Fresh look for college restaurant after top spot ranking

A group of budding chefs have turned their hand to marketing and design in a bid to revitalise the brand of their college’s restaurant to reflect its top restaurant ranking on TripAdvisor.

Four learners from Coleg y Cymoedd, all studying Professional Cookery NVQ, were specially chosen to team up with design company Plain Graffic Designs to rebrand the college restaurant following the accolade. The aptly named Nant Restaurant at the Nantgarw campus is listed as one of Cardiff’s three best restaurants on TripAdvisor.

With the help of Gareth Pugh from Plain Graffic, a Pontypridd based design specialists, the learners came up with tangible solutions to refresh the restaurant and keep public interest high. Working together, the group, along with some of college tutors, discussed the vision for Nant Restaurant and areas where improvement could be made. This included more promotional materials and extending the hours of service, to introduce an evening menu.

As part of the Professional Cookery NVQ, the learners put their cooking theory into practice at Nant Restaurant, working there on the three days it is open throughout the week. It was decided, because of this, that they would be the perfect candidates to help rebrand the restaurant, furthering their knowledge in the industry and giving a personal touch to the brand.

Emily Pooley, 18, from Pontypridd, one of the four learners studying on the Professional Cookery course, was chosen to take part in the rebranding project. Speaking about the project she said, “It was really great to be part of the rebranding team because it was so different to the cookery course.

“We’ve been here for two years now and it’s really important to let people know that the restaurant is open to the public. Hopefully the rebranding will keep attracting lots of customers.”

Gareth Pugh of Plain Graffic, who worked with the learners at Coleg y Cymoedd said, “The participants at the college were extremely willing to find out as much as they could about the project and it was really encouraging to see how involved they wanted to be.

“The feedback we received was excellent and every person involved injected some fantastic ideas to take forward in the future. It is safe to say that the overall project has been a success, not only in its final outcome but also through the process, and undoubtedly this is down to the people involved at the college.”

The colleges other two restaurants, Scholars Restaurant at the Ystrad Mynach campus and Llewellyns Restaurant at the Aberdare campus, have also undergone the rebranding exercise and will shortly also be highlighted on TripAdvisor. Elsewhere in the college, Nantgarw’s fully functioning salon has also undergone a rebrand. The salon is open to the general public every day during term time, offering a range of hair and beauty treatments by the learners in the college. It is hoped that offering a fresh look, once again, will invite more custom in.

Paula Marsh, Head of Catering at Coleg y Cymoedd commented, “The restaurant is real labour of love for these learners as they work in there during the week, so it’s been great to see them getting involved in this rebranding. We always like to encourage our learners to put their talents to use in other areas within the college, and this project has demonstrated that many of our cookery learners also have a flare for marketing! We’re all looking forward to seeing their hard work put into place.”

The Nant Restaurant at the Coleg y Cymoedd’s Nantgarw campus is currently open to the public Tuesday – Friday. Scholars Restaurant on the Ystrad Mynach campus is open on a Thursday and Friday while Llewellyns Restaurant is open to the public on Thursdays.

Share!