Since announcing last month that they are changing their name, there has been a tremendous backlash against the barbecue joint formerly known as Oklahoma Joe’s. The landmark restaurant, with three locations, will now be known as Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que.
Why the name change? There have been all sorts of speculation, from legal reasons (they had to because of former ownership), to the fact that the owners flat out wanted to change the name, so they did. In their own words (on the company website), the change came because it “reflects the reality of our identity—we are a Kansas City company…Kansas City barbecue. It’s what we’re all about.”
I would offer another, more strategic theory for the name change: they couldn’t own the name “Oklahoma Joe’s.” Having the exclusive right to use that name in other cities, states, and even countries is the first and necessary step toward franchising their restaurant concept.
The reason franchise-ability makes the most sense for OK Joe’s is to look at another fast-casual restaurant that went through a similar transformation: Panera Bread. When founded in 1987, it was originally Saint Louis Bread Company (and restaurants in that city still go by that name). The majority of the chain’s 1,800 restaurants go by the name Panera, which has its roots in Latin, meaning “breadbasket.”
Whether or not this theory proves correct is still unknown, as is the verdict on whether or not it was a good decision. From a brand identity perspective, there isn’t much difference between the old Joe’s logo and the new one, other than the emphasis on “Kansas City.” In fact, the “new” logo has actually been in use on the bottled sauces and at the restaurants for quite some time. My biggest concern would be that people might mistakenly read the new logo as “Joe’s Kansas City—Oklahoma Bar-B-Que.”
By: Ryan Hembree, Principal, Brand Strategy
Sources:
https://doug-worgul.squarespace.com/in-the-news/
https://www.panerabread.com/en-us/company/about-panera/our-history.html
http://money.cnn.com/2012/07/17/smallbusiness/panera-ron-shaich.fortune/