The Brief
Smash Social Club is the second concept MRC has built for LM Restaurants, one of the Southeast’s most ambitious hospitality groups. Our first was Lucky Lou’s Raw Bar in Deerfield Beach, Florida. When the LM team came back with plans for a rooftop gaming venue on Glenwood South in downtown Raleigh, they needed a brand built from scratch for a concept that did not exist in the market yet.
The vision was a social club where great food, drinks, and competitive games all live under one roof. Ping pong, electric shuffleboard, darts, a rooftop patio overlooking the city, and an energy that makes the brand the destination, not just the games. Sleek but approachable. Vibrant but refined. The kind of place where the night starts and nobody wants to leave. With plans to expand into Charlotte and beyond, the brand had to be built for more than one location from day one.
The Work
We started in discovery and quickly landed on a brand personality that captured exactly what Smash needed to be: electric, refined, and a little funky. A drink in one hand and a game in the other. That became the foundation for everything.
The brand identity is bold and magnetic, built to evoke the energy of immersive nightlife without tipping into anything too trendy or too young. High contrast type, vibrant full-spectrum color, and dynamic graphics that feel alive with a touch of retro cool. Every element was designed to pair seamlessly with the interior design and amplify it, from signage to menus to the digital presence.
The brand messaging gives Smash a voice as confident as the visuals. Drink. Eat. Play. Three words that tell you everything you need to know before you walk in. The full messaging framework arms the team with the language to market the venue, book corporate events, and scale the concept to new markets without losing the personality that makes it work.
The LM Restaurants Partnership
Smash is the second full brand MRC has built for LM Restaurants, following Lucky Lou’s Raw Bar in Deerfield Beach, Florida. We have also redesigned menus for Taverna Agora, one of the flagship brands in the LM portfolio. Three concepts, one creative partner. They keep calling because we obsess over their brands the way they obsess over their guests.
