A neighborhood cafe that runs its seasons like a studio.
+Bake Café is a bakery and cafe concept within the same family of brands. MIU handles packaging, in-store labelling, seasonal campaigns, and the screens behind the counter from a single brand system.
- Client
- +Bake Café
- Industry
- Hospitality and food
- Location
- Ontario, California
- Engagement
- In-house creative team, since 2022
- MIU role
- Brand standards, packaging, campaign creative, in-store screens
- Timeline
- Ongoing
What was happening in the business
The cafe's calendar is driven by seasonal moments, Valentine's, Mother's Day, graduation, each needing posters, pre-order flyers, packaging, and shelf labelling ready before the rush rather than during it.
What the evidence showed
The smaller recurring pieces were the ones most often missing: item labels, seasonal stickers, and care cards are the work an owner runs out of time for, and they were being handled separately from the larger launches.
Data-gap statement
The client did not have a reliable baseline for pre-order volume by campaign. MIU treated this as a measurement gap rather than claiming a result that could not be verified.
What was getting in the way
The priority problem was operating rhythm, not creative quality. Campaign work was being commissioned close to the date, which left no room for print lead times or for the small in-store pieces.
What we chose to change
Bring the small recurring pieces inside the same system as the campaigns, so labels and care cards are produced on the same cycle rather than as emergencies.
Design packaging to be reprinted each season without drifting off-standard, so the brand keeps working after the register.
Tie the TV boards to the kitchen calendar, so a new drink updates the screen, the shelf label, and the post together.
What we did not do
We did not add new campaign moments to the calendar, because the existing ones were not yet being produced with enough lead time.
What changed
Every claim carries one of four honesty labels. Nothing here implies causation the evidence does not support.
- Observable change
Campaign posters and pre-order flyers are prepared before each seasonal rush rather than during it.
- Observable change
In-store labelling and packaging now come from the same system as the campaigns, in one voice.
- Still being measured
Pre-order volume by campaign is not yet baselined. The next step is to record it for one full season before drawing any conclusion.
What we would repeat
Treating the small in-store pieces as part of the campaign rather than as leftovers. They are what customers actually read at the counter.
More case studies
Start with the Score, or tell us what has changed in your business.
The Score points at the dimension most likely to be limiting your current priority. A diagnostic examines it in context.
