Lobster Shop

Legacy seafood spot serves up a fresh look after 35 years of waterfront fine dining.

Client: Lobster Shop has been the go-to fine dining seafood spot in Tacoma, Washington since 1977. Known for special-occasion reservations and their “100 best dining views in America,” Lobster Shop has been both an award-winning dining locale and a beloved community staple.  

Case: When first partnering with Lobster Shop, they had a 35-years-unchanged brand, clientele and marketing strategy. They were initially interested in a logo redesign which, over time, resulted in our long-term marketing partnership with the restaurant. Lobster Shop’s owner knew that after 3.5 decades of patronage, the restaurant needed a visual overhaul — inside and out — to pivot their relevance and meet the expectations of a shifting clientele.

Result: We were able to develop a completely refreshed direction, logo, and look for Lobster Shop restaurant, based on their best assets: impeccable water views, “best of” dining experience, and exceptional culinary offerings.

The crux of the brand was perfected product photography (food, restaurant space and lifestyle). We set up 12 seasonal product photoshoots (food, lifestyle and location photography), becoming the restaurant’s in-house photographer, resulting in a library of over 5,000 marketing photos. We worked to grow their digital presence and expanding their audience reach, by promoting a visual experience that matched the in-person excellence of the restaurant.

We eventually became their full-service marketing resource with services including [but not limited to] digital marketing — social media and content creation, web management, email marketing, print advertising and vendor resourcing, project management, and ongoing photography services. We helped to overhaul the restaurant’s interior elements by updating their entire menu systems (sourced new menu covers & updated menu layouts) and website.

With targeted community marketing we were able to have Lobster Shop named “Best Restaurant” in the South Sound every year through of our partnership and helped the restaurant to appear in both local publications and national review sites. 

*Initial logo redesign delivered while Creative Director at VSG (designed exclusively by Margaret Denton). Work with client resumed independent of the agency 2 years after leaving VSG. In 2022, the restaurant was sold and marketing was assumed by a local restaurant chain.