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# Upscale Kola Nut Restaurants
'Kola House' is a Stylish and Chic Restaurant Owned by PepsiCo

By Joey Haar | Published 2016-12-07 | Lifestyle
Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/kola-house
References: [fortune](http://fortune.com/2016/09/22/pepsico-restaurant-kola-house/) & [kolahouse](http://www.kolahouse.com/)

Though '[Kola House](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/kola-fashioned)' is a restaurant owned by [PepsiCo](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/drips-by-pepsi), the food and beverage company behind Lay's, [Doritos](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/pepsico-flavor-swap), and Pepsi, it isn't quite accurate to say that the restaurant is a PepsiCo-branded venture. That's because, to any casual diner entering for a meal, the restaurant gives no indication of being related to PepsiCo at all. Located in Manhattan's upscale Chelsea neighborhood, the restaurant is a chic and sustainable eatery with a menu based around the kola nut (whence the name comes) and no PepsiCo products at all.

Though skeptics might be suspicious of the restaurant's anti-branding, Kola House's head chef, Jon Feshan, was equally skeptical at first. However, he was swayed when he realized that "[PepsiCo] aren't approaching this as Pepsi, they are approaching it as a restaurant. It's not a branding opportunity. They want to have a nice restaurant."

## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter)

- Score: 4.9/10
- Popularity: 71% | Activity: 67% | Freshness: 8%
- Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women
- Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X
- Top markets: North America

## Categories

[Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Lifestyle](https://www.trendhunter.com/lifestyle) > [Food](https://www.trendhunter.com/food)

## Key Themes

### Why This Trend Is Growing

- **Upscale Dining Experiences:** Opportunity for businesses to create upscale dining experiences that are not related to their brand and offer unique menus.
- **Sustainable Restaurants:** Disruptive innovation opportunity to create sustainable restaurants with unique concepts and menu offerings.
- **Anti-branding Strategies:** Opportunity for businesses to adopt anti-branding strategies to create a sense of authenticity and differentiate themselves from their parent company.

### Industries Being Reshaped

- **Restaurant Industry:** Restaurants can explore the concept of upscale dining experiences with unique menu offerings to attract a niche market.
- **Food and Beverage Industry:** Food and beverage companies can consider creating sustainable restaurants to tap into the growing demand for eco-friendly dining options.
- **Hospitality Industry:** Hotels and resorts can embrace anti-branding strategies to create unique dining experiences for their guests that stand out from traditional hotel restaurants.

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