A rebrand for Sizzler Family Steak House that reignites the West Coast icon with a vibrant, contemporary visual and verbal identity rooted in the brand’s nostalgic heritage.

Back in the day, Sizzler was on fire. Name dropped in countless film and TV hits of the 80’s and 90’s, the restaurant was a pop culture icon. It was the go-to for families and featured prominently in the fond childhood memories of everyone raised on the West Coast. But over the years the brand faced an identity crisis and lost its way. Today, most Californians don’t even know where the nearest Sizzler is (if they even know the brand is still in business).

Teaming up with the restaurant chain’s new management as Sizzler’s agency of record, we set out to bring back this icon’s former magic. By reimagining the Sizzler brand through the lens of modern heritage, we made the steak house sizzle again.

For a brand with such a strong nostalgia-factor, a sense of heritage was key to winning back the hearts of fans. Tapping into the brand’s history in an authentic way, we built the new identity system from a selection of heritage assets that were revived from the brand’s archives and refreshed to suit contemporary tastes.

Instead of throwing away decades of heritage in the logo, we built upon it by stripping it back, slanting it and stamping it into place as a literal cattle brand. The gradient was traded for a rich maroon color as the hero of the identity’s palette, emphasizing that, yes, this is a family steak house and medium rare is still the proper way to order a New York Strip. 

The sizzlin’ ZZ’s from the logo and the word “sizzle” itself (borrowed from a crispy, burnt 70’s logo) were repurposed as secondary assets that could dial up the playfulness and ownability of clever copy and menu item names.

 A delightful, curling heritage typeface pulled from old in-store ephemera, a contemporary cut of the often used Windsor throughout the 60s and 70s by Sizzler, was paired with a more contemporary Block Berthold to add variety and punch up the identity.

A forgotten cow mascot from the 50’s was brought back to life, renamed Ribby Ribeye and given an entourage of new Taste Buddies, each inspired by a popular menu item and imbued with elements of 1950s Hanna-Barbera cartoons and mid-century Southern California. Some of the characters include: Rippy, the lobster tail, Toasty, the brand’s beloved cheese toast avatar, and the Salad Bar-barian. 

Layered over top of the graphic system, a rich, vibrant color palette made the brand come alive. And a playfully delicious, modern photo style invited viewers to reach into the frame and take a bite. Combining the best of the brand’s heritage and modern design sensibilities, the transformed visual identity ignites both nostalgia and excitement for the brand’s future.

The rebrand went beyond a fresh new look and feel, with our team reimagining Sizzler from the inside out. Behind the scenes, we helped them overhaul their brand strategy, tone of voice, sonic branding, and product innovation and naming strategy. Even how servers greet customers was reconsidered and adapted for a new generation of Sizzler fans. Every detail has been thoughtfully redesigned and will be put into practice—from the restaurant interiors and menu boards to staff uniforms—as the remodeled restaurants roll out.

We wanted to create a brand that resonates with longtime fans and a new generation of diners. By combining the best of Sizzler’s heritage with a modern aesthetic, we’ve created a brand that isn’t just nostalgic, it’s joyful and exciting, and it casts the brand in a new, timeless light. With every aspect of Sizzler’s brand experience reignited with a sizzle, the brand is now poised to reclaim its place as every West Coast family's homegrown favorite.