Phantom Actor™
Assessment
Identity
Name design
Positioning

Healthy, wholesome rodeo fare for rural Canadians.

Problem

Rural Canada’s fast food options are limited to a few options providing unhealthy menus.

Challenge

Provide rural communities with familiar fare that is relatively healthier than traditional fast food.

Opportunity

Every brand that markets itself in small, rural communities is city-centred first.

Solution

Create a brand that celebrates rural Canada and rural Canadians.

Client:

Road Ranch Hospitality

Category:

Restaurant

Location:

Calgary, Canada

Date:

2021

Status:

Launching 2024

Partners:

Chef Shane Chartrand

Phantom Actor conducted a brand assessment of North America’s quick-service restaurants, with a focus on the rural market in Western Canada. Key competitors included A&W, McDonald’s, Tim Hortons, Subway, and more. Only one—Tim Hortons—generates imagery of rural Canada, while the rest focus rely on metropolitan environs and characters to communicate their brands. Yet, Tim Hortons is over-manicured to the point of fantasy; Tim Hortons’ projection of rural Canada is the manicured streets of Banff, Alberta, a tourist destination nestled among the Canadian Rockies.

Road Ranch Hospitality aims to develop healthier, baked fare, and offer unique takes on hamburger joint favourites, such as elk and bison patties. They tasked Phantom Actor with assessing the competition and designing a brand that would position themselves against some of the world’s biggest quick-service restaurants. We did that by crafting something that celebrates what it means to live beyond the city.