good design gets people in the door. But if the food flops? You’re toast.

At Paper Laundry, we don’t believe in fluff. We believe in brands that back up the hype. In dishes that are actually good. In giving a damn about what the napkins look like and what’s on the plate.

Case in Point: Boombots Pasta.

Restaurateurs Cara and Cliff Blauvelt already had a smash hit with Odie B’s, their bodega-style sandwich joint in Denver’s Sunnyside neighborhood. When they came to us with a new concept, they had a clear vision: a sister restaurant serving pasta with swagger. Streetwear meets soul food. A little bougie, a little cheeky. Idiot-level good.

They even had the name: Boombots: Italian-American slang for “idiot,” which they wear with pride.

“Being a Boombot means you care so much you’re willing to risk looking ridiculous,” Cliff told us. “We’re idiots about pasta. Idiots about good food. And we wanted the brand to reflect that.”

How Does a Restaurant Get Its Look? 

We kicked things off with our signature brand questionnaire, equal parts strategy doc and dinner party psych test, to get inside the head of the concept. Then came moodboards, gut-checks, taste-making. The tone had to be fun but grounded. Stylish but not trend-chasing. We were building something distinct, and it couldn’t feel like anyone else’s space.

And that space? It came to life thanks to Regular Architecture. Architect Kevin Nguyen worked alongside us from the jump, designing a restaurant that feels cohesive down to the last tile.

“When a space is designed around the way people actually cook and eat, it makes everything better — from the service flow to the guest experience,” says Kevin. “We wanted Boombots to feel like it had a soul, not just a style.”

Together, we shaped the brand across every touchpoint: menu design, palette, tone of voice, cheeky raccoon mascot with a pasta problem. (We even designed the wallpaper in the bathroom.) 

Vibe definitely matters. The New York Times got that right. But food as an afterthought to brand? Not a great strategy. 

No amount of lighting or logo work will save a bad meal – you can quote us on that one. If the plate doesn’t live up to the brand, people feel duped. They don’t return. You don’t get a second shot at trust.

“For us, the food is the essence of the vibe,” says Boombots owner Cara Blauvelt. “If the food isn’t delicious, nothing else matters. The brand should raise expectations, but it’s the food that confirms them.”

We recently hit up the Boombots pop-up to preview some of the dishes, and we can confirm: the food delivers. From squid ink noodles to Tabasco fried-chicken pasta, every dish is just as smart, unexpected, and satisfying as the brand promised.

The Best Brands Don’t Just Attract. They Deliver. 

At Paper Laundry, we’re not in the business of creating branding for branding’s sake. We build brands that actually work — for operators, for chefs, for the people showing up hungry and deciding whether to come back.

That means designing with context. Collaborating across teams. Understanding that a great restaurant brand isn’t just about a killer logo or an Instagrammable corner. It’s about alignment between the food, the space, the service, the story.

Because a brand should never just look good. It should hold up plate after plate.

Hungry to work with us? Reach out today.