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Monkeypod Kitchen by Merriman
Renowned chef Peter Merriman and his team sought to create a new restaurant in Maui with the potential to grow into multiple locations. He wanted a unique place that would meaningfully combine the interests of his team and his potential audience of diners, many of them Hawaiian tourists.
In addition to naming, brand identity and brand strategy for Monkeypod Kitchen, Shook Kelley also designed the restaurant experience.
Inspired by the team’s passion for craft beer and, even more importantly, chef Peter Merriman’s culinary history, food passion and Hawaiian heritage, the brand strategy focused on the concept of “craft,” referring to things made by hand. This sense of hand-crafted and touched by human hands became a powerful core meaning for the brand, combining the brand’s connection to the natural world in Hawaii, the brand’s home base in Maui and even a relationship to the zen of surfing—the Merriman team’s favorite pastime. Craft is also a socially relevant touchpoint that many people are striving for in their lives. While rooted in a craft ethos, the brand strategy also infused a more lighthearted focus on bringing people together. Monkeypod is all about having fun. In a phrase, the brand’s cause became, “The Craft Of Food, Drink And Merrymaking.”
Shook Kelley created the “Monkeypod Kitchen” name for Merriman, as a central piece of the brand’s new identity. The Monkeypod is a story-rich tree, which, although not native to Hawaii, has a long history there. Legend has it that Mark Twain planted the first monkeypod trees in the 1860’s in Waiohinu, on the big island. And although most people have probably never heard of a monkeypod tree, Shook Kelley recognized it is an immediately accessible word that conjures up images of, well, monkeys and some kind of space where monkeys might live and play—a playful and fun destination. The Monkeypod name establishes a purpose for the handcrafted design of the brand, which encompasses materials, imagery, structure and story.
Monkeypod’s brand identity employs a typographic lock-up connected to an illustrated Monkeypod tree, which also evokes the islands of Hawaii, Hawaiian nature, a handcrafted ethos, shelter and hospitality. The condensed and bold Compacta typeface is typeset with varying baselines, conveying an atmosphere and tonality for the brand. As a restaurant focused on handcrafted quality and natural elements, the logo primarily uses brown and green to support its Hawaiian roots and food philosophy. The secondary color palette and tree as a cropped graphic is available for reinterpretation as print collateral or environmental graphics in the restaurant space. Between multiple restaurant locations, the identity has taken the form of metallic etched glass, surfboards, large environmental wood Monkeypod trees, graphics throughout the space and elements for sale in the “Upcountry Store.” All elements employ natural papers, textures and neutral substrates to extend and support the brand concept.
Craft is also a socially relevant touchpoint that many people are striving for in their lives.
The Monkeypod name, identity and strategy direction helped inform a restaurant experience design that tells the story of the Monkeypod brand and creates an environment with a distinctive look and feel. The restaurant strives for an informal feel, giving the sense of dining on a friend’s porch—a friendly atmosphere reminiscent of a traditional Hawaiian “upcountry” home. The restaurant includes a social lounge, dining room, 40-foot-long bar, pub dining area, wood-fired pizza bar and outdoor dining. Crafted elements, including a glass-fishing-float backdrop and hand-painted surfboards, define the areas. With a strong focus on handcrafted beers, the bar area is a standout experience within the space. Materials used inside the space include monkeypod and other locally sourced woods. And environmental graphic design supports the brand’s overall story and legend by evoking nature and handcrafted imagery. These elements, alongside the use of wood and organic materials more broadly, evoke a design sense of modern primitive.
Monkeypod Kitchen, now with two locations in Hawaii, has become a restaurant destination and a financial success, too. Zagat gave the restaurant high marks, including a 24 score for decor, saying, “Local celeb chef Peter Merriman (Merriman's, Market Cafe, etc.) has another ‘hit’ [with Monkeypod].” Open Table reviewers say they “loved the open air feel of the restaurant” and enjoyed that “The restaurant was a great place to meet and enjoy the lovely sunny day!” And diners are understanding the brand, too: “We did not realize, prior to our dinner there, they are a restaurant that is trying to provide items on their menu that are sourced locally - this is a good thing. It gives visitors a taste of locally grown foods and helps the restaurant be environmentally responsible.” On Yelp, reviewers raved that “It's a great location with amazing atmosphere (and really great bathrooms). The perfect place,” and “This place is a wonderful and probably WAAAY smarter alternative to any restaurant in town on a Saturday evening...Come here to get a taste of Hawaii's finest flavors and still have something ‘new’…with a menu as diverse as Hawaii's population and quality beyond mainstream corporate standards, Monkeypod Kitchen is pretty damn bitchin'!”
Monkeypod tells a story about craft, great food and having a good time that people identify with. And the restaurant itself has become a destination that brings people together, whether it’s for a date night, a get-together with old friends or a memorable dinner for a family vacation. The power of the Monkeypod brand is really in the way it carefully balances a meaningful message—around craft, care for the environment and an engagement with food and cooking—with a social message—around getting together, conversations, fun and merrymaking.
