Restaurants are living, breathing things; like anything alive, they accumulate. The pace of daily service has a way of borrowing from tomorrow to get through today. The loudest goals get met. The smallest, most refined details — the ones that quietly define the experience — are the first to be forgotten. Though the team may see it, it's the guest who feels it, even if they can't name it.

The sophistication lives in the service. The personality lives in the design. Martin, the olive character designed to represent the brand, brings a unique duality to the high-end service. His witty, risqué, and honestly brazen personality provides a natural counterweight to the expert, award-winning service that defines the experience.

The design of the restaurant itself combines the comfortable familiarity of an old New York Italian restaurant with an elevated, polished execution. Metal tables are replaced with gloss-coated marble in deep greens, reds, and blacks. At first glance, the red leather seats remain, honing in on a sense of nostalgia for the customer. However, upon further inspection, the thin, worn, industrial fabric that used to cling to the back of our legs for dear life has been traded in for high-quality, hand-stitched leather; a switch that offers a soft and consistent experience for the consumer rather than a harsh reminder of your leg sweat.

The details lead, the service grounds. The Drunken Olive was designed as a case study.