Grillo’s Pickles has already turned a simple product into a cult-favorite brand, making a sandwich shop a natural next step. This concept brings the brand to life through a menu built entirely around their products featuring bold, pickle-forward sandwiches and unexpected flavor combinations.

+ Concept Ideation + World Building + Culinary Activation

This project is a conceptual case study developed to explore experiential brand opportunities for Grillo's Pickles.

A person holding a paper bag from Grillos Pickles Sandwich Shop. The bag has a green cartoon character of a pickle wearing sunglasses and a hat, carrying a sandwich. The person's hand and part of their arm and clothing are visible, with a wooden floo
Menu board displaying options for sandwiches and sides at Grillo's Pickles, with a cartoon pickle character wearing sunglasses and a cap.
Green paper with a line drawing of a person wearing a cap and sunglasses, holding a sandwich, and the words 'SANDWICH SHOP' repeated multiple times on the right side.

By creating a physical, experiential space, Grillo’s can deepen brand loyalty, invite real-world interaction, and evolve from a packaged good into a full lifestyle food experience.

Two photographs of American comfort foods. The first shows a grilled sandwich with meat and cheese, a pickle on a white plate, set on a brown surface with a green background. The second features a metal tray with a meat and onion dish topped with a bun, accompanied by sliced pickles, on a green and white surface.

The menu draws from a mix of cultural combinations to create bold, unexpected sandwiches that showcase the range of Grillo’s Pickles. Sandwiches layer bright, briny flavors into everything from classic deli sandos to globally inspired combinations. 

Sandwiches are a natural extension of the brand: familiar, highly customizable, and the perfect format to highlight pickles as both a staple and a standout ingredient.

Multiple logos and illustrations for Grillo's Pickles Sandwich Shop, featuring cartoon pickle mascots, with text in green and white on a yellow background.

The space is brought to life through tactile, playful and grungy details including branded wallpaper, pickle-inspired tiles, accented with sharp hints of red and green that echo the brand’s signature palette. Hand-painted illustrations wrap around ceramic lamps, adding a crafted, slightly imperfect charm that feels both nostalgic and fresh. Together, these elements create an environment that’s immersive, graphic, and unmistakably Grillo’s.

Interior of Grillo's Pickles sandwich shop with a green bench, red tables and stools, and a wall decorated with images of pickles, product packaging, and the shop's mascot, a pickle with sunglasses.
White tiles with large green circular patterns painted on them.
A hanging lampshade with a vintage green and white illustration of a beach scene, featuring a vendor cart labeled "Grillo's Pickles," people in summer clothing, sailboats, and the sun, with a green and yellow tiled background.

Playful apparel extends the brand beyond the shop, turning Grillo’s bold personality into wearable graphics that feel fun, irreverent, and instantly recognizable.

A person with dark hair wearing a white t-shirt with green text that reads 'Chill Out Eat a Sandwich', a blue cap, and dark jeans, working in a kitchen with shelves of dishes and cooking supplies in the background.
A person working in a sandwich shop, wearing a white t-shirt with red trim, with a logo that says "Grillo's Pickles Sandwich Shop" and an illustration of a pickle in the shape of a hot dog. The person is standing behind a kitchen counter with various containers and utensils, with a red-tiled wall and a clock showing the time as 9:23 in the background.