Project Data:

Completion Date:     3/16/2022

Square Footage:      34000

Building Use:           High-End "Grocaurant" (Grocery/Restaurant)

Project Description:

This “groceraunt” spotlights the excitement of the limitless culinary horizons and experiences that this retailer has to offer.

This new format had an inherently dual nature: to elevate the retailer’s culinary offerings, this new package, dubbed Bristol Farms 3.0, needed to combine the Bristol Farms 2.0 traditional grocery format with a full-blown food hall. The target audience had also doubled: the casual diner and the grocery shopper. Located at Irvine Spectrum Center, the project site combined two tenant spaces and consequently had two main entrances: one facing a parking lot (car traffic), one facing the Clock Court (foot traffic).

From these dual needs, the challenge was to craft a cohesive, gourmet, food-centric experience. The design concept addresses the need for tradition and innovation, and the floor plan fuses the ideal customer journeys. The food hall is programmed closest to the Clock Court; the first venue facing that plaza is an all-day café. Facing the parking lot, the building façade is taller with an equally soaring vestibule, functioning visually as a civic structure of old, a communal place for gathering. On the exterior, the brand is visible not only from the parking lot but also from the nearby 405 Freeway.

An evolution of the Bristol Farms 2.0 modern farmhouse design concept, this space is geared toward the mindful gourmet. Anchored by the 2.0 minimal color and materials palette, it is set apart from its predecessor by more elegant detailing, new custom-designed fixtures and millwork, and modified merchandising elements that respond to post-COVID retailing realities. Striking, vibrant signage punctuates the space with some edge and attitude. To evoke the joy and adventure of food, evocative messages are woven throughout the space, inviting guests to wander and indulge.

The hot foods bar is anchored by a large, custom mural by Ruben Rojas. This striking focal point serves as the prelude to a vibrant cluster of an additional five branded, distinct venues offering mouth-watering chef-crafted menus focused on sushi and poke (Pikapika), salads (goodgreens), plant-based plates (rooted), seafood (Swell), and hot chicken sandwiches (Horton’s). A sit-down restaurant and bar with its own kitchen (Viaggio Pizzeria) accommodates alfresco dining and lounging, while the all-day café (Heart & Hand) offers delectable treats in a lounge space in which to enjoy them.

From beginning to end, the project is a testament to the trust that permeated the close working relationship between all design teams involved.

Framework for Design Excellence

Design for Integration
This new format had an inherently dual nature: to elevate the retailer’s culinary offerings, this new package, dubbed Bristol Farms 3.0, needed to combine the Bristol Farms 2.0 traditional grocery format with a full-blown food hall. The target audience had also doubled: the casual diner and the grocery shopper. Located at Irvine Spectrum Center, the project site combined two tenant spaces and consequently had two main entrances: one facing a parking lot (car traffic), one facing the Clock Court (foot traffic). the floor plan fuses the ideal customer journeys. The food hall is programmed closest to the Clock Court; the first venue facing that plaza is an all-day café, with a menu full of breakfast, lunch, brunch, and special treat options catering to both the weekday and weekend foot traffic crowd. Facing the parking lot, the building façade is taller with an equally soaring vestibule, functioning visually as a civic structure of old, a communal place for gathering. On the exterior, the brand is visible not only from the parking lot, but also from the nearby 405 Freeway. A large lit BAKERY sign on the interior clearly visible through the tall windows beckons commuters to the food destination on hand.

Design for Well-being
The Bristol Farms Newfound Market hot air balloon, the brand’s official icon, represents adventure. It pops up in unexpected moments, like the aisle names and a small message in the bakery, but takes center stage on a custom-designed wall covering used in both the store’s in-house Catering office and in Heart & Hand. Made using quotes from famous foodies, it reminds us that while we all need to eat to live, food can be a transcendental experience, an instrumental element in building our communities and establishing our sense of self. To evoke the joy and adventure of food, evocative messages are woven throughout the space, inviting guests to wander and indulge in all the palette possibilities. The result is a simple, modern, yet dramatic space in which to shop for the gourmet items that have become a hallmark of this retailer.

Design for Resources
the hot foods bar is anchored by a large, custom mural by Ruben Rojas, an LA-based artist known for his “Live Through Love” art and design campaign. Consisting of an oversized word filled out with Rojas’s emblematic message, the mural is a call to action: crave and love what is around you. Whether that be nourishment, entertainment, or community, this destination offers it all in spades. This striking focal point serves as the prelude to a vibrant cluster of an additional five branded, distinct venues offering mouth-watering chef-crafted menus focused on sushi and poke (Pikapika), salads (goodgreens), plant-based plates (rooted), seafood (Swell), and hot chicken sandwiches (Horton’s). A sit-down restaurant and bar with its own kitchen (Viaggio Pizzeria) accommodates alfresco dining and lounging, while the all-day café (Heart & Hand) offers delectable treats, with a lounge space in which to enjoy them, to round out a decadent outing.

Design for change
From beginning to end, the project is a testament to the trust that permeated the close working relationship between all design teams involved. Launched in early 2020, the design teams enjoyed but two meetings together before having to work in complete physical isolation from each other thereafter. Weekly team project meetings served as a shared forum to identify concerns as they arose – like having to rework the plan to eliminate open food bars, or incorporating modified merchandising elements that respond to post-COVID retailing realities – and innumerable one-on-one meetings gave way to solutions that addressed everyone’s needs. Video conferencing, on-the-fly FaceTime video calls, and texting lots of photos back and forth became de rigueur for this new reality, and everyone’s flexibility, adaptability, patience, and understanding were foundational to this successful project.

Firm Name:              Little Diversified Architectural Consulting, Inc.

Completion Date:     3/16/2022

Square Footage:      34000

Building Use:           High-End "Grocaurant" (Grocery/Restaurant)

Location:                 700 Spectrum Center Dr Suite 50, Irvine, CA 92618

Design Architect:
Bishop Pass (Interior Design), Thread Collaborative (Interior Design)

Associate Architect or Firm:
Little Diversified Architectural Consulting, Inc. (Architect of Record)

Landscape Architect:

Owner / Developer:
Bristol Farms / Good Food Holdings

Engineer:
Little Diversified Architectural Consulting, Inc.

General Contractor:
Harco Construction

Consultant:

Photographer:
Lawrence Anderson Studio