Best New Concept Launch & Best Limited-Service Restaurant Design
Winner - Buena Onda, Philadelphia
- Owner/operator: Garces Group
- Architect: CORE
- Contractor: CVMNEXT Construction
- Consultant: Feustel Foodservice Design
- Square feet: 2,300
- Seats: 42
- Opened: March 2015
James Beard Award-winning chef and owner Jose Garces’ Baja-inspired taqueria provides a fresh take on fast casual, with both a point-of-sale counter and a bar located in a multifamily building that targets Millennial customers and their young families.
The marriage of design and concept garnered praise from the judges: “There is no ambiguity in what they offer.” The design clues the patron in immediately.
“I knew it was tacos or seafood on the first look, and I thought that was really successfully executed.” The use of color and materials enhanced that impression for the judges. The separation between the food queue and the bar space “makes if feel like two different areas, which is good.” The “young and fresh” fast-casual design is “something we don’t see a lot.” It was the “best overall design concept and execution. It was cohesive.”
For a PDF of Buena Onda's floor plan click here.
