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Recently named one of USA Today’s 10 Great Artisan Bakeries, Companion has expanded its St. Louis presence with the opening of two new café gathering places, reflecting a shift in the company’s business and brand. Formerly a one-location bakery café, Companion has now evolved into a full-service café gathering place that allows customers to meet, eat and unwind.
Unbound Edition recently sat down with Josh Allen, co-founder of Companion, and Douglas Allebach, of Douglas Allebach Interiors, to discuss Companion's recently refreshed brand and how the design is a true extension of it. For photos of the new Central West End location, please click here.
What is Companion?
Josh: Companion has been a family owned and operated bakery in St. Louis since 1993, dedicated to providing customers with top quality baked goods and reliable, friendly service. It has since evolved into a full-service café gathering place where customers are encouraged to unwind, meet with friends and enjoy a full meal.
When came the decision to expand?
Josh: After the success of our first café in Clayton, we decided to expand by opening two new locations in the St. Louis area. The Central West End and Ladue were neighborhoods where my sister and co-owner, Jodi, and I felt our concept of a café gathering place would be embraced. Our passion for baking has inspired us to expand our offerings, and while baking will always be at the core of our business, we now are cultivating a new eating and gathering experience for St. Louis.
What is different about the two new cafés in the Central West End and Ladue?
Doug: It was my responsibility to create an atmosphere that would express the concept of a café gathering place at the two new locations. The design concept plays on the idea of a home-like setting. In the Central West End, we created cozy sitting areas with bright colors that include community tables in the library and a sunroom that allows plenty of light to enter the space. The new environment and expanded menu offerings draw on the idea of a comfortable, welcoming home and host. Companion essentially is a home away from home.
How would you define the Companion brand and how is it different from the earlier Companion Baking Co. image?
Josh: The Companion brand conveys just what our name says: an inviting environment where people can come together and reconnect with each other and with great food. Initially, our brand focused on baking. Now that we have expanded our locations and our menu, we’ve become much more than a bakery. Companion now provides a comfortable, welcoming place where customers enjoy fun company and a variety of good food.
What did you want to convey with this new brand image?
Doug: Based on Josh’s initial idea of creating a unique kind of gathering place, I decided to use fresh colors that were soothing and inviting. I wanted to create separate nooks where groups can gather and just hang out. The floor plan gives the illusion of a real home with separate spaces, each with its own little idiosyncrasies. We also incorporated the new logo into the design by placing the image of the two birds on signage and displays throughout the café.
How does the overall brand translate into the décor of the new locations?
Doug: Now more than ever, Companion’s vision can be seen in the design and décor of the new cafés, which provide an atmosphere conducive to conversation and comaraderie. Josh’s goal is to be an anchor in the neighborhoods where Companion is located—to become another living room for patrons. I think this transformation successfully showcases that concept.
Are there any unique elements that went into creating the new spaces?
Doug: Yes, I tried to find as many local treasures to bring to the space as possible. For example, the antique tin ceiling was manufactured by W. F. Norman of Nevada, Missouri, and the antique furnishings are from Rothschild’s Antiques and T.F.A. The Future Antiques, both of St. Louis.
Josh: As a St. Louis native, I’m always trying to incorporate local flavors in both the food and the atmosphere. We continually seek organic, seasonal and local products for our food preparation. Recently, we began serving locally made potato chips with our sandwiches. This is one way of giving back to the community, which has always been a key aspect of Companion’s mission.
What should customers expect when they step into one of the new Companion cafés?
Josh: Customers can expect great food, congenial service and a unique environment that welcomes all customers, whether they are just grabbing a cup of coffee or lingering over a meal with family, friends or co-workers. We believe each patron will have a somewhat different definition of what Companion is all about – a personal version of Companion and what it means to them in their lives.
*Full disclosure: Companion is a client of Patrick Davis Partners, publisher of Unbound Edition.
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