At Spotlight Signs, we differentiate ourselves from the competition with our willingness to go to whatever lengths necessary to satisfy our customers’ unique needs. We aim to be the best place to come for unconventional, custom signage needs. Thai Express’ expansion into the United States presented one of these such cases.
Thai Express Expands South of the Canadian Border
The local franchisee was in the difficult situation of finding American vendors that could satisfy his Canadian franchise’s very specific signage requirements. We worked closely with the franchisee, Larry, to adorn his Chandler Mall food court location with beautiful acrylic wall murals that matched the Thai Express signage specifications.
Thai food is on the rise in North America. There are new Thai restaurants opening everywhere and everyone loves a good Pad Thai. Another trend in the culinary world has been the explosion of ‘fast casual’ eateries. Thai Express has capitalized on these two trends with their line of Thai themed fast casual restaurants. Headquartered in Montreal, Thai Express began franchising their fast casual concept in the early 2000s and quickly came to dominate the country, with over 200 Canadian locations. Recently though, the company has begun an expansion into the United States. Within the past year, stores have been opened in Minnesota, San Francisco, Atlanta, and Phoenix.
Arizona’s First Thai Express
Larry faced the difficult challenge of opening one of the first Thai Express locations in the US and the very first in Arizona. He called us in December of 2016 with the details of what the franchise expected for the restaurant’s wall murals, and we quickly realized that changes would need to be made. There was no way to find American vendors to do things the same way that they had been done in Canada, so we had to get creative.
Instead of using glass panels, as originally directed, we came up with a plan to use acrylic material. The acrylic material is far lighter than glass, it is scratch resistant, and it has the same great, classy look. The wall space was highly irregular and required the graphics and acrylic panels to precisely sized and cut.
Additionally, there was a challenge with the wok hood, which needed to have a door built into it for cleaning access. We were able to cut the appropriate sized hole in the acrylic and graphic in such a way that it blended in well with the rest of the hood.
Branding Signs for Restaurants
Like most Thai Express locations, the new Chandler store is located in a mall food court. Signage is always important, but its value is amplified in this setting. Many people can relate to the experience of having to decide among so many equally qualified eatery candidates at the food court. Many times, when this situation arises it is the signage that separates one place from another. The new shiny and colorful acrylic panel wall graphics at Thai Express make it stand out from the crowd.
At Spotlight Signs, we thrive in situations that benefit from problem solving in all phases of the process: design, fabrication, and installation. We respect any customer who recognizes the importance of their brand and we are always willing to do what it takes to portray that brand effectively and memorably.
