How does a group of beloved brands become one entity?
With growing offerings and teams, this hospitality group needed a parent company to streamline operations and represent the common values and quality.
Brazen Standard Hospitality
How does a group of beloved brands become one entity?
With growing offerings and teams, this hospitality group needed a parent company to streamline operations and represent the common values and quality.
Brazen Standard Hospitality
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Who They Are:
Powerful Partnership
Co-owner, Dan Nowak steadily built the success of Tall Guy and a Grill with a passion for food and grilling. What started as tailgates and parties ballooned into beautiful weddings and events with the addition of partner Alissa Shiffman, and their quick rise in popularity.
Fan-Awarded Favorite
Rave reviews, word of mouth referrals, and grassroots popularity led to back-to-back awards. Tall Guy and a Grill has annually been recognized by national media, like The Knot, and local media like Milwaukee Magazine and Wisconsin Bride.
Certified Eco-Friendly
Tall Guy and a Grill is the first and only in Milwaukee to be a certified Green Caterer. From compostable serveware, donating extra food, and composting scraps, waste reduction is a significant priority in their operations and offerings.
Who They Are:
Powerful Partnership
Co-owner, Dan Nowak steadily built the success of Tall Guy and a Grill with a passion for food and grilling. What started as tailgates and parties ballooned into beautiful weddings and events with the addition of partner Alissa Shiffman, and their quick rise in popularity.
Fan-Awarded Favorite
Rave reviews, word of mouth referrals, and grassroots popularity led to back-to-back awards. Tall Guy and a Grill has annually been recognized by national media, like The Knot, and local media like Milwaukee Magazine and Wisconsin Bride.
Certified Eco-Friendly
Tall Guy and a Grill is the first and only in Milwaukee to be a certified Green Caterer. From compostable serveware, donating extra food, and composting scraps, waste reduction is a significant priority in their operations and offerings.
the situation:
Expanding Offerings
A state alcohol license allowed them to create a bar service brand — The Crafted Tavern. And with a collective of local dessert makers, The Dessert Cart offers a sweet ending.
Rebounding from Lockdown
As gatherings kicked back into gear, their calendar quickly filled with bookings. And not just the usual kind, they were getting hired for larger and more prestigious events.
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Encouraging the Craft
Way before Top Chef set Milwaukee as their stage for a season, they were passionate about celebrating the culinary talent around them, from James Beard award-chefs to cultivating local talent.
the situation:
Expanding Offerings
A state alcohol license allowed them to create a bar service brand — The Crafted Tavern. And with a collective of local dessert makers, The Dessert Cart offers a sweet ending.
Rebounding from Lockdown
As gatherings kicked back into gear, their calendar quickly filled with bookings. And not just the usual kind, they were getting hired for larger and more prestigious events.
Encouraging the Craft
Way before Top Chef set Milwaukee as their stage for a season, they were passionate about celebrating the culinary talent around them, from James Beard award-chefs to cultivating local talent.
the challenges:
Raising Recognition
Their new brands and parent company need to instantly associate and build from Tall Guy and a Grill's reputation.
Marketing
Actual Flames
July 4th fireworks ignited a late night fire in their facilities, setting their only prep kitchen and truck on fire at peak wedding season.
Operations
Mature Rivals
Milwaukee already has a handful of established hospitality groups, some around for generations and some with a monopoly over traditional venues.
Strategy
Staff Shortages
Due to little interest after the pandemic, it became harder to find seasonal staff. And more concerning, local culinary schools were reporting fewer students.
Team
Family Resemblance
A new parent brand would need to reflect the core values of all their current brands, and appeal to a wide range of settings and audiences.
Branding
Family Dynamics
The new parent brand also needed flexibility for future expansion, whether adding another brand or starting an endeavor to reignite passion for culinary training.
Positioning
the aftermath:
Growing Pains
Lack of a blueprint made the brand unclear when planning a marketing push and new location design.
operations
There is a TON of amazing content there in all the brand positioning, purpose, mission statement, etc and that is all 100% on brand for what we are trying to accomplish. I'm excited to start working all of that wording onto the future website and social media brands.”
— Dan Nowak, partner, CEO
the New Opportunities:
Drastic Growth
They grew rapidly in popularity, production, and staff size.
Drastic Growth
They grew rapidly in popularity, production, and staff size.
the challenges:
Raising Recognition
Their new brands and parent company need to instantly associate and build from Tall Guy and a Grill's reputation.
Marketing
Actual Flames
July 4th fireworks ignited a late night fire in their facilities, setting their only prep kitchen and truck on fire at peak wedding season.
Operations
Mature Rivals
Milwaukee already has a handful of established hospitality groups, some around for generations and some with a monopoly over traditional venues.
Strategy
Staff Shortages
Due to little interest after the pandemic, it became harder to find seasonal staff. And more concerning, local culinary schools were reporting fewer students.
Team
Family Resemblance
A new parent brand would need to reflect the core values of all their current brands, and appeal to a wide range of settings and audiences.
Branding
Family Dynamics
The new parent brand also needed flexibility for future expansion, whether adding another brand or starting an endeavor to reignite passion for culinary training.