211 James Street South,
Hamilton, ON
We had both never been to Red Crow Coffee (Espresso Bar) before, as we’re both not really coffee people (tea all the way!), but boy are we happy we didn’t miss out on this one! Red Crow Coffee is in a great location and gets quite a large crowd at meal-times (especially around lunch) from what we’ve seen. Most visitors seemed like they were returnees, and all these people can’t be wrong about Red Crow, can they? Read on my friends.
Logo
We like the looks of their logo – a red crow silhouette design with a plain, bold, black font for the name. The fact that it’s a standing crow as well rather than a flying crow makes us think of stability… which is what we want in a cafe. A coffee house is where you want to be able to get “your usual”. A place where you can go in the mornings and not have to make an executive decision regarding your meal – though Red Crow does have a few delicious specials up their sleeves! The logo is not really displayed too prominently in their cafe and we totally don’t get the flower shop to coffee house signs out front. All in all though – we think the logo suits the brand.
Food Review
Red Crow has some amazing food. Baked goods, salad, soup and some tasty toasted sandwiches. It’s definitely a relaxing place to sit back and have a good lunch.
Lindsay – I had the soup of the day which was an orange carrot ginger chilled soup. It was the perfect soup for a hot day. It was delicious and filling. Perfect for this veggie girl! Paired with an Italian soda, I was ready to get some serious work done.
Heather – I had a grilled panini called ‘The Caprese’. It had a delicious mix of bocconcini cheese, fresh tomatoes and pesto. Even though this sandwich didn’t have meat on it (practically a carnivore over here), I loved it! The tomatoes were yummy & fresh orange-coloured heirloom tomatoes and it was just the perfect combination of ingredients. The sandwich also came with a small side of greens. They had a good, sweet dressing on them which I really enjoyed.
Atmosphere
Red Crow is family comfort. It is a place of stability, a place you can feel comfortable. They have an array of various, mostly retro, seating to make you feel even more comfortable in their cafe! Whatever suits your mood, they’ve got it. You can find regular cafe tables and chairs, cushy couches, and bar stools at a big front window.
They also have some interesting art. Vintage prints, some family pictures and gorgeous retro mirrors all make an appearance at Red Crow Cafe.
It’s also the perfect place to freelancers to get some work done. With their free wi-fi and good cups of tea (and coffee of course), you can get a lot done.
Brand
Incomplete. The idea of “stability” in the branding of the cafe is one we love. The logo, comfortable atmosphere and family-run aspects all work to their advantage, but we think their original brand got a bit lost along the way. It seems as if they weren’t able to complete all of their marketing and brand elements (ie. the sign!).
Social Media Campaign
Great social media presence altogether. The website could use a bit of beefing up with some gorgeous food & beverages images! Instagram could easily remedy this situation. 😉
Twitter – @RedCrowCoffee
Facebook – Red Crow Coffee
Instagram – None that we could find.
Website – www.redcrowcoffee.com
Suggestions
We suggest more visual marketing! We’d love to see: more pictures on the website, some signage (outside and in) with the Red Crow logo prominently displayed, and an instagram account. With or without the extra visual marketing though, we will definitely be paying Red Crow a visit again.. especially if we’re looking for somewhere to do some out-of-office work!
Been to Red Crow Coffee? Review it with us!