In addition to naming, brand identity and brand strategy for Monkeypod Kitchen, Shook Kelley also designed the restaurant experience.
Inspired by the team’s passion for craft beer and, even more importantly, chef Peter Merriman’s culinary history, food passion and Hawaiian heritage, the brand strategy focused on the concept of “craft,” referring to things made by hand. This sense of hand-crafted and touched by human hands became a powerful core meaning for the brand, combining the brand’s connection to the natural world in Hawaii, the brand’s home base in Maui and even a relationship to the zen of surfing—the Merriman team’s favorite pastime. Craft is also a socially relevant touchpoint that many people are striving for in their lives. While rooted in a craft ethos, the brand strategy also infused a more lighthearted focus on bringing people together. Monkeypod is all about having fun. In a phrase, the brand’s cause became, “The Craft Of Food, Drink And Merrymaking.”
Shook Kelley created the “Monkeypod Kitchen” name for Merriman, as a central piece of the brand’s new identity. The Monkeypod is a story-rich tree, which, although not native to Hawaii, has a long history there. Legend has it that Mark Twain planted the first monkeypod trees in the 1860’s in Waiohinu, on the big island. And although most people have probably never heard of a monkeypod tree, Shook Kelley recognized it is an immediately accessible word that conjures up images of, well, monkeys and some kind of space where monkeys might live and play—a playful and fun destination. The Monkeypod name establishes a purpose for the handcrafted design of the brand, which encompasses materials, imagery, structure and story.
Monkeypod’s brand identity employs a typographic lock-up connected to an illustrated Monkeypod tree, which also evokes the islands of Hawaii, Hawaiian nature, a handcrafted ethos, shelter and hospitality. The condensed and bold Compacta typeface is typeset with varying baselines, conveying an atmosphere and tonality for the brand. As a restaurant focused on handcrafted quality and natural elements, the logo primarily uses brown and green to support its Hawaiian roots and food philosophy. The secondary color palette and tree as a cropped graphic is available for reinterpretation as print collateral or environmental graphics in the restaurant space. Between multiple restaurant locations, the identity has taken the form of metallic etched glass, surfboards, large environmental wood Monkeypod trees, graphics throughout the space and elements for sale in the “Upcountry Store.” All elements employ natural papers, textures and neutral substrates to extend and support the brand concept.
Craft is also a socially relevant touchpoint that many people are striving for in their lives.
The Monkeypod name, identity and strategy direction helped inform a restaurant experience design that tells the story of the Monkeypod brand and creates an environment with a distinctive look and feel. The restaurant strives for an informal feel, giving the sense of dining on a friend’s porch—a friendly atmosphere reminiscent of a traditional Hawaiian “upcountry” home. The restaurant includes a social lounge, dining room, 40-foot-long bar, pub dining area, wood-fired pizza bar and outdoor dining. Crafted elements, including a glass-fishing-float backdrop and hand-painted surfboards, define the areas. With a strong focus on handcrafted beers, the bar area is a standout experience within the space. Materials used inside the space include monkeypod and other locally sourced woods. And environmental graphic design supports the brand’s overall story and legend by evoking nature and handcrafted imagery. These elements, alongside the use of wood and organic materials more broadly, evoke a design sense of modern primitive.
Monkeypod Kitchen, now with two locations in Hawaii, has become a restaurant destination and a financial success, too. Zagat gave the restaurant high marks, including a 24 score for decor, saying, “Local celeb chef Peter Merriman (Merriman's, Market Cafe, etc.) has another ‘hit’ [with Monkeypod].” Open Table reviewers say they “loved the open air feel of the restaurant” and enjoyed that “The restaurant was a great place to meet and enjoy the lovely sunny day!” And diners are understanding the brand, too: “We did not realize, prior to our dinner there, they are a restaurant that is trying to provide items on their menu that are sourced locally - this is a good thing. It gives visitors a taste of locally grown foods and helps the restaurant be environmentally responsible.” On Yelp, reviewers raved that “It's a great location with amazing atmosphere (and really great bathrooms). The perfect place,” and “This place is a wonderful and probably WAAAY smarter alternative to any restaurant in town on a Saturday evening...Come here to get a taste of Hawaii's finest flavors and still have something ‘new’…with a menu as diverse as Hawaii's population and quality beyond mainstream corporate standards, Monkeypod Kitchen is pretty damn bitchin'!”
Monkeypod tells a story about craft, great food and having a good time that people identify with. And the restaurant itself has become a destination that brings people together, whether it’s for a date night, a get-together with old friends or a memorable dinner for a family vacation. The power of the Monkeypod brand is really in the way it carefully balances a meaningful message—around craft, care for the environment and an engagement with food and cooking—with a social message—around getting together, conversations, fun and merrymaking.
