Overview

Mr. Blanco’s is my third restaurant concept, scheduled to open in 2020 in Mexico City. It’s my second quick service restaurant, and my first to be open 24/7. The quick service concept focuses on classic American sliders and made-to-order donuts. The small menu consisted of one burger, one donut, tater tots, and a single flavor of a thick milkshake we’re called a “Maltespeca” (a portmanteau for thick (especa) and milkshake (malteada)).

This is also my first time opening a restaurant in operational partnership with another restaurant group. In this case I’ve been lucky to work with Grupo Patagonia, a large hospitality group in Mexico City with 11 concepts (now 12) spread over 21 restaurants.

History & Naming

After Upton Sinclair wrote The Jungle, ground beef consumption plummeted to an all time low in The States. To combat this, the first ever fast food chain pulled from hospital design, making their spaces feel pure, clean, palatial, and orderly. They called their concept White Castle. The marketing worked, and throughout the 1920’s and 1930’s a number of copy cat restaurants opened with names like White Manna, White Rose System, White’s Diner, White Towers, and more! They all focused on cleanliness and efficiency, serving mini-burgers (now called Sliders) from their small shops.

Wanting to honor those traditions, I knew that White would need to be in the name. But of course that would needed to be adapted for my market. So I went with Blanco. And because so many famous fast food chains are headed up by a mascot I thought to call it Señor Blanco’s. Finally in an attempt to pay a wink toward its roots north of the border, I subbed the Señor for a Mr. – and Mr. Blanco’s was born.

Branding

I brought on the team from Pesca al Curricán to work with me on the branding of Mr. Blanco’s. Given that the concept was directly informed by the influx of slider shops in 20’s and 30’s, we tried to stick with typefaces that would have been available at that time. We also worked to come up with a unique campaign around the premise that our burgers couldn’t be customized and that we’d be open 24/7.

Location

Mr. Blanco’s – Opening Soon
Río Tigris 148
Colonia Cuahtémoc
06500 Mexico City, CDMX

Store Design

Matthew Kennedy of MKTA and I designed the first Mr. Blanco’s store. The small, always-open shop only features a protruding griddle that lands just inches from the sidewalk, creating space for guests to huddle around the food prep area while they mainline their burgers and tots into the wee-hours of the night. The space also features a duplicate kitchen in the back, allowing us to fulfill delivery options without having to interrupt the in-restaurant dining experience.

Aesthetically, the space is decked out in white handcrafted Mexican tile, with all fixtures and furniture custom fabricated in metal, and then hand-painted white to reference the Puestos (street food stands) located all over the city. A custom light fixture was spans the center of the ceiling, and is capable of changing to every color imaginable, triggered by special events in the restaurant (like birthdays!)