80+ Creative Restaurant Logos | How to Create a Restaurant Logo

One of the most challenging parts of running a restaurant isn’t coming up with a great menu, or even staffing the business. For many restaurant owners, it is all of the other work that goes into making a restaurant successful that can be so hard – like branding and marketing.

From coming up with a slogan to crafting a marketing strategy, branding your restaurant is critical to its profitability. When you get these elements right, it can be a boon to business. This is particularly evident when it comes to restaurant logos.

A good logo will draw customers in, and make them remember your business. It should also be easy to print, both on signage and on disposable products that can expand your branding. Below, we lay out the basics of designing a restaurant logo – and offer 85 examples of great logos for your inspiration.

When thinking about your restaurant logo, the first – and perhaps most important – consideration should be the type of restaurant that you are operating. As demonstrated by some of the examples listed below, logos can vary significantly based on the type of business they represent. For example, fast food restaurants or casual dining establishments tend to have brighter colors, and may even incorporate pictures (think of the famous bell in the Taco Bell logo). By contrast, a more upscale restaurant will typically have an elegant font, have just one or two colors, and contain no pictures.

Your logo conveys a lot about your restaurant and what you are trying to do. That is why it is vital to come up with an aesthetic that truly encompasses your brand. Once you have an idea of what you want your logo to say about your restaurant, you can work with a graphic designer to come up with a logo that meets your needs.

In designing a logo, you will want to keep a number of things in mind. The best logos are the ones that give potential customers an immediate notion of who you are as a restaurant. For this reason, a simple, uncluttered logo is often preferred. In addition to being easy for people to understand, a clean logo is also easier to scale to a variety of sizes for all of your branding needs.

Next, think about color. While it may sound a bit out there, studies have shown that certain colors tend to evoke emotions. For example, red may draw feelings of excitement, while blue connates trust. You can take this into consideration when designing your logo. For example, if your restaurant focuses on healthier foods, consider incorporating green into your logo.

As mentioned above, your logo needs to be scalable in order to be an effective branding tool. After all, your logo won’t just go on the door. Ideally, it will also go onto takeaway bags, cups, and more. Make sure that your logo won’t get stretched, distorted or otherwise be unrecognizable when you enlarge or shrink it. 

To make your logo scalable, it should be designed in some kind of vector-based program like Adobe Illustrator. You’ll be able to export your logo in a .ai or .eps format, which will allow you to scale the design to any size you need. 

For printing purposes, there are a few additional considerations you should be aware of to make sure your logo prints perfectly in any print format. You’ll want to be able to identify the Pantone colors (PMS) used in the logo so that you can get a consistent print between projects and printers. You’ll also want to avoid using gradients and blurs, because those don’t print well. It’s also best to use no more than 4 colors in your logo. The more colors you use, the more expensive your prints will be. 

At the same time, make sure that your logo is adaptable to black and white printing. While you may plan to do all of your branding in color, there may be situations – like running an ad in a local newspaper or printing leaflets for a community event – where black and white is the only option. Additionally, your logo may need to become a mono color black or white if it’s being placed on top of a background color that doesn’t contrast enough with the original logo colors. For this reason, it is important to design a logo that is just as effective in black and white as it is in color.

Next, think about whether your logo has longevity. Unless you are a major corporation, you probably don’t have the funds to do a complete rebranding every few years as trends change. Making a logo that can last will save you money over time – and will help clientele recognize your brand for years to come.

Finally, make sure that your logo is memorable. You want something that will stick in people’s minds, and the best way to do that is to make your logo unique. While it may be tempting to borrow shapes or graphics from another well-known brand, try to avoid this to make sure that people see your logo and only associate it with your restaurant.

Once you understand the basics of what you want your restaurant logo to be, the next step is to create the design itself.  Before embarking on this stage, you should make a list of what is important to your brand. This will help to ensure that your logo truly reflects your business.

There are four basic options for creating a restaurant logo. The first, and typically the least expensive option, is to use an online restaurant logo maker. You can use something like Canva, or more specialized software. If you or someone on your team is creative or has a background in graphic design, this may be a good way to make your logo for as little as $0 to $50. Keep in mind, however, that using a free logo maker may lead to a design that doesn’t work well for marketing or branding purposes, which could cost you more in the long run. You also will likely end up with a logo that isn’t unique. 

The second option is to use a freelance marketplace like Fiverr or 99 Designs. Logos on Fiverr range from $5 to $2,000. The range in price is pretty big and how much you’re willing to pay will correlate directly to the quality of logo you end up receiving. 99 Designs allows you to create a logo contest for $299. You’ll receive submissions from multiple designers and choose the logo you like best at the end of the contest. This could be a good option to give you a variety of different styles and designs from multiple artists. 

The third option is to hire an individual freelance graphic designer. This will cost more – anywhere from $300 to $800 – but will give you the look of a professional logo without the cost associated with hiring a design firm. While this is a good way to get a great logo on a budget, it may be hard to find a skilled designer who produces the quality of work that you want. 

The fourth option is to work with a design firm, which may cost anywhere from $1,000 to $2,500 or more. If you have the funds to pay for a professional firm, this is the best way to obtain high quality results from a full team of creative specialists. Because it can be costly to go this route, it may not be a good choice for every business owner.

If you’re getting ready to design your restaurant logo, one of the best places to start is by looking at other logos. While some of these graphics are concept only (for restaurants that don’t exist), most came from the creative minds of some of the best restaurants in the world. Take a look – and get inspired as you begin to design your own logo.

Casual dining restaurants often benefit from more contemporary logo designs. Logos with bright colors or fun aspects make customers feel welcome – and like they want to come back again and again. Making a contemporary logo can help to tell the story of your restaurant, which is a critical aspect of branding. For example, the bold orange “M” in Marmalade’s logo helps customers to know what they might expect at this restaurant.

If you run a fast food restaurant, you can often go with a brighter, more graphic design. In some cases, you may even be able to incorporate a picture into your logo to convey exactly what it is that you are serving – like the noodles in the Noodles & Company logo, or the chicken in Nando’s logo.

When you run a higher end restaurant, elegance is often the key. After all, when customers are paying to eat at your restaurant, they expect something a bit fancier. Your logo – including font, color, and overall design – should represent the decadent experience of eating at your restaurant.

As a restaurant owner, you probably understand just how important branding and marketing is to the success of your business. After all, you can have the best food in the area, but if people don’t know about it, you won’t get customers. That is why having a strong logo is so vital.

Budget Branders can put your logo on our full range of custom disposable products, from coffee sleeves and dessert cups to custom paper bags. We will work with you to ensure that your logo looks its absolute best, and offer you products at prices and in quantities that make sense for your business. To request a quote or to learn more, click the “live chat” button on the bottom right of your screen, or fill out our online contact form.