Goode Company Restaurants

Naturally, we began with dessert. Storytelling is at the heart of the Goode Co. brand, as their menus are inspired by the memories and dishes that have been passed down through five generations. Perhaps even more beloved than their BBQ is their grandmother’s Brazos Bottom Pecan Pie, which sells by the slice in their restaurants and ships by the thousands every year to folks around the globe. The small letterpress insert that rests atop the pie was our first opportunity to tell their story.

Texture is another critical tool in the Goode Co. kit of parts, from burlap and twine to the playground of typography that echoes the richness and character of the brand voice. We looked for different ways to surface special elements that had been buried for years—in particular, the original calligraphic logotype penned by Jim Goode himself (whose career was in art direction before it shifted to smoke). The discovery of this heritage mark would become both the impetus and the cornerstone for the new scripted logotype we later crafted, with the help of lettering maven Jessica Hische.

This Goode Co. stylized script, with its clean form and classic swashes, evokes the nostalgic appeal of a company steeped in tradition while serving as the flexible foundation for a robust brand architecture.

What makes the Goode family’s cooking and their restaurants so special is what makes them so Texan—they are not just “this thing” or “that thing” but a lifetime layering of flavors and influences that point intimately to specific people, places, memories, and rituals that run deep through their family and heritage—coastal waters and the cajun heartland, crackling campfires and cooking al carbon. They don’t just serve Texas food as bona fide ambassadors, they serve Texas people and the Texas way. They serve Texas as an idea.

The verbal platform “We Serve Texas” positions Goode Co. as a lifestyle brand and authority as they continue to deepen their presence across restaurant and retail experiences, dance hall and event spaces, and more.

To further organize and highlight the rich pieces of their history and how they’ve inspired the concepts the Goodes have introduced over the years, we introduced four narrative “buckets” that showcase (quasi-regionally) the intermingling cultures and cuisines that define this quintessentially Texas family.

Goode’s main website serves as an anchor for their robust family of brands, doubling as a home for their story and a portal to their e-commerce, event, and restaurant websites.

The master site also guides the flexible design of the other concept sites, so that they feel tied together as a collective but remain expressive (and easily updatable) as individual brands.

As Goode’s offerings expand over the years, so too do their packaging and merch systems. The longer we link arms with this incredible crew, the more fun we seem to have. We’re proud to say we’ve been partners for more than ten years now—keeping a Goode thing going.

What started with a pecan pie dropped off at a neighboring business has grown into a solid, mutually beneficial relationship. I’ve watched Principle evolve from a one-person shop to what it is today: a carefully curated team of creative specialists with wide-ranging expertise. Unlike other groups that rely solely upon their own experiences as a filter, Ally and her team use the true intention of the brand as a filter. They see things from our unique point of view and are genuine students of our brand. That’s why, a decade after that pecan pie opened the door to collaboration, we continue to rely on Principle to help Goode Company tell its story.

Levi Goode, Founder & Master of Mesquite