DoorDash introduced a temporary dining installation in Miami that blends large-scale sculpture with full-service restaurant design. Created in collaboration with creative production studio MikeTeevee, the Sand CastleDonna pop-up operates Dec. 11–14 at Jungle Plaza in the Miami Design District.
Guests who secure a reservation receive a complimentary three-course lunch or four-course dinner from Casadonna, a Miami restaurant known for its coastal Italian menu.
Designed as a life-size architectural sandcastle, the structure required 100 tons of sand and contributions from more than 40 specialists, including blacksmiths, carpenters, electricians, scenic artists, set designers and lantern makers. MikeTeevee conceived and executed the build, which incorporates both theatrical production methods and architectural fabrication techniques.
The temporary restaurant uses a custom-engineered (and fully reusable) metal frame wrapped in fabric and chicken wire, then coated in polyurethane foam. The team finished the exterior with layers of sand, stucco and scenic paint to replicate the texture and visual detail of a traditional sandcastle at full scale. More than 120 real plants and trees surround the structure, adding a coastal landscape and helping integrate the installation into the outdoor plaza environment.
DoorDash positioned the project as a demonstration of its reservation platform.
For MikeTeevee, the build represented an opportunity to merge placemaking, experiential design and sculpture. “Miami inspires big ideas, and The Sand CastleDonna is one of the biggest we’ve ever brought to life,” says Ellen Utrecht, founder of MikeTeevee. “It’s part sculpture, part restaurant, part fantasy. It’s only possible through the bold, shared visions of DoorDash and Casadonna.”
The pop-up will remain open through Dec. 14 before the structure is dismantled and the reusable frame components are returned to inventory for future projects.
Images courtesy of DoorDash Reservations x Casadonna
