You learn a lot about a person when you’re invited to their home for dinner. In that moment, they’re showing you everything. Their vulnerability is revealing. No carefully curated restaurant ambiance to hide behind, just the real textures, sounds, and scents of their life.
Great brands are like people. They have a personality, a look, a heart and soul, a favorite soundtrack, an enticing scent, and a point of view. They also have a taste, a history, a circle of friends—and a place where it all comes together. As behavioral scientist Jennifer Aaker described in her brand personality framework, every brand—like every person—embodies human traits. Hospitality brings those traits to life in tangible ways: not just seen or heard, but tasted, smelled, and felt. This sense of personhood makes you want to get closer with a brand.
WHY THIS MATTERS FOR RETAIL
In retail, frequency equals relevance. The more often customers visit, the more your brand stays top of mind and the deeper the relationship becomes. Food and beverage are a proven way to draw people in more often, keep them longer, and give them more reasons to return.
From a simple coffee counter to a full-service restaurant, adding hospitality can help your brand:
- Increase visits and dwell time. Food draws in new audiences and makes every visit last longer.
- Deepen brand immersion. Customers don’t just see your brand, they taste, smell, and feel it.
- Diversify revenue. Steady café or restaurant income helps smooth seasonal sales dips.
- Spark shareable moments. Every plate and cup can become a piece of social content.
Take Ralph Lauren: both a real person and a global brand, and by all accounts, a genuine host who loves people. Those traits shine through in every one of his hospitality ventures—RL in Chicago, The Polo Bar in New York City, Ralph’s in Paris, Ralph’s Bar in Milan and Chengdu, and Ralph’s Coffee locations worldwide. In each, uniforms, ambiance, service, menu, presentation, quality, consistency, merchandising, and staff energy are all impeccably executed.
Most recently, Ralph Lauren brought its hospitality expertise to the 2025 US Open, where, as Official Outfitter and Sunglass Sponsor, it elevated the fan experience with a branded hospitality suite featuring a swanky café and bar. Beyond elevating the tournament experience, it reinforced the brand’s lifestyle narrative, showing that food and beverage can strengthen identity not only in stores and restaurants but also in cultural and sporting arenas.
Delivering a positive, repeatable, and profitable in-store experience day after day is already challenging. Doing it with fresh food that’s perfectly plated, perfectly brewed, or shaken—not stirred—and apparent ease takes it to another level. And while the strategy is gaining fresh attention, the most visionary brands have been blending retail and hospitality for decades.
THIS ISN’T NEW, BUT IT’S EVOLVING
Food as a brand expression has been around for decades, with standout examples across industries:
- Nordstrom’s Marketplace Cafés and Ebars have been part of its retail mix for decades, blending convenience with brand service standards.
- Tiffany’s Blue Box Café elevated high tea into a luxury ritual and destination in New York City.
- Rapha’s Clubhouse Cafes showcase the brand’s love of cycling, welcoming riders with espresso and simple, local bites, creating community around the brand.
- Tommy Bahama’s Marlin Bar infuses its tropical lifestyle into cocktails and fresh fare.
- Restoration Hardware’s RH Restaurants transform showrooms into sought-after dining destinations, drawing guests who might never have entered otherwise.
The lesson? Every bite can tell your brand’s story. It’s where customers step into your world and experience your values firsthand. Done well, it turns your space into a destination and your brand into an experience worth seeking out.
Ralph Lauren has modeled this for decades. Inviting someone in for coffee, a drink, a light bite, or dinner lets them meet the “real person” behind the brand. They witness your values, taste the details, and feel the care that shapes everything you create. In that moment, they understand not just what you design, but why.
As more retailers explore this path, brands rising above will be those that treat hospitality as a calling, rather than a duty, infusing it with distinctive details and authenticity. It creates an experience that feels as genuine as welcoming someone into your own home.
WHAT SETS THE STANDOUTS APART
You may be one of those who think the last thing retail needs is another café or restaurant. I’d argue that there’s room for more. More and more. Coach has already announced a café for select stores, and other brands are following suit.
The true test of these ventures isn’t simply that they exist or even that they’re high quality. Those are table stakes. What separates the standouts is the ingenuity to create one or two signature items that feel uniquely theirs and impossible to forget.
Imagine these ideas that illustrate the kind of brand-infused creativity that can make a café stop unforgettable. What if:
- A petit four cleverly branded as your bag-ette.
- A ”Coco” truffle served on the saucer of your Chanel demitasse.
- Macarons infused with the organic essences from your Aveda skincare line—lavender, vanilla, matcha, rose, and ginger.
These aren’t real-world offerings (at least not yet). They’re examples of the kind of brand-infused creativity that turns a café stop into a brand experience. Done right, these small but distinctive touches transform a visit into a memory, and a brand into a friend.
START SMALL AND SCALE UP
Inspiration is important, but execution is what makes a concept succeed. Almost no brand should leap into a full-service kitchen on day one. Think about what makes your brand unique. Did your founder have a favorite cocktail she was known for or was she famous for her parties? Start simply, but with commitment:
- Do a little, extraordinarily well. Offer one perfect cocktail or a single, signature dessert.
- Build a space that invites staying. Aim for seating that encourages conversation and connection.
- Leverage smart equipment. Today’s espresso machines can deliver excellence at the touch of a button; you just need great beans and water.
- Consider pre-crafted solutions. Premium premixed cocktails and mocktails are on the rise.
- Invest in people. Hire brand representatives who genuinely like people and see service as a gift.
The single best part of the experience might not be the drink; it’s the person you serve. Every cappuccino, cocktail, or bite is an opportunity to connect, create a story worth sharing, and build loyalty.
The reward isn’t only financial. It’s retention, relationship-building, and the satisfaction of making someone’s day. Revenue builds as your reputation grows—when customers try, share, return, and bring friends. Over time, your café or restaurant becomes a place they think of first when they want to meet, celebrate, or simply feel welcome.
MORE THAN A MEAL. IT’S A RELATIONSHIP
Ultimately, hospitality springs from humility and generosity. Like Ralph Lauren, the best brands invite guests in, anticipate their needs, and create memorable moments. Your customers may not need a macaron or espresso, but they want to be with you, and food is one of the most powerful ways to make that happen.
Now is the moment to explore it. Whether you’re considering a cozy coffee corner or envisioning a signature restaurant, we can help you design a hospitality concept that’s as authentic to your brand as it is irresistible to your customers, and as effective at building loyalty as it is at generating revenue.
Additional Resources
Food & Wine. Fashion Labels Are Betting Big on Restaurants and Cafés.
Yacht Style. These Brands Are Creating Luxury Lifestyle Experiences | Yacht Style
Branded Hospitality in Action
